KwaZulu-Natal Business 2023-24

OVERVIEW
Forestry and paper
The sector is proud of its green credentials.
Several myths were debunked when leaders of the forestry and
paper sectors gathered in July 2023 for a roundtable discussion
hosted by the Paper Manufacturers Association of South
Africa (PAMSA).
The first relates to misconceptions about plantations.
“Deforestation happens when you cut trees down and do not
replant them,” explained Jane Molony, executive director at PAMSA.
“We do not use indigenous or natural forests in this country. We
farm trees in just the same way you would farm grain or maize.”
Noting that wood products can be good for the environment, Dr
Tracy Wessels, Group Head of Sustainability and Investor Relations
at Sappi noted, “By harvesting a small proportion of mature trees
and replanting with new trees each year, we improve the carbon
sequestration rate.”
Timber plantations or planted forests represent just 7% of the
planet’s forest area but provide about 50% of the wood for global
industrial use such as pulp, paper and timber for construction. In
South Africa, about 30% of the forestry-owned land is set aside
for biodiversity. The roundtable also discussed the latest trends in
packaging and working towards a circular economy through better
management of waste.
Sappi has 19 production facilities on three continents (of
which five are in Southern Africa) and 12 800 employees in over
35 countries. Sappi’s Stanger Mill is situated close to sugar cane
fields from which it takes bagasse (dry sugar cane pulp) for use in
its production processes. Typek office paper is made at this mill,
which has the capacity to produce 80 000 tons of paper and 30 000
tons of tissue.
At the company’s Tugela Mill up to 200 000 tons per annum of
containerboard (corrugating medium) can be manufactured from
recycled and virgin fibre. The giant Sappi Saiccor mill 50km south of
Durban is the world’s biggest manufacturer of dissolving wood pulp.
The Mondi Group has grown into an international behemoth
with 26 000 employees and operations in more than 30 countries.
Mondi’s Merebank Mill produces a range of office paper products
ONLINE RESOURCES
Forestry South Africa: www.forestry.co.za
National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment:
www.dffe.gov.za
Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA):
www.thepaperstory.co.za
South African Institute of Forestry: www.saif.org.za
SECTOR INSIGHT
30% of forestry-owned
land in South Africa is set
aside for biodiversity.
including the well-known brand,
Mondi Rotatrim. Uncoated
woodfree reels are manufactured
for the South African and Sub-
Saharan African markets.
Nampak produces crêpe
paper at Verulam and Rafalo
produces tissue paper. SA Paper
Mills is another paper producer.
Mpact has plastics and
paper operations, with the
paper section divided into three
divisions: paper manufacturing,
corrugated and converted paper
products and recycling.
The National Department
of Forestry, Fisheries and the
Environment has set a target for
South Africa to plant 10-million
trees, two-million per year for
five years. ■
KWAZULU-NATAL BUSINESS 2023/24
20
PHOTO: PAMSA