OVERVIEWForestry and
OVERVIEWForestry and paperFashion from firs.SECTOR INSIGHTTwo sustainable standardscover 80% of plantationsThe fashion industry does not immediately conjure upimages of forests, but the use of sustainable materialsourced from sustainably managed plantations is becomingmore common.Sappi is a member of the global Sustainable Apparel Coalitionwhose mission is to improve supply chain sustainability in theapparel, footwear and textile industry. The dissolving pulp made bySappi has many applications in the textiles industry, one of which ispictured here.The forestry sector’s environmental and socio-economic impactis verified by forestry certification bodies. Over 80% of South Africa’splantations are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) orProgramme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) (throughthe Sustainable African Forest Assurance Scheme). Their principlesespouse the three spheres of sustainability and allow the sector tocontribute to South Africa achieving SDGs.About 30% of Mpumalanga’s plantations are planted toeucalyptus, with pine representing about 50%. The province hasa higher proportion of its land given over to plantations (6.4%)than any other province, even KwaZulu-Natal (5%). The province’s491 000ha of plantation area represents 41% of the national total.Of the 254 000ha owned or leased by Mondi for plantationforestry in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces, approximately27% are unplanted, with about 80% of these unplanted areasset aside for conservation purposes. This is mostly grassland andwetland ecosystems.Mpumalanga has the ideal climate and topography for forests. SabieONLINE RESOURCESForestry South Africa: www.forestry.co.zaPaper Manufacturers Association of South Africa:www.thepaperstory.co.zaSawmilling South Africa: www.timber.co.zaand Graskop represent the hubof the industry, but commercialforests are also found to the eastand south along the Swazilandborder.Forestry accounts for about 8%of Mpumalanga’s gross domesticproduct. The sector compriseslogging, sawmilling, woodproduct and pulp and papermanufacture. Pulp and paperare the main exports, along withsawn lumber, wood chips andwattle extract. Most sawn timberin South Africa is used in theconstruction sector.One of the biggest operationsin the forestry and paper sectorin Mpumalanga is Sappi’sNgodwana Mill. Although it hasa big international footprint,Sappi’s biggest sales volumes areachieved in South Africa, makingup nearly 50% of group sales.Sappi’s other large facility in theprovince, the Lomati Sawmill inBarberton, produces kiln-driedSouthern African pine lumber fromsawlogs supplied by Sappi Forests.The Industrial DevelopmentCorporation (IDC) has a stake inHans Merensky Holdings and YorkTimbers, which has planted out40ha in high-value crops as partof a diversification strategy. PGBison, a subsidiary of KAP IndustrialHoldings, is investing R560-millionin a new front-end dryer for itsparticleboard plant in Mkhondo.The company has recently built anew medium-density fibreboard(MDF) plant. ■MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2025/2640 PHOTO: Sappi
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