Sappi Ltd, a leading producer of dissolving pulp sold under the brand name Verve, has completed a verification of the Higg Facility Social and Labour Module (FSLM) at its Saiccor Mill in South Africa achieving a final score of 91.5%. This demonstrates Sappi’s maturity and commitment to a high level of compliance in human resource practices within the regions and communities that it operates in. The verification results confirm Sappi as a leader in sustainable social and labour practices. Saiccor Mill produces Verve that is used primarily in the textile and hygiene product industries.
Developed by the SAC, the Higg FSLM is part of a suite of tools that enables manufacturing facilities within the textile value chains to measure themselves against a standard set of criteria in the areas of Recruitment and Hiring, Working Hours, Wages and Benefits, Worker Treatment, Worker Involvement, Health and Safety, Termination and Management Systems.
Mohamed Mansoor, Executive Vice President for Sappi Pulp says, “Verve is taking bold steps supporting the call for collective action to improve the transparency and traceability of the supply chain that we serve. I want to express my support for the implementation of credible standardised industry assessments, such as the FSLM. By using these assessments, we can avoid audit fatigue and reduce the costs associated with certification in our supply chain. I strongly believe that external verification of our social and labour practices in South Africa plays a crucial role in instilling confidence in Verve as the preferred fibre of choice. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Saiccor Mill and its team on their excellent result.”
“At Sappi safety is entrenched in our values and forms an important part of the way we operate, not just in our manufacturing environments but also extending into our communities. We are committed to creating safe and fair social and labour conditions. We are extremely proud of Saiccor Mill’s verified Higg FSLM score and will continue to explore opportunities to improve in the area of health and safety” says Christo Willemse, General Manager Sappi Saiccor Mill.
Sappi invites interested stakeholders to connect via the Higg platform to view the detailed results and engage.
