Sappi North America Receives Champion of Economic Development Award from Maine Development Foundation

PORTLAND, Maine, Sept. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi North America, a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, has received a Champion of Economic Development Award from the Maine Development Foundation. The award is given to those individuals or organizations that are key to driving Maine's economy forward.

Sappi North America is a cornerstone of Maine's paper industry, planting its roots as the S.D. Warren Company more than 160 years ago. Throughout its history, Sappi has overcome industry challenges through its forward-thinking approach to the pulp and paper business, focusing primarily on unprecedented innovation. This is evident by its recent announcement of the groundbreaking Neoterix ST functional release paper, which utilizes Sharklet Technologies' microtexture pattern to create bacteria-inhibiting textures.

Alongside its ongoing commitment to innovation and business development, Sappi continues to invest in Maine communities. The company employs over 1,300 local citizens across three locations: South Portland, Westbrook, and Skowhegan. Sappi also supports more than 75 local organizations and school programs with volunteer efforts and financial contributions.

"We are deeply honored to be awarded such recognition from the Maine Development Foundation. Sappi has a deep history as a part of Maine's pulp and paper industry, and our commitment to our surrounding communities is profound," said Mark Gardner, President and CEO of Sappi North America. "The state of Maine has been a good place for us to do business, and we will continue our investment in its people, its economy and our business for many years to come."

Sappi is among three other local organizations to receive the Champion of Economic Development award this year. The 2016 award recipients will be recognized during the 38^th Annual Meeting of the Maine Development Foundation on Tuesday, September 27, 2016.

To learn more about the Maine Development Foundation, please visit www.mdf.org.

To learn more about Sappi's presence in Maine, please visit www.na.sappi.com.

About Sappi North America
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our four diversified businesses – high quality Coated Printing Papers, Specialised Cellulose, Release Papers and Specialty Packaging – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high quality Coated Printing Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Specialised Cellulose used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods, and one of the world's leading suppliers of Release Papers with our Ultracast, PolyEX, Classics and Neoterix lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. Our Specialty Packaging products, such as LusterPrint and LusterCote, represent an important asset in the food packaging and labeling industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.

Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 13,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.

SOURCE Sappi North America

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