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South Africa is well positioned to play a bigger role in the global textile industry, but a missing link in the country’s manufacturing value chain is preventing it from capturing more from its forestry resources and creating more jobs, says Sappi.The pulp and paper producer says the country already has the forestry resources, dissolving wood pulp production and parts of the textile manufacturing chain needed to support a stronger local industry. However, it lacks facilities that convert dissolving wood pulp into textile fibres such as viscose and lyocell before they are spun into yarn and made into fabric and clothing.Sappi vice-president for marketing pulp Bernhard Riegler said closing the gap will allow more of the value chain to remain in South Africa instead of exporting raw materials for processing elsewhere. (Dorothy Kgosi) Globally, he said, the textile industry produces about 125-million tonnes of fibre annually. Polyester accounts for the largest share at about 75-million tonnes while cotton contributes about 27-million tonnes. Wood-based cellulose fibres, including viscose and lyocell, account for 7-million to 8-million tonnes.Sappi is the world’s largest non-integrated producer of dissolving wood pulp, meaning it does not convert the pulp into textile fibres itself. The company produces dissolving wood pulp at its Saiccor and Ngodwana mills in South Africa and another facility in the US.About 95% of Sappi’s dissolving wood pulp production is supplied to the textile industry, with most exports destined for India, China, Europe, Southeast Asia and the US, according to Riegler.He said South Africa produces 11%-12% of the world’s dissolving wood pulp, making it one of the largest suppliers globally.Riegler said the country already has many of the building blocks needed to develop a more integrated textile industry.“We produce. We have the wood. We have the dissolving pulp. We have a small spinning, dyeing, knitting, weaving [and] garment-making facility. What South Africa is lacking is the lyocell or viscose producer.”Establishing a fibre conversion plant would allow dissolving wood pulp produced locally to be processed into textile fibres in South Africa before moving through spinning, weaving and garment manufacturing.We produce. We have the wood. We have the dissolving pulp. We have a small spinning, dyeing, knitting, weaving [and] garment-making facility. What South Africa is lacking is the lyocell or viscose producer.— Bernhard Riegler, Sappi vice-president for marketing pulpAccording to Riegler, this would align with the objectives of South Africa’s textile master plan, which seeks to strengthen local manufacturing, increase the competitiveness of the clothing and textile sector and create jobs.The comments come as global fashion supply chains face increasing pressure to improve transparency and sustainability.Riegler said retailers and fashion brands have become more focused on understanding where their raw materials originate, driven by growing scrutiny of supply chains and concerns about illegal forestry and environmental practices in some producing regions.He said Sappi has systems that allow every log entering its mills to be traced back to its source plantation and even the nursery where it originated.The company, which manages about 400,000ha of land locally, said its forestry operations are certified under recognised sustainability standards.Riegler said this level of traceability is becoming increasingly important as brands seek greater assurance about the origin of the materials used in their products.He said relationships between retailers and raw material producers have changed over the past decade, with brands engaging directly with companies such as Sappi instead of relying only on information passed through multiple suppliers.Riegler said securing a sufficient fibre supply and improving textile recycling are among the industry’s biggest challenges as demand for sustainable materials grows.He said South Africa’s opportunity lies in building out the missing part of its textile manufacturing chain.“Once South Africa invests in a conversion plant from dissolving pulp to fibre, you cannot believe the amount of potential that it has from employment, economic development and footprinting South Africa as almost the garment producer of Sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.
