Think like a Landscape: Q&A with Krelyne Andrew

Why this series
Business faces rising climate, nature and supply-chain exposure. Could place-based collaboration - by river basin or bioregion - lower risk, strengthen compliance and build resilient supply?

What this interview covers

Krelyne Andrew is Sustainability Head for Verve, Sappi’s global dissolving wood pulp brand serving the fashion and pharmaceutical industries. She reflects on how environmental and social risk has shifted from an operational concern to a core business resilience strategy. 

From water security in rural South Africa to reframing NGO partnerships in business language, Krelyne explains what it means in practice to “think like a landscape,” showing how collaboration across a river basin can translate into tangible business value and long-term supply resilience. 

Q: You’ve worked in the woodfibre sector for over 20 years. What’s changed most?

Krelyne: When I started, everything was about technical optimisation, managing the quality of pulp to ensure consistent performance in our customers processes. That was the conversation.

Over the past ten years, we’ve seen a remarkable transformation. Environmental and social performance have moved from being side conversations to taking centre stage. What began as voluntary commitments have evolved into clear regulatory expectations.

Building on that shift, the last decade has also highlighted the growing sophistication of supply chain responsibility. Certification systems like Forest Stewardship Council^®️ (FSC^®️) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) remain essential.  They give our markets the assurance that we operate responsibly and transparently. But this past decade has also shown us that certification alone is no longer a guaranteed “green lane” for market access. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is a clear example.  It raises the bar even further, requiring deeper traceability, risk assessment, and due diligence across the entire supply chain.

What this underscores is a fundamental change: sustainability can no longer sit with one company or one department. What was once seen as Sappi’s responsibility is now understood as a shared value ‑chain obligation stretching from fibre sources to customers and end use‑ markets. And while the pace and complexity have certainly been challenging, the journey has been exciting. It has sparked stronger collaboration, accelerated innovation, and strengthened accountability right across our ecosystem.

It's safe to say that our customers expect both quality and sustainability performance.  Risk-based action is required versus a one size fits all approach. That’s the baseline.

Q: Where does trust fit into that?

Krelyne: Building trusted partnerships is a core pillar of Sappi’s business strategy.  Our internal Verve mantra is that ‘we say what we do and we do what we say’.

Trust is built in many ways and takes time.

It is about being open about our impacts, our data, and our decisions that pairs economic success with meaningful contributions to supply chain resilience.  Our stakeholders want to see not just our successes but also where we face challenges, how we manage trade-offs, and where we’re‑ working to improve.

At a landscape scale, building trust requires more than project management. Trust begins with collective understanding of the landscape’s realities.  It is anchored through multistakeholder platforms that build legitimacy and enables shared governance.  Trust really deepens when communities are empowered and see  mutual benefit.

Ultimately, trust is built not by what we say, but by what we show: shared value approach, willingness to engage openly with our stakeholders and responsible behaviour.

Q: You sit in a supply chain role rather than corporate sustainability. Does that change things?

Krelyne: Real change happens when sustainability is embedded in operations and supply chain.

I’m positioned between manufacturing and the value chain which includes, customers, fashion brands, NGO’s and industry associations.   That allows me to see emerging expectations and to help our business develop the necessary response.  It’s much easier to drive change when you’re connected to the business reality.

That’s similar to landscape work. You can’t manage it from a distance. You have to be in it.

Q: Sappi's partnership with WWF in the uMkhomazi catchment is often described as landscape action. What does that mean in practice?

Krelyne: When we talk about landscape action, we’re really talking about recognising that environmental, social, and economic risks are interconnected, and acting at the scale of the whole catchment, not just within our fence line.

Our partnership with WWF is a great example. It began as a practical response to the insights from our TCFD ‑aligned financial water risk model. The modelling showed that if we want to secure water availability in the future, we need to act now and act collectively. Because our flagship dissolving wood pulp mill and our forestry operations sit within this catchment, it made business sense for Sappi to step forward as the anchor partner and provide the seed funding needed to catalyse action for all water users.

In the rural South African context, landscape risk is inherently intertwined. High unemployment, limited access to clean water, and pressure on natural ecosystems mean that water risk quickly becomes social risk. By tackling water challenges head ‑on, we create pathways to broader social upliftment. A good example is alien invasive plant clearing: it improves river baseflows and simultaneously creates green employment for local communities.

Formalising water governance within the catchment is another critical element. It brings together government, traditional authorities, farmers, industry, and communities in one trusted space. This ensures that dependencies and impacts are understood by everyone, and it enables coordinated, collective action instead of fragmented or duplicative efforts.

In essence, landscape action is about building resilience at the scale where risks actually occur. It recognises that securing water, supporting communities, and restoring ecosystems are not separate issues, they reinforce one another. And ultimately, strong landscape stewardship creates a more resilient supply chain for all of us.

Q: What makes landscape collaboration work?

Krelyne: Effective collaboration comes down to a few core principles.

Partners need a genuine win-win and a shared belief in the value of collective action otherwise it becomes compliance, not commitment. Trusted relationships with government, traditional leaders, and NGOs further enable success.

Setting 4-5 year outcomes that is reviewed annually has ensured that we continue to transform our partnership with the fluidity that is needed for landscape projects that have a longer time horizon for delivery.

Having a dedicated project manager working with WWF was key for us. It keeps the work aligned with business needs and ensures our seed funding creates value.  Quite importantly, it also keeps us grounded in the reality  of the landscape needs.

Sharing resources, like GIS capability or measurement frameworks  helps to accelerate progress and embeds collective responsibility and makes for effective collaboration.

Translating on‑the‑ground action into meaningful business insight - how it reduces risk, builds resilience, or supports long‑term value is part of the recipe for success.

In short: shared value, trust, and a willingness to roll up our sleeves together are what make collaboration effective.

Q: What have you learned about metrics?

Krelyne: One of the fundamental principles I’ve carried from manufacturing into sustainability is : you can only control what you measure. Baselines, targets, and continuous improvement are mission critical in our operational world.

Establishing and measuring metrics at a landscape scale is far more complex than measuring within a mill. Landscapes involve multiple actors, shifting social dynamics, and natural systems that don’t behave in linear or predictable ways.

The on the ground metrics also need to create value for our supply chain, hence  it’s important that our landscape metrics align with global  frameworks. Yet, the lack of interoperability across global reporting standards, adds another layer of complexity.

For now, our programme metrics are aligned with the Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) framework. They cover:

• Land‑use change
• Freshwater use
• Ecosystem integrity
• Species abundance
• Pollution levels

These indicators help us quantify change in a way that supports both reporting and decision making‑.

On a personal level, my learning curve through this project has been exponential. Landscape work isn’t linear, it’s not like science and engineering, where inputs and outputs follow a predictable sequence. You’re working within social systems and natural ecosystems. Sometimes you move sideways before you move forward. However you still need a clear vision, a measurement framework, and a direction of travel to guide progress.

I think that good metrics don’t simplify the landscape, they help us navigate it.

Q: What advice would you give a company starting a landscape initiative?

Krelyne: If a company is starting a landscape initiative, the most important thing is to recognise that success depends on alignment - internally and across the landscape. In our experience, a few principles really matter:

• Build a strong advisory group early.
• Put people first. In South Africa, job creation must be central.
• Align internally before you launch externally.
• Be clear on your vision and your “so what.”
• Have someone on the ground from the business side.

And accept that the company might not be ready immediately. Culture takes time.

Q: What does resilience mean to you now?

Krelyne: It means understanding that operational risk doesn’t stop at your factory gate.

Water security, biodiversity, community stability - these are not abstract environmental or social issues. They determine whether you can operate tomorrow.

Landscape work is not about being charitable. It’s about being realistic.

If you ignore the catchment, eventually it will ignore you.