BOSTON (News release) -- Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp, announced that its Ultracast Viva release paper has won the Green Product Award 2021 jury prize in the fashion category. The award program recognizes companies and start-ups that have distinguished themselves by their sustainable practices and product results. Over a thousand applicants from 51 countries were screened for this year's nomination.

Ultracast Viva is a textured release paper made specifically for high-fidelity PVC, PU, semi-PU and solvent-free casting systems that are used in the manufacturing of coated fabrics. This first-of-its-kind product embodies Sappi's forward-looking sustainability practices in alignment with the company's global goals for environmentally-friendly manufacturing.

"On behalf of the entire Sappi organization, we are honored to receive the Green Product Award this year," said Mark Hittie, Director of Release Strategy at Sappi North America. "We're proud to see Ultracast Viva making an impact on the fashion industry and advancing sustainability standards. Our focus remains on creating innovative products that support environmentally-conscious manufacturing."

With Sappi's nearly 80 years of experience creating textures, Ultracast Viva brings to market performance improvements that are more compatible than ever with green chemistry systems, including benefits from its increased reusability and easier handling with expanded temperature limits. This release paper is designed for companies who are dedicated to using sustainable alternatives when creating high quality coated fabrics and textured materials.

"Ultracast Viva is most certainly a positive example for coatings with its scalable technical solution and high potential," said the Green Product Award organizers.

To learn more about Sappi North America, please visit www.sappi.com. To read more about Sappi's Ultracast product line, click here.

About the Green Product Award
The international Green Product Award is rewarding products and services, good in design, innovation and sustainability since 2013. The aim of the award is to share good examples for the public and to provide feedback and networking opportunities for the participants. The Award showcases 11 categories of Architecture & Tiny Houses, Building Components, Circular Materials, Consumer Goods, Fashion, Handicraft, Interior & Lifestyle, Kids, Mobility, Sport and Workspace.

The Green Concept Award - held in cooperation with IKEA-Stiftung - strictly focuses on concepts, materials and prototypes, not on the market yet. The yearly nominees represent the upcoming trends of sustainable innovations.

About Sappi North America, Inc.
Sappi North America, Inc., headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our three diversified businesses - high-quality graphic papers, pulp, and packaging and speciality papers - is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high-quality graphic papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset, and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of dissolving pulp with our Verve brand, a sustainable fiber, which is used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods. We deliver sustainable packaging and speciality papers for luxury packaging and folding carton applications with our single-ply packaging brands, Spectro and Proto, and for the food and label industries with our specialty papers, LusterPrint and LusterCote. We are also one of the world's leading suppliers of casting and release papers with our Ultracast, PolyEx and Classics lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films 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.