Mondi Zimele: independence through enterprise
Accelerating community empowerment in the forestry value chain and supporting small businesses.
In South Africa, Mondi Zimele is our main channel to drive economic development and empower communities. We remain focused on developing sustainable local businesses, who not only provide quality services within our value chain but create employment opportunities around communities where Mondi operates. We support with coaching, mentorship and business management training & development, as well as discounted funding.
Another initiative is the small-scale timber grower programme, which aims to develop emerging forestry growers through skills transfer, financial support, secure markets and other inputs such as quality seedlings. Our small-scale timber grower programme has benefited over 3,785 growers with support from Mondi Zimele since it was launched. In 2023, 192,801 tonnes (of which 17,000 tons were FSCTM certified) of wood were sourced from rural smallholdings (1-2 hectares each). Mondi Zimele also distributed 2.4 million seedlings in the planting season of 2023 and provided training, mill visits and knowledge-sharing field days to eligible small growers. Working collaboratively with CMO (FSC, and now also PEFC Group Scheme Owner), 308 small growers are FSC certified, and supplying FSC certified pulpwood timber to the Mondi Richards Bay mill, with work in progress to increase this number.
In 2023, Mondi Zimele supported 34 businesses and provided discounted loan funding of around €951,000, amounting to a total of approximately €9 million since 2012, supporting over 300 local businesses, and contributing to the creation of over 4,700 jobs. This has created revenues in excess of €14 million per annum.
Learn more about Mondi Zimele and watch our video about Mondi Zimele's emerging timber grower programme below.
Mondi Action Plan 2030
