Between 1994 and 2004 Mondi leaned its forestry operations via sub-contracting and outsourcing. This led to short term company savings. But the social effects unfolded to become a long-term hindrance for sustainable business operations as local community infrastructure and company commodity deteriorated in an outsourced model.

In order to cope with these long-term social effects within its operational context, Mondi implemented numerous sustainable development activities between 1994 and 2004. These ranged from adult literacy and waste paper recovery programmes, contributions to the creation of SMEs, the set-up of schools for disabled, the rehabilitation of large areas of forestry plantations into wetlands and grasslands, to bee farming projects aimed at preventing forest fires (as beehives were often robbed on Mondi's property by "smoking" the bees from their hives, resulting in forest fires).

The problem was that these on-going activities did not obtain their objective. Local communities still lacked perspective. Social tensions stayed high and the deterioration of local infrastructure and company commodity continued, e.g., via forest fires on company territory

In 2004, when Viv McMenamin became the new sustainable development director of the Mondi group, she was eager to improve Mondi's overall social setting in South Africa.

How was McMenamin going to achieve that goal?

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