London, UK - Tina Salvage of HSBC Bank enjoyed her three-day prize winning trip to Sappi's Stockstadt Pulp and Paper Mill in Germany as one of the first five Two Sides competition winners.

Two Sides is the initiative to promote the responsible production and use of print and paper, and encourage its use as an attractive, practical and sustainable communications medium, and Tina won her trip after coming up with a prize-winning environmental caption.

Tina is PFS Development Manager for Customer Journey re-Engineering at HSBC Bank and her trip saw her travel to Frankfurt and then onto Sappi's plant in Germany, where Tina experienced the full papermaking cycle from forest to the final papermaking process at Sappi's Stockstadt mill.

Tina's first port of call was to one of Sappi's local forestry suppliers "Furst Leiningen" a forest enterprise in the Odenwald, a forest which dates back to Queen Victoria's reign. Tina witnessed how the raw materials required to make paper is sourced and how sustainability in the forestry and papermaking industry is managed and applied to the papermaking production process.

As part of her prize Tina also got to experience a typical German lunch in Miltenberg at Germany's oldest inn, "Gasthaus zum Riesen", a Franconian tavern where countless crowned heads have stayed and dined since the 12th century.

Tina, who was accompanied on the trip by Mark Lewis, of Mastercolour Plc, one of Tina's suppliers, and also by the host company Sappi UK's Business Development & Sales Manager, Richard Worby, enjoyed a sumptuous Franconian three-course menu including a fantastic experience and education in German fine wine tasting at Schlossweinstuben in Aschaffenburg at the castle of Johannisburg, another iconic residence which dates back to 1605 and was named after John the Baptist.

Tina and Mark also experienced a trip to the Pollmeier owned saw mill at Aschaffenburg-Nilkheim, together with Lars Jordan, Sappi Stockstadt''s head of Wood Purchasing. The sawmill is a specialist handling plant of European produced beech, established in 2007 at a cost of €65M.

Following an à la carte lunch at Brossler in Stockstadt, Tina and Mark enjoyed an extensive mill presentation on sustainability and the environmental aspects of Sappi's papermaking processes by Martin Schilha, Sappi Stockstadt's Environmental Manager.

The guests, accompanied by Sappi Stockstadt Product Manager Harald Werner, then experienced an informative and educational tour of the Sappi Stockstadt Pulp and Paper Mill.

The mill at Stockstadt is one of the leading fine papermaking mills in Europe, producing coated papers (Euro Art Plus) ranging from 90-200g/m² as well as on uncoated papers (Tauro) between 80-300g/m² - both for sheet fed offset printing. Being located in the centre of town the environment is an important factor for the mill, and this was explained in the presentations. The mill is PEFC certified, which ensures its wood sourcing comes from sustainably managed forestry operations.

With around 730 employees the mill has a production capacity of 160,000 tonnes of chlorine free bleached beech sulphite pulp and 430,000 tonnes of fine paper per annum with its own power plant and waste water treatment plant. It operates to EMAS and one of the most advanced DIN ISO 9001 quality systems.

The mill's close proximity to both Aschaffenburg and Frankfurt provides it with an ideal location for production and distribution of its material to central Germany and Europe.

Each of the five winners and their colleague/partners experience their trips as guests of one of the five leading European paper companies who have very generously donated the prizes. Each winner is taken through the forestry and paper making processes and will witness sustainability in action whilst sampling the delights and cuisine of the local area.

Leading paper producer Sappi, along with fellow papermakers Portucel Soporcel, Stora Enso, UPM Kymmene and Mondi are hosting the two to three day trips as part of the competition prizes.

Commenting on her prize-winning trip, Tina said she was delighted to win and experience such wonderful hospitality from Sappi and to learn more about its sustainable paper-making processes.

Martyn Eustace, Two Sides Director, said; "There's no better way to tell our industry's story than getting users to experience forestry and paper making first hand and see for themselves".

The list of Two Sides competition winners is as follows:  

- Tina Salvage; PFS Development Manager for Customer Journey re-Engineering, HSBC Bank

- Amanda Lovelock; Senior Print Executive; Honda Trading

- Antony Rathbone; Production and Logistics Manager; Macmillan Cancer Support

- Heather Aylott, Head of Publishing and Creative, Shelter

- Matthew Webster; Marketing Category Manager; Virgin Atlantic Airways

Further Two Sides competition winners' mill trips will take place during 2011.