Metsä Group has revised its strategic sustainability targets

Metsä Group press release 16 February 2023

Metsä Group has revised its 2030 sustainability targets as part of the Group’s strategy work. The revision of the targets is a step towards a fossil free and waste-free future that bolsters nature. The company’s climate actions are based on both global climate change mitigation and adapting to it in Finland’s changing climate.

Focusing on the most essential sustainability issues, the targets cover all of Metsä Group’s operations and will also affect supply chains. In particular, Metsä Group is working to increase measures improving forests’ natural biodiversity and health as well as measures promoting fossil free production. The 2030 targets are monitored with a comprehensive, more than doubled set of indicators.

“Metsä Group is committed to safeguarding natural biodiversity, mitigating climate change and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, healthy workplace communities and ethical operations. We must be able to take even more action to secure a sustainable future,” says Ilkka Hämälä, Metsä Group’s President and CEO.

Natural biodiversity is safeguarded especially through measures that increase the diversity of tree species and the amount of decaying wood, and by preserving valuable habitats. Metsä Group is carrying out separate measures in habitats that threatened forest species have adapted to. These habitats include herb-rich forests, eskers and burned forest areas.

Metsä Group is increasing climate-positive action in forests. This includes increasing the share of continuous cover forestry in peatland forests and timely forest management operations such as young stand management and forest fertilisation. Metsä Group is also increasing its production of wood products that store carbon for a long time.

Metsä Group is also committed to reducing its fossil-based carbon dioxide emissions to mitigate climate change. Metsä Group’s mills will transition entirely to fossil free fuels, as will any electricity and heat purchased by the company. The raw materials used for products and packaging materials will consist solely of fossil free materials.

The efficient use of natural resources is ensured by utilising all production side streams and through the efficient use of water and energy. All procured wood is used for the purpose that it is most suited for, and wood raw material is processed efficiently.

Metsä Group encourages a culture of doing the right thing and taking increased action to ensure that allows people to feel they are working in an ethical, balanced and accident-free environment. Every employee at Metsä Group has a personal bonus goal related to responsibility.

Metsä Group’s societal impact is created together with partners. As such, Metsä Group has also set shared sustainability targets with its stakeholders. Raw materials are procured from sustainable sources and their origin is clear. Procurement is carried out through suppliers that are proven to be responsible.

For further information, please contact:
Juha Laine, Senior Vice President, Communications, Metsä Group, tel. +358 10 465 4541
Katja Tuomola, VP, Sustainability Management, Metsä Group, tel. +358 50 460 5835

Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is leading the way in advancing the bioeconomy. We invest in growth, bioproduct development and a fossil free future. The raw material for our products is renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. We focus on the growth sectors of the forest industry: wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards, as well as tissue and greaseproof papers.

Metsä Group’s annual sales amount to approximately EUR 7 billion, and we have around 9,500 employees in around 30 countries. Our international Group has its roots in the Finnish forests: our parent company is Metsäliitto Cooperative which is owned by over 90,000 forest owners. 

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