Metsä Tissue teams up with WWF Finland to offer sustainability training
To mark the United Nations International Year of Forests, Metsä Tissue is offering its personnel training on themes related to sustainable development, providing a comprehensive briefing on forest issues. Training is being given as a team effort between Metsäliitto, Metsä Tissue and WWF Finland.
Metsäliitto Group signed a cooperation agreement with WWF Finland earlier this year. Within the agreement Metsä Tissue, part of Metsäliitto Group and a leading European tissue and cooking paper products supplier, has offered training to almost 100 employees in three different regions on themes related to sustainable development, such as water and carbon footprint, forest certification as well as eco-labelling and environmental management systems. WWF representatives have joined the dialogue, offering insights mainly on the status of the world’s forests.
“We have organised four full-day training sessions in three of Metsä Tissue’s European regions. The fifth will be organised in January 2012 in Scandinavia. Additionally, an electronic self-learning tool prepared by WWF will be distributed to employees via the company intranet,” says Riikka Joukio, SVP, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs.
“The training emphasises the fact that a sustainable way of working is the foundation of all activity in both Metsäliitto Group and Metsä Tissue. Sustainability is part of every employee’s daily work,” says Hannu Kottonen, CEO. “We also welcome dialogue between WWF and our employees. The best ideas seldom come from just one individual or a homogenous group of people. Cooperation and different angles on common concerns are required,” he adds.
“We have a great story to convey. Our raw material, wood fibre, is renewable, sourced either from sustainably managed forests or from recovered paper. Our operations are eco-efficient and all our paper products can be composted or burned. Today, many of our stakeholders want to hear the same story in greater detail – backed up with figures, certificates and labels. This is why we want to strengthen our employees’ knowledge in sustainability issues,” Kottonen adds.
“When discussing with customers and colleagues, we all seem to share the same interest and concern for our ecological footprint,” says Mark Dewick, Sales Director, AfH UK & Ireland, who participated in the training arranged in October. “I believe it is possible to make improvements throughout the whole value chain. In order to improve the sustainability of the whole chain, a deep understanding of the key issues, a good dialogue and, naturally, a strong will are needed. The training has definitely given us tools for deepening our discussions with our stakeholders.”
Further information:
Hannu Kottonen, CEO
Tel. +358 (0) 1046 54959
Email: hannu.kottonen@metsatissue.com
Marja-Leena Dahlskog, Communications Manager
Tel. +358 (0)1046 55149
Email: marja-leena.dahlskog@metsatissue.com
Metsä Tissue is a leading tissue paper products supplier to households and industrial consumers in Europe. We are also the world’s leading supplier of baking and cooking paper products. Our main brands are Lambi, Serla, Mola, Tento, Katrin and SAGA. We have production units based in Finland, Germany, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden and we have some 3200 employees. Our turnover is EUR 940 million. Metsä Tissue is part of the Metsäliitto Group.