We carefully consider the economic, social and environmental impacts of all our operations

Metsä Board is committed to the principles of sustainability. We carefully consider the economic, social and environmental impacts of all our operations. Our lightweight paperboards are a good example of Metsä Board’s products that are sustainable throughout their life cycle.

Our main raw material is renewable and sustainably grown fresh fibre. We always know the origins of the fibre we use. All Metsä Board products are recyclable and they offer excellent alternatives to more carbon-intensive products. Our operations are located in areas with rich forest and water resources.

Metsä Board uses materials and energy efficiently. We use large amounts of biofuels and we are a major producer of bioenergy. We continuously assess our operations to ensure they are efficient and environmentally friendly.

We are a major employer in many localities, and an active member of the local communities where we operate. Therefore we also highlight the importance of social sustainability.

Focusing on sustainability issues

Sustainability and responsibility are important not only to us and our business partners, but also to our customers. At Metsä Board we emphasise the importance of maintaining direct and transparent dialogues on sustainability issues with our key stakeholders.

We have divided our sustainability approach into four themes covering the whole value chain.

Our sustainability themes

Product safety & process innovation

Sustainable forest management and supply chain

We work for better climate and environment

Resource efficiency

Safety at work & well-being

Our commitment and values

Metsä Board is committed to promote sustainable development in all our business activities and operations, to continuously improve our operations and to conduct our business responsibly. We have demonstrated our resolve by formally committing ourselves to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact initiative. These principles particularly highlight respect for human and labour rights, environmental responsibility, and measures to combat corruption. The Sustainability Principles of our mother company, Metsä Group, are also based on these universally accepted principles.

We closely monitor developments in the regulatory frameworks that affect our operations and markets. Our advocacy on these issues is mainly channeled through industry and trade associations at the national, European and international levels.

We offer sustainable choices

Sustainable products, services and innovations

Metsä Board’s products are safe throughout their life cycle, with regard to both their manufacturing and the raw materials they contain. The traceability of the raw materials used in manufacturing is particularly important for paperboards that will be in contact with food. Metsä Board knows the origins of all the raw materials that it uses, including wood, pulp and chemicals.

The requirements and regulations for materials in contact with food are only a starting point. Metsä Board’s products meet the strictest international standards, and often surpass the requirements of local or regional legislation. Metsä Board’s paperboards and the chemicals used to manufacture them do not contain any harmful compounds.

Wood from sustainably managed forests

The main raw material of Metsä Board’s products is wood grown in sustainably managed northern forests. In Finland and Sweden, where Metsä Board procures most of its wood, the annual forest growth exceeds the amounts of wood harvested annually ensuring that the growing stock in the forests increases continuously.

We are aware of the origins of all the wood we use, whether it comes from certified forests or forests that are otherwise controlled. Metsä Board's certified Chain-of-Custody systems and ISO 14001 environmental management system ensure that the origins of wood we use are traceable in all the countries where we procure wood.

Metsä Board fulfils the obligations of the European Union Timber Regulation (EU 995/2010) and the US Lacey Act, which both prohibit the marketing of illegally harvested timber and timber products.

We work for better climate and environment

Metsä Board's focus on improved efficiency

At Metsä Board we focus on improving the efficiency of our use of materials, energy and water. Since 2009 we have reduced emissions of fossil carbon dioxide from our production processes by -47% per product tonne, and improved our energy efficiency by 10,2%. Our process water use has decreased by -17% per product tonne over the period 2010-2017.

Our bio-based products provide alternatives to products that are made from non-renewable materials. Packaging made from our lightweight paperboards minimises waste along the supply chain.

We create well-being

Creating well-being

At Metsä Board we see the well-being of our personnel as essential, and we continuously develop and promote occupational safety and well-being Safety at work is our top priority. We closely monitor and report on sickness absenteeism and accident rates throughout Metsä Board, to assess progress towards our ambitious targets. This enables us to promptly identify and address any issues that might threaten our employees’ safety or work capacity.

The key elements of our efforts to enhance safety at work involve encouraging the right attitude and implementing preventive measures. It is vital to us that our employees come to work healthy and leave work healthy every day. Good management lays the foundation for well-being at work and healthy workplace communities. Common practices and systems applied throughout Metsä Board support our safety management work and enhance job satisfaction.

We communicate openly

We communicate openly about our environmental impact

At Metsä Board we are fully aware of the environmental impacts of our products, and we want to increase understanding of them among our stakeholders. We regularly report on the environmental impacts of our activities in our own Annual Report, as well as in Metsä Group’s Corporate Sustainability Report.

The climatic impact of our individual products is reported in our carbon footprint calculations, which have been conducted since 2007. These calculations adhere to the Carbon Footprint Framework for Paper and Board Products developed by the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI).

Our management systems

We develop our operations continuously

ISO, PEFC™, FSC® certificates

Paper profiles

At Metsä Board we aim to continuously improve our operations. This work is supported by the various management systems we apply throughout the company. Examples include management systems covering quality, environmental impacts, product safety, energy efficiency and occupational health. Management systems covering the origin of wood and chain of custody procedures enable us to fully trace the origin of all of the wood raw material used within Metsä Board, while also allowing us to track logistic chains.

See OUR certificates and paper profiles:

Corporate responsibility Contacts