We ensure good environmental performance by making sure that our mills operate according to the environmentally permitted conditions. We use the best available technology and invest in reducing our environmental impact and improving our material and energy efficiency.

In our day-to-day work, we aim to minimise the environmental impact of our operations. We proactively improve our environmental performance by assessing environmental risks and drawing up precautionary plans to manage them, and by addressing unusual situations before they cause unusual burdens. Any deviations in our environmental performance are investigated and corrective measures are defined for future reference. Our good environmental performance also provides our customers with added value and a competitive edge.

The bioproduct mill concept developed by Metsä Fibre significantly reduces the environmental impact of a pulp mill. The key criteria for choosing equipment for the Äänekoski bioproduct mill were energy efficiency, low water consumption, and the minimisation of emissions. As a result, although the new bioproduct mill’s capacity is nearly triple that of the previous mill at Äänekoski, its sulphur and particle emissions are on a clearly lower level. The mill produces its own bioenergy so that pulp production does not generate any fossil-based carbon dioxide emissions at all, and the emissions to waterways have been minimised with the best available technology. This is one example of our ambition to reform and develop Metsä Fibre’s operations in a sustainable way.

A significant proportion of all renewable energy produced in Finland is generated during pulp production, when black liquor, which consists of wood and cooking chemicals, is combusted in the recovery boiler. At the same time, the cooking chemicals used in the pulp process are converted into a reusable form.

The total electrical self-sufficiency of Metsä Fibre’s mills is 174% – we generate much more electrical energy than we consume. In addition, new energy-efficient solutions have increased Metsä Fibre’s production of bioelectricity significantly, and we produce roughly 25 per cent of all bioelectricity produced in Finland. In addition to our own production, we supply bioenergy in the form of district heat to local communities and electricity to the grid.

As well as increasing our production of bioenergy, we also focus on energy efficiency, and improving the energy efficiency of our production units is a key element of our investment targets.