Marko Ruottinen The writer works as Metsä Fibre’s Sustainability Manager with responsibility for customer cooperation and information on sustainable development.
A forest called Finland
About three quarters of my country’s land area is covered by forest stands. You will not be surprised to read that I often find myself in the woods, writes Marko Ruottinen, Metsä Fibre’s Sustainability Manager.
I do not own any forest land although about one in every ten Finns does. But the forest plays an important part in my life. I spend a lot of my free time in nature. I ride a mountain bike and I go camping several times each year. In winter I ski in the forest. We have no shortage of trees in the North of Europe. Why would we? With good forest management there is wood in abundance for business and pleasure. It is not just personally that the forest is close to my heart. As someone from Metsä Fibre I can proudly say that our people genuinely want to protect the environ- ment and also to support our customers in their work for sustainable development. I am the only person in the company with the word sustainability in the job title. We do not need a sep- arate department for this because sustainability is in everything we do. Everyone at Metsä Fibre sees that sustainability and responsibility are intrinsic aspects of their job. It is part of what we are and an important element in the company’s strategy. Metsä Group is committed to the Sustainable Develop- ment Goals of the United Nations, moving us towards a low-carbon society. This objective and sense of respon- sibility show throughout our production chain. All the wood we procure comes from forests that are either certified or controlled. Ninety per cent of the wood
we use is certified. Thanks to our monitoring system the wood we use can be traced through its whole supply chain. We really know where the wood for our production units comes from. Each year Metsä Group supplies more than 30 million seedlings to be planted in Finnish forests. After felling, four or five seedlings are planted for every tree removed. By planting tree species that suit the area, we also safe- guard continuity for the flora and fauna that depends on the forest. Each year more wood grows in Finland than is felled so the forest acts as a carbon sink. The carbon footprint of our sawn timber production at Metsä Fibre is tiny. Of the power required, 97 per cent is from biofuel, and we are targeting entirely fossil free production. We are investing in the latest technology and research, and we make careful use of sawmill by-products. Wood chips go for pulp production, while sawdust and bark are used to generate heat. The synergy between our pro- duction plants is axiomatic. Wood rightly has a good reputation. It is a renewable, bio-based material that serves as a good carbon store. Our customers abroad often ask me whether Finland is just forest. I am happy to reply that, at three-quarters of our land area, it nearly is. It is not surprising that I often find myself in the woods. •
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