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Sustainable
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Where does sustainability and responsibility with regard to Metsä Board’s paperboards originate? We took a look at what it actually means to use forests and materials in a resource-wise manner.
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Maria Latokartano, photos: Jussi Hellsten
H ow do I know that the procurement of the wood raw material I use is not causing deforestation? The foundation for forest use in Finland comes from the Finnish Forest Act, which dates back to the 1800s and states: let the forests not be destroyed . “Thanks to the regeneration obligation and good for- est management, forestry in Finland is not causing de- forestation,” says Metsä Group’s Sustainability Manager, Silja Pitkänen-Arte . Currently, about 2,500 million cubic metres of wood is growing in Finnish forests, which is an increase of over 50 per cent compared to the situation 50 years ago *. At least four seedlings are planted for every tree removed in final felling. On average, 150 million seedlings are plant- ed in Finland every year.
What does forest certification mean, and what does it guarantee?
Approximately 90 per cent of Finnish commercial forests are certified with either a PEFC™ or FSC® certificate, or both. Forest certification is a system verified through external audits that give the end-user a assurance that forests have been managed in an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable manner. The degree of certified forests is high in Finland, especially given that only about 10 per cent of the world’s forests are already certified. “Most of the wood we use comes from certified forests. Uncertified wood also needs to meet certain minimum re- quirements, meaning it cannot be illegally felled or origi-
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