Stora Enso invests in specialised pulp production

Stora Enso strengthens its focus on specialised pulp grades by investing €38m in unbleached kraft pulp (UKP) production at its Enocell site in Finland and €42m in fluff pulp production improvement at its Skutskär site in Sweden.

These investments will support the growing consumer demand for non-bleached renewable packaging materials and hygiene products respectively, Stora Enso said.

By increasing the share of UKP in the pulp portfolio, Stora Enso continues on its strategic path to develop more specialised Nordic pulp grades while optimising its share in standard market pulp. The long-term trends point towards consumer preference for less bleached or brown fibre-based renewable packaging products.

Following the investment, the Enocell site will be able to flexibly produce UKP and Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp. Due to the reduced use of bleaching chemicals, the carbon footprint per tonne of produced UKP will be more than 20 per cent lower than the equivalent amount of bleached pulp produced at the Enocell site. The investment is expected to be completed during Q4 2024.

The Enocell site has 280 employees and can produce up to 630,000 tpy of softwood and hardwood pulp.

The investment in fluff pulp production improvement at the Skutskär site strengthens Stora Enso’s position as the leading fluff pulp producer in Europe. Due to the upgrades made with the investment, the group can meet customer demand for specific roll sizes, improve work safety, and grow fluff pulp production at the Skutskär site. The investment is expected to be completed during Q2 2024.

The Skutskär site’s capacity is 545,000 tpy of fluff, softwood and hardwood pulp. The site employs approximately 420 people.

"Through optimising our pulp portfolio, we advance the more specialised pulp offering, while also improving production and sustainability performance. This will allow us to meet the rapidly growing demand for using unbleached and less bleached pulp in packaging and hygiene applications,” says Johanna Hagelberg, Executive Vice President, Biomaterials division at Stora Enso.

 

          

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