SCA increases kraftliner prices

The Hämeenkyrön Voima power plant, from which Metsä Board's Kyro mill buys energy, has replaced the peat it burns with renewable energy. In the future, the power plant aims to use wood-based fuels from Metsä Group's production and wood procurement by-products. By not burning peat, Metsä Board Kyro's share of fossil fuels in total fuel demand will be reduced from just over a quarter to about a tenth. The phase-out of peat has required significant investments in power plant technology to control boiler corrosion damage and optimise running conditions. Previously approximately one fifth of the fuel used by the plant has been peat. Thanks to the investments, the energy and local district heat from the mill will be produced in a more environmentally friendly way. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, targets to achieve fossil-free production and products by the end of 2030. Moving away from peat-based energy will help Metsä Board towards these goals.

The modernisation of the Metsä Board Kyro mill’s finishing area has now been completed and the finishing line with new advanced equipment has started up. During the mill’s annual maintenance shutdown in October, a new state-of-the-art reeler and winder were installed on the production line, and the reel broke handling system was significantly upgraded. The investment, announced in December 2019, was worth EUR 20 million. Metsä Board is part of Metsä Group. "The new high automation finishing line will further improve the quality consistency of the paperboard reels and increase the runnability on our customers' converting lines. In addition, the automation will improve upon the existing occupational safety level in the mill's finishing area and reduce the physical workload," says Petri Huiko, Mill Manager at Metsä Board Kyro mill. The Kyro mill produces coated high-quality folding boxboard and innovative dispersion coated barrier board, which helps reduce plastic in consumer packaging. The mill has a production capacity of 190,000 tonnes per year.

Metsä Board, the leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards, has once again, achieved the highest Platinum level in EcoVadis’ sustainability assessment with a record score. The company has achieved the highest level rating every year since 2017. Metsä Board received high scores in each of the four themes assessed, and with a total score of 91/100 is among the highest 1% of companies assessed in the category of paper, paperboard and packaging manufacturers. The overall score improved from the previous assessment (87/100) thanks to a better score (90/100) in the labour and human rights evaluation. In the environmental evaluation, the company scored 100/100 for the third year in a row.