Life Cycle Study

Outstanding results in environmental footprint

Producing highly sustainable tissue products is what drives us. Metsä has set ambitious sustainability targets and has been investing in improving its production for years. These investments also include modern bioproduct mills that produce pulp in a particularly sustainable way. To assess how sustainable our pulp production is in an international comparison, we commissioned a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS) in Halle.

About this study

The Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS) analyzed the environmental footprint of our bioproduct mill in Äänekoski (Finland) and compared it with average ECF and TCF pulp mills in Europe as well as ECF pulp mills in Latin America. An independent critical review by external experts confirmed that the Fraunhofer study was carried out correctly from a methodological perspective. The results clearly show that the Äänekoski bioproduct mill performs outstandingly.

Key findings of the study

Lower CO₂eq emissions

The CO₂ equivalents of the modern bioproduct mill are 30% lower per tonne compared to average European pulp mills using the ECF process, and even 45% lower than the average TCF production.

Lower Impact on the Ozone Layer headline

At the bioproduct mill, which uses the modern ECF process, the ozone depletion potential is approximately 50% lower than at average European mills using the TCF process.  In the model, average TCF production showed a higher impact on ozone depletion due to the chemicals used and higher nitrogen oxide emissions.

Lower Particulate Matter Pollution

The level of particulate matter emissions at the Äänekoski mill is about 45% lower than at average European pulp mills using ECF technology and up to 70% lower than at average TCF mills.

Lower Acidification

In terms of acidification, the Äänekoski bioproduct mill shows 35% lower acidification compared to TCF pulp mills and 15% lower compared to European ECF pulp mills.

Conclusion

Overall, ECF pulp from Metsä’s bioproduct mill provides the most sustainable basis for tissue products. Virgin fibre pulp shows the lowest environmental footprint in comparison.

The current study marks an important milestone. However, Metsä is not resting on its achievements. On the contrary, the results reinforce Metsä’s commitment to continue on its chosen path — investing in modern technologies.

Metsä is currently building another bioproduct mill in Kemi, Finland. This new mill will also be a industry leader in terms of production, environmental performance, and energy efficiency.

Metsä Group’s bioproduct mills use no fossil fuels in production and aim to utilize 100% of side streams while generating no waste.

Since 2023, the new mill provides additional volumes of sustainable, high-quality virgin fibre pulp for tissue production in Germany. As a result, the share of fibres from bioproduct mills with improved sustainability performance will increase significantly in Metsä Tissue’s end products — for example in tissue products for everyday use in both private and professional settings.