Our commitments

UN Sustainable Development Goals

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  SDG 5

  Gender equality

  

  SDG 5

  Gender equality

  • We work systematically to achieve gender equality and equality for all.
  • We promote diversity, equality and inclusion with the help of concrete targets and measures, focusing among other things in improving gender equality. Examples include our efforts to raise the share of women in executive positions and ensure gender pay equality. Metsä Group’s equality training programme covering the entire personnel is also part of our equality efforts. Personal characteristics such as age, ethnic background, sexual orientation or disability do not affect a person’s chance to progress in their career and to function as an equal member of the workplace community at Metsä Group.
  • Our ethical principles and our Metsä for All vision reinforce our commitment to promoting equality and gender equality and to non-discrimination.
  • We promote gender equality by supporting women's access to management positions. Our goal is that more than 30% of our leaders be women by the end of 2030.
  • We want to increase diversity in our workplace and our aim is to make all open recruitments anonymous.
  • We also aim to have no unexplained gender pay gap in Metsä Group.
  • We measure the implementation of equality and non-discrimination through a biennial ethics barometer for all staff. The results are used to define development measures to address identified shortcomings. Our aim is to address all concerns raised by staff.
• 
  SDG 6

  Clean water and sanitation

  

  SDG 6

  Clean water and sanitation

  • We clean the water we use with the best methods available
  • Cooling water circulates in closed loops
  • Our target is to decrease the use of process water by 35% by 2030
  • We operate in water rich areas and we do not impair any other parties’ access to water.
  • Sustainable forest management recognises the important role of forests in hydrological circulations.
• 
  SDG 7

  Affordable and clean energy

  

  SDG 7

  Affordable and clean energy

  • We produce around 15% of Finland’s renewable energy.
  • The majority of our operations is run with renewable energy.
  • Realised and planned investments play a key role in increasing the share of renewable energy in society.
  • We focus on further improving energy efficiency in our operations.
• 
  SDG 8

  Decent work and economic growth

  

  SDG 8

  Decent work and economic growth

  • We employ over 9,000 people directly. Indirect employment is estimated to be three times more. The majority of welfare that Metsä Group creates goes to rural areas.
  • Around 5% of Finland’s export value comes from Metsä Group mills.
  • We annually pay wages over EUR 700 million. In addition to wood purchased, we make other ourchases totalling nearly five billion euros from over 13,000suppliers.
  • We focus on industrial efficiency, wise use of resources and high added-value products and innovations
  • We operate resource-wisely. Our wood products efficiently store carbon for their entire lifespan. Our fibre-based products are recyclable.
  • We value high ethical standards. Our objective is to ensure all of our suppliers operate sustainably by 2030.
  • Safety at work is our key priority. Our objective is zero accidents. We have extensive improvement programmes to support further development.
• 
  SDG 9

  Industry, innovation and infrastructure

  

  SDG 9

  Industry, innovation and infrastructure

  • We have announced major investment programmes to support the forest industry and ensure its competitiveness in the long run
  • All the investments we make build a path to a sustainable society. We use the most modern technologies to minimise emissions and optimise resource efficiency. Our objective is to have fossil free mills and use only fossil free raw materials by 2030.
  • We are actively innovating for example via networks and by our own innovation company Metsä Spring that is currently cooperating with Fiskars Group on a brand new fibre-based gift packaging starting.
• 
  SDG 12

  Responsible consumption and production

  

  SDG 12

  Responsible consumption and production

  • We only use wood from traceable and sustainable sources. We know the impacts of our operations throughout the value chain and communicate them transparently.
  • In ensuring safety at work and product safety, responsible management of chemicals plays a key role.
  • Our approach is that all production side streams are utilised by 2030. We optimise the use of all resources and minimise waste generation. All waste fractions are treated accordingly. Management systems support this comprehensive work.
  • We work closely with our partners and suppliers and expect them to commit to our Supplier Code of Conduct. We work towards ensuring that by 2030 all our suppliers are sustainable in their operations.
• 
  SDG 13

  Climate action

  

  SDG 13

  Climate action

  • Our sustainable forest management practices ensure that forests grow more than they are used and that biodiversity is safeguarded.
  • Our objective is to contribute to a low carbon society. By 2030 our mills will be fossil free and we will no longer use fossil oil based packaging or raw materials.
  • We are active in stakeholder dialogue and policy debates and offer our expertise to policy development either directly or through industry associations.
• 
  SDG 15

  Life on land

  

  SDG 15

  Life on land

  • Safeguarding biodiversity is one of our strategic sustainability objectives. Our sustainable forest management practices help ensure that our forest use does not cause deforestation or harm natural habitats.
  • In the autumn of 2021, we launched a ten-year nature programme to finance regionally effective development projects that are carried out outside commercial Finnish forests and support biodiversity.
  • We support forest growth. We plant four seedlings per each harvested tree. Ensuring forest growth and safeguarding biodiversity are also important ways to prevent insect and pest damages.