Origin of wood

Sustainable wood supply

Our business is based on the sustainable management and use of forests. This means maintaining a good balance between the economic, social and ecological aspects of forest management and use. We want to ensure the wellbeing of people and forests through our operations.

Metsä Forest is responsible for wood supply for the Metsä Group. It cooperates closely with wood suppliers and harvesting contractors and promotes sustainable forestry through training and stakeholder cooperation.

We procure wood from vibrant commercial forests in Northern Europe. Approximately 90% of the wood that Metsä Forest purchases comes from Finland, and the rest from Sweden and the Baltic countries. Three quarters of the Finnish wood comes from privately owned forests of the members of Metsäliitto Cooperative. The member-owners of Metsäliitto Cooperative own nearly half of the private forests in Finland.

Sustainable forestry

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Assurances with certification 

All the wood we procure comes from either certified forests or forests that meet the requirements of controlled origin. 95% of the wood used (year 2023) by Metsä Fibre is certified according to the international forest certification systems FSC® or PEFC (FSC-C002102, PEFC/02-33-21).

Forest certification provides our customers with an assurance that the wood-based materials and products, like pulp and sawn timber, originate from forests that have been managed sustainably.

Sustainable supply

Chain of custody certification provides the proof that origin, legality and sustainability are realised throughout the supply chain. We also make sure that all the non-certified materials follow and exceed requirements, for example, the legal requirements in sustainability related issues. 

Wood supply company Metsä Forest ensures that the forest from which the wood is harvested meets the criteria of controlled origin, including legal, ecological and social factors. Forest management and sourcing practises are monitored by the wood sourcing company and verified by its external chain of custody auditor.

Metsä Group fulfils the obligations of the European Union Timber Regulation (EU 995/2010) and the US Lacey Act, which both prohibit the marketing of illegally harvested timber and timber products.

Metsä Group has used digital maps to monitor the origin of wood for more than ten years. The Group also has a third-party certification for its chain of custody management system covering all of its wood supply operations.