A GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN DEFIBERING, PAGE 24ECHO TECHA PROMISE IS A DELICATE THING, PAGE 6

E C H O

“Know your customer.”

CATHARINA STACKELBERG

METSÄ FIBRE CUSTOMER MAGAZINE

ISSUE

2 12

ECHOES FROMTHE WORLD

THEME · BOTNIA

H E A R H E A RP A G E 2

AN INNOVATIVE NEW

PROCESS THAT SAVES

COSTS AND ENERGY.

HEAR HEAR

P A G E 3H E A R H E A R

14 & 24In summer 2013, Joutseno mill

(pictured) will introduce an

innovative new digestion process.

In a nutshell, it works by oxidising

some of the sulphide sulphur into

polysulphide, preventing hemicellu-

lose from dissolving in the digester

along with the lignin. This gives

pulp with improved technical prop-

erties, leading to cost and energy

savings for paper manufacturers.

POLYSULPHIDE DIGESTION: A brighter future for pulp

READ MORE ABOUT IT ON PAGES 14 –15 AND 24 –27, AND FIND OUT WHY POLYSULPHIDE DIGESTION IS THE PROCESS OF THE FUTURE!

P A G E 4

To ensure high product quality, all aspects of pro-

duction must be first class. It’s a question of com-

pany culture: for Metsä Fibre, this culture is the

product of customer-oriented procedures, strong

employee know-how, a productive partner net-

work, high levels of safety and the minimising of

any environmental impacts.

These, among other things, are our customer

promise. As Ari Harmaala points out in this issue,

our customers and their needs are at the very cen-

tre of our work. Every one working at Metsä Fibre

sees this as the core of our business – in the end it

is always about customer benefits.

We develop the quality of our products through

in-depth, confidential cooperation with our cus-

tomers. We’re able to rapidly convey our custom-

ers’ wishes to our production organisation using

our customer responsibility chain. We’ve also col-

laborated with customers on several highly pro-

ductive joint projects. It’s only by working in this

way that we’ve been able to develop our products

to meet – and increasingly exceed – our custom-

ers’ requirements.

To improve the quality management of our pulp,

we’ve developed a continuous quality index to

measure the homogeneity of the product’s qual-

ity and are commissioning this index on each fac-

tory. We’re confident that this will provide more

and more exact and real-time information about

the quality of our pulp.

The desire to continuously improve is char-

acteristic of our operation. This passion can be

seen in our development work with new prod-

uct, polysulphide as well as in Joutseno’s new gas-

ification plant. In the summer of 2013, the world’s

largest single-line softwood pulp mill will begin

using the polysulphide digestion method. Metsä

Fibre’s new product will save energy and improve

the pulp’s paper-making properties. Modern pulp

mills are major producers of renewable bioenergy.

We think that this is the way of the future and we

are looking forward to take the first steps.

The principle of continuous improvement is

based on our values: cooperation, reliability, inno-

vation and responsible profitability. We want to be

a measurably better partner for all our customers

in all aspects of our operation.

ISMO NOUSIAINEN SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION

A CULTUREOF CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT

“THE DESIRE TO

CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE

IS CHARACTERISTIC

OF OUR OPERATION.”

P A G E 5

MY VOICE

16

HEAR HEARA BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR PULP

EDITORIAL A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

CONTENTS

ECHOES FROM THE WORLD PROMISES – EASY TO MAKE, HARD TO KEEP

TALKING ECHO JUST ADD POLYSULPHIDE

MY VOICE POLYSULPHIDE PULP AT KIRKNIEMI PAPER MILL

GREEN SOUNDS GREEN ENERGY GOALS

COLUMNTOWARDS LIFE AS ONE PLANET

ECHO TECH A GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN DEBFIBERING

MARKET REVIEWA NEW PATH TO DEVELOPMENT

ECHO MONITOR

ECHO MARKCMC – A REMARKABLE COMPOUND

2

4

5

6

14

16

20

23

24

28

32

34

[contents]

METSÄ FIBRE ECHO. ISSUE 2/2012. METSÄ FIBRE, P.O.BOX 30, FI-02020 METSÄ, FINLAND. WWW.METSAFIBRE.COM

Publisher: Metsä Fibre, Sales and Marketing. Editor-in-Chief: Saija Tuomikoski. Editorial Board: Ari Harmaala, Mikael Lagerblom, Ursula Lumme, Tom Nickull and Saija Tuomikoski.

Production: Otavamedia Customer Communication. Team: Maija Kajanto, Jaana Pakkala, Katri Sulin and Riina Walli.

English language editing: TenFour Communications. Translations: AAC Global Oy.Printed by: Erweko Oy.

Metsä Fibre Echo is published in English, Finnish, German and Chinese. All magazines are available at www.metsafibre.com

ECHO TECH

24

ECHO MARK

34

ECHOES FROM THE WORLD

62

12

Cover: Carta Integra 170 g. Paper: Galerie Art Silk 130 g.ISSN 1795–1089 (printed edition) ISSN 1795–1097 (online edition)

Ari Harmaala has been in

charge of Metsä Fibres’ Sales

and Marketing processes for

about a year. Prior to that he

spent 20 years in Asia selling

papermaking machines at

Metso, a leading mechanical

engineering company.

ARI HARMAALA

ECHOES FROM THE WORLD

E C H O E S F R O M T H E W O R L DP A G E 6

P A G E 7E C H O E S F R O M T H E W O R L D

P R O M I S E – A D E L I C AT E T H I N G

Promises are easy to make but hard to

keep. A promise should never be made

too lightly, no matter if you are promising

to return a phone call or deliver on time

to a multibillion euro customer.

TEXT / LENA BARNER-RASMUSSEN, PHOTOS / TOMMI TUOMI & SHUTTERSTOCK

To make a customer promise that matters, you

need to know where you currently stand.

“Our customers buy fibre on a monthly

basis, so consistency in quality is very impor-

tant. Competent people and swift processes are also

a part of the quality,” explains Ari Harmaala, Senior

Vice President, Metsä Fibre Sales and Marketing.

Metsä Fibre’s customer promise rests on five cor-

nerstones: high quality, sustainability, logistic agil-

ity, technical knowhow and cost competitiveness.

Technical know-how and cost competitiveness go

hand in hand, as it is possible to substantially improve

cost efficiency by doing things right. Metsä Fibre

shares its fibre expertise with its customers.

“We advise our customers how to get the most

out of the fibre. For instance, by refining the fibres

you can make substantial savings,” says Harmaala.

Logistic agility – making sure that the fibre arrives

at the right place at the right time – is also important.

Nobody wants a huge pile of fibre in stock. Metsä

Fibre is the first company in the industry to use RFID

identification tags on their products, although the full

benefits will be realized once everybody in the indus-

try, including ports and logistic firms, join in using it.

Finally there is sustainability. Customers increas-

ingly want to make sure that they are buying fibre

from one of the good guys. This means certifications

and compliance with environmental regulations.

And, as Harmaala points out, work safety.

“This is one point that tends to get in the shadow.

We make a point of tracking the frequency of acci-

dents, we want to be the industry benchmark when

it comes to work safety.”

This all adds up to Metsä Fibre’s customer prom-

ise: Fibres of Success. At the very centre of it all is the

customer and his or her needs.

When Harmaala joined the company about a year

ago he was tasked with rebuilding the customer man-

agement at Metsä Fibre. At the same time, the company

name was changed from Metsä Botnia to Metsä Fibre.

CATHARINA STACKELBERG Catharina Stackelberg is the

founder and CEO of the marketing

consultancy Marketing Clinic.

She helps her clients articulate

customer promises and build

sustainable commercial success.

ECHOES FROM THE WORLD

E C H O E S F R O M T H E W O R L DP A G E 8

As Harmaala sank his teeth into improving Metsä

Fibre’s customer management, he also wanted every

member of staff to start thinking in a more customer-

oriented way.

“Interactions with the customer is not just something

for the sales people. Even the operator at the pulp mill

should know where a particular bale is going. I wanted

to transform the customers into real people for every-

body. I think that enhances motivation for everybody

because in the end, you are interested in people more

than in products,” says Harmaala.

A promise that mattersFor making a customer promise that matters, you truly

need to know to whom you are making that promise.

“Customer needs is the starting point. When making

a customer promise you see all too often that people

tend to take their products as the starting point when

it really is all about the customer. Start by asking your-

self what is the user experience rather than what do we

want to manufacture,” advises Catharina Stackelberg

from Marketing Clinic.

Just as with any promise in life that you intend to

keep, a customer promise should never be made lightly.

For a company the size of Metsä Fibre, the process of

articulating a promise is a complex one. You need to

know what you are promising and make sure you’ve

got what it takes to deliver.

If the promise is articulated too narrowly it will lack

important attributes; too broadly, and it will be difficult

to handle. In other words, it needs to be right on target.

“It needs to be very clearly articulated and in the

end it is about the benefits for the customers,” says

Ari Harmaala.

According to Catharina Stackelberg, there are three

main factors in a winning customer promise: hygiene

factors, rational benefits and emotional benefits. The

so-called hygiene factors are sort of ‘must haves’ in order

to be credible. They are the prerequisites for compet-

ing in a certain business.

“A bank needs to be reliable no matter what, for

instance,” she says.

Rational benefits already deliver clear advantages for

customers and separate you from the pack in a posi-

tive way. Emotional benefits are significant points of

leverage with target customers and can propel a brand

towards category leadership.

“The bottom line is that it is all about how you want

your customers to think and feel when they are doing

P A G E 9E C H O E S F R O M T H E W O R L D

“START BY ASKING

YOURSELF ABOUT THE

USER EXPERIENCE

RATHER THAN ABOUT

WHAT YOU WANT TO

MANUFACTURE.”

ECHOES FROM THE WORLD

E C H O E S F R O M T H E W O R L DP A G E 1 0

business with you. A customer promise consistently

gives answer to the customers’ question: What’s in it

for me,” says Stackelberg.

There is a tendency to sell products in an aggressive

way and think less about what customers really need.

Especially in business-to-business marketing, there

has to be true added value involved, and what is added

value for one customer is not necessarily the same as

for another. The key is to really know the party on the

other side of the negotiation table.

“You need to know which segment the customer

belongs to and speak his business language. You have to

know what the goals your customer is striving towards,

and align your promise with those goals,” says Harmaala,

as Stackelberg nods in agreement.

Customers’ needs change over time and this might

require transferring them to a different segment. That’s

why a continuous dialogue is needed to make sure that

your promise is up to date.

“There are certain routines for making sure that we

meet regularly with important customers,” says Harmaala.

Stackelberg points out that the information gath-

ered from these encounters is not the sole property of

sales people.

“All too often the sales people have all the informa-

tion, and when they leave, the customers may leave with

them. Companies need more pulling together on this

point – the customer should have a relationship with

the whole company and not just with the sales force.”

At Metsä Fibre the sales people are the main point of

contact for customers, but they belong to sales teams

involving people from different parts of the company.

“This way, we make sure that the information reaches

everyone. But in the end you have to accept that people

do business with each other, not companies.”

Part of the coreA customer promise is just empty words unless all

employees back up the promise with their actions.

“Today we talk a lot of about the customer experience.

You should think through all the interaction points you

have with your customers and figure out which are the

most important. That way you’ll be able to figure out

which encounters matter the most and you can make

sure that these touch points are resonating with your

customer promise,” says Stackelberg.

Everybody in the company is a conveyor of trust, ulti-

mately playing a role in keeping the customer promise.

You should think through all the interaction points you have with your customers and figure out which are the most important, says Catharina Stackelberg.

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL COMPANY AND BRAND, CATHARINA STACKELBERG?

There needs to be a common destination and

mission. Everybody in the organisation needs to

know the company’s five-year plan. You also need

to be able to lead the customer experience so as

to secure the five-year perspective. How will the

agreed business destination be implemented in

every customer interaction from now on?

Another success driver is being meaningfully

different. What makes our organisation stand out

in a meaningful way?

You need the guts to make choices and really

make the necessary investments to back up

your strategy. A common mistake is a tendency

towards trying to keep things as they are. It

is surprisingly difficult to choose not to do

something, and then you risk doing a little of

everything, which is seldom a winning strategy.

A brand is not a brand unless the customers

have a clear picture of what the brand stands

for. Strictly speaking it is not the company

that decides if their brand is a brand, it is the

customers. A brand should immediately bring

the right attributes to the mind of the target

group, like Volvo meaning safety and Apple

products being fun and easy to use.

4

P A G E 1 1E C H O E S F R O M T H E W O R L D

A CUSTOMER PROMISE

IS JUST EMPTY WORDS

UNLESS ALL EMPLOYEES

BACK IT UP WITH

THEIR ACTIONS.

1

2

3

ECHOES FROM THE WORLD

E C H O E S F R O M T H E W O R L DP A G E 1 2

“It starts from the staff in the reception,” says Harmaala.

Stackelberg agrees.

“Everything communicates.”

For this to work smoothly, it is important that the

customer promise was not simply plucked out of the air.

“The customer promise must resonate with the com-

pany DNA to be successfully embraced throughout the

organisation,” says Stackelberg.

Harmaala agrees.

“The customer promise must resonate with the com-

pany’s values, mission and vision. The soul of the prom-

ise lies in the company values.”

So before presenting the promise to customers,

employees must take it fully to heart.

“Our employees are the ones who take this promise

forward. If they haven’t fully internalised the promise

then it will remain an empty one. It is important that

the whole staff is backing the promise, as it is only as

strong as the weakest link,” says Harmaala.

But what if you break your customer promise. Can

it be fixed?

“If you fail on one of your hygiene factors, like a bank

failing on credibility, it’s hard to fix,” says Stackelberg.

Failing on the emotional factors is not as fatal, but

bad enough.

“Regaining customers confidence is a long process,”

says Harmaala.

Regular dialogueHow do you know that you’ve truly delivered on your

promise? Catharina Stackelberg recommends regular

customer surveys, if not monthly then at least once per

quarter – but they won’t tell you everything.

“As the surveys are undeniably quite technical, you

need a regular dialogue with the customer as well.”

Ultimately, you’ll see on that famous bottom line of

the corporate balance sheet whether you’ve kept your

promise or not.

“The actions are reflected in the figures. Sustaina-

ble profit says it all. You won’t prevail in a business like

this for decade after decade unless you deliver what you

promise,” says Harmaala.

Everybody in the company plays a role in keeping the customer promise, agree Stackelberg and Harmaala.

P A G E 1 3E C H O E S F R O M T H E W O R L D

METSÄ FIBRE’S

CUSTOMER PROMISE:

FIBRES OF SUCCESS

“AT THE VERY CENTRE

IS THE CUSTOMER AND

HIS OR HER NEEDS.”

QUALITY FIBRES

LOGISTIC AGILITY

SUSTAIN- ABILITY

COST COMPETITIVE

TECHNICAL KNOWHOW

Botnia

…is optimised to enable the

use of new additives. The

POLYSULPHIDE DIGESTION

METHOD will be introduced at

the world’s largest softwood pulp

production line in Joutseno in

the summer of 2013. The method

will see wood raw material used

more efficiently in Metsä Fibre’s

new softwood pulp product. The

high HEMICELLULOSE content

will strengthen fibre structure

and play an important role in

paper production. This new type

of fibre will require less refining.

Some of the SULPHIDE

SULPHUR (S 2-) in the

pulping liquor is changed

into POLYSULPHIDE , i.e.

elemental sulphur. This

makes it possible to prevent

the HEMICELLULOSE

from dissolving along

with the lignin.

TEXT / PETJA PARTANEN, PHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK

ELEMENTAL TRANSFORMATION

THE PULP DIGESTING PROCESS…

TALKING ECHO

T A L K I N G E C H O P A G E 1 4

JUST ADD POLYSULPHIDEMetsä Fibre’s new polysulphide

method will save energy and

improve paper machine runnability.

TO

P A G E 1 5T A L K I N G E C H O

SOFTWOOD PULP provides paper

with strength. The improved tensile

strength and tensile stiffness of

the pulp is exploitable either by

improving end-product strength or

reducing the amount of expensive

softwood pulp in the paper.

TENSILE STRENGTH, TENSILE STIFFNESS AND MODULUS OF ELASTICITY

+5 10%THE INVERSE VALUE OF

DENSITY shows the paper

material’s specific volume.

The bulk of the pulp

remains unchanged.

BULK

+/-0%

THE POLYSULPHIDE

digestion process will not

change the SOFTWOOD

PULP’S basic properties.

FIBRE LENGTH AND BRIGHTNESS

+/-0%

Shows how well board

layers, or the paper and

its coating, are attached

to one another. This is

an important property

in coated paper and

board grades.

INTERNAL BOND STRENGTH

+5 10%

The new PULP FIBRE will

require less refining before

being transferred to the paper

machine, with the total energy

consumption of refining no

more than 100 kWh per metric

tonne of pulp. Each kWh saved

equals monetary savings.

REFINING ENERGY CONSUMPTION

-10 20%The changes in cellulose

properties are conservative

estimates based on laboratory

tests. Savings in refining energy

will depend on the refining

process used in papermaking.

NOTE!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT

THE POLYSULPHIDE METHOD, SEE PAGE 24

TO

TO

MY VOICE

M Y V O I C EP A G E 1 6

POLYSULPHIDE PULP

MANUFACTURINGbrings bustle TO PAPER

Sappi’s Kirkniemi paper mill and Metsä

Fibre are like family members. They trade

pulp, exchange technical support and co-

operate on some amazing development

projects – the latest being Kirkniemi’s

introduction of polysulphide pulp.

2 000 TONNES OF MAGAZINE

AND CATALOGUE PAPER

EVERY DAY.

190 TONNES, THE HEAVIEST WHALE EVER RECORDED.

P A G E 1 7M Y V O I C E

TEXT / KATJA ALAJA , PHOTOS / KATRI LEHTOLA

PAPER PRODUCTION

PER DAY AT SAPPI.

5 500 KM 5 587 KM

DISTANCE FROM

LONDON TO NEW YORK

Kirkniemi’s machines produce 2 000 tonnes of paper a day.

Apile of one-thousand-kilo softwood pulp bales

sits waiting to be dispatched. Within 24 hours

they will be winding their way through paper

machines and a new set of bales will be wait-

ing their turn. Pulp produced by Metsä Fibre is con-

tinuously flowing to Sappi’s paper mill in Kirkniemi,

Lohja, Finland. The paper machines of the South Afri-

can-owned mill produce 2 000 tonnes of magazine and

catalogue paper every day. “If it was placed in one long

line, it would be approximately seven metres wide and

5 500 kilometres long – enough paper to stretch all

the way to north Africa,” says Martti Savelainen, Plant

Manager at Sappi.

The paper produced in Kirkniemi is used in well-

known magazines and catalogues around the world.

“Our paper is used in Newsweek, National Geographic,

Air France’s customer magazine, Elle, Vogue, the Finn-

ish wine magazine Viini and many others,” explains

Savelainen.

As much as 94 per cent of Sappi’s production is

exported, with most going to Germany, England, Poland,

Australia, Russia and the United States. The Galerie

MY VOICE

M Y V O I C EP A G E 1 8

paper family consists of Lite, Brite, Fine and Fine Silk.

But why are Sappi’s products so popular with customers?

“That’s a good question,” says Savelainen, thinking for a

moment. “Uniform quality and reliable delivery are the

factors we’ve focused on. We have very few problems

because we keep the machines in good working order.”

Metsä Fibre supplies Sappi with softwood pulp and

helps to improve their paper production efficiency. This

relationship means Metsä Fibre plays its own role in Sap-

pi’s delivery reliability.

“We need the pulp quality to be as even as possible, with

the different seasons not visible in the quality,” points out

Savelainen. “Metsä Fibre is a reliable partner in this regard,

and they always deliver the pulp on time.”

Like one big familyIn a light-coloured hall built in the 1990s, Galerie Queen,

Kirkniemi’s third paper machine, is rumbling away. It is

half a kilometre long and approximately 120 metres wide.

The plant manager visits the hall as often as possible,

waving to the employees in the control room. Savelainen

may also run into Metsä Fibre’s technical customer serv-

ice representative, who visits at least once a month to help

fine-tune the paper production process.

“The expert from Metsä Fibre talks with engineers and

supervisors, as well as production and other personnel,”

says Savelainen. “She finds out how much pulp has been

used and how it has behaved on the test line, inspecting

laboratory values and giving expert advice.”

Tom Nickull, Key Account Manager for Sappi at Metsä

Fibre, also visits the mill regularly, with meetings arranged

at least a couple of times a year.

Metsä Fibre’s Joutseno softwood pulp

mill will start cooking polysulphide

next summer. Martti Savelainen, Plant

Manager at Sappi’s Kirkniemi paper

mill, is excited about the prospect:

polysulphide pulp will, in the future,

be used as much as possible in their

paper manufacturing.

“The basic idea is that polysulphide

will allow us to reduce the amount of

pulp needed for paper manufacturing,”

says Savelainen. “We can save hundreds

of thousands, if not millions, of euros

every year. That is our carrot.”

MORE PAPER, LOWER COSTS

P A G E 1 9M Y V O I C E

“Polysulphide could save usmillions of euros every year.”

“I highly appreciate Metsä Fibre’s local mill know-how

and technical expertise,” says Savelainen. “The people at the

company know the paper manufacturing process and equip-

ment, and how they work together with the pulp. They give

great advice and help us to refine and use the pulp correctly.”

Efficient, sustainable productionMatti Savelainen tears a piece of paper from a paper reel

heading for the hall.

“I would say that is 70 gram. Let’s see,” he says, and looks

at the label. The former production engineer laughs. “I

guess I lost my touch – it’s 65 gram!”

In the background, a winder produces paper for three

different customers. This high-quality paper has been pro-

duced as cost efficiently as possible.

“We have cooperated closely for some ten years now,”

explains Savelainen. “Metsä Fibre’s organisation under-

stands our vision well – that Kirkniemi produces results

safely, while taking customer needs into account. We try

to conserve our expensive raw material, and there is no

conflict between us here.”

This attitude is visible in everything they do, including

the latest development. Next summer, Sappi – a major

customer of Metsä Fibre’s Joutseno mill – will start using

new polysulphide pulp in paper production on two paper

machines. The objective is clear: more high-quality paper

produced at even lower costs.

The new polysulphide pulp contains

more hemicellulose, which improves

the technical properties of paper,

such as tensile stiffness and refinability.

Less refining means lower energy

consumption and lower raw material

costs, with the customer still receiving

a product with a similar or higher

tensile stiffness as before.

Polysulphide pulp is a unique product

in Europe, with a similar pulp currently

only available in North America.

“New innovations are needed, because

saving is the theme of the day,” points

out Savelainen. “Paper consumption is

decreasing in Europe.”

Savelainen explains that Sappi and

Metsä Fibre began cooperating in

autumn 2012 to ensure that the shift to

polysulphide pulp goes smoothly. One

necessary change is to lower the energy

consumption of refining.

“Together we are planning how to

start using the new pulp and ensuring

our equipment is aligned correctly,”

summarises Savelainen.

SAVING IS THE THEME OF THE DAY

Martti Savelainen,

Plant Manager at Kirkniemi.

The supercalender consists of alternating steel and fiber-covered rolls through which paper is passed to increase its density, smoothness and gloss.

G R E E N S O U N D SP A G E 2 0

GOING BIOMetsä Fibre is finding new ways to effectively

utilise renewable biomass – generating

green bioenergy for both the company’s

own production processes and for wider use.

BIO GAS

WOOD

odern pulp mills are major producers of

renewable bioenergy. About half of the bio-

mass in the wood brought into mills is dissolved

during the pulp-making process. The resulting black

liquor can be burnt to generate energy for the mill

and to sell as surplus bioenergy. Bark and other

tree parts that are unsuitable for pulping can also

be used to produce bioenergy.

“At Metsä Fibre we have an overall energy self-

sufficiency level in terms of electricity of about 150

per cent, which means we are a major supplier of

green energy to Finland’s national grid,” explains

Kaija Pehu-Lehtonen, Senior Vice President, Busi-

ness Development.

A new landmark in Metsä Fibre’s increasing use

of bioenergy was reached during 2012 with the

completion of a 48-megawatt gasification plant at

Joutseno mill. Bark stripped from the mill’s incom-

ing wood is first dried using surplus heat from the

pulp-making process, and then converted into

biogas for firing the pulp mill’s lime kiln.

“After final adjustments the gasification plant is

ready to roll,” says Pehu-Lehtonen. “Joutseno’s lime

kiln can now be heated using biogas produced on

site, instead of natural gas. This shift is a signifi-

cant part of our wider efforts to replace fossil fuels.”

The new facility will further improve the overall

energy efficiency of the mill, and reduce Joutseno’s

carbon dioxide emissions by about 60,000 tonnes a

year. “It also means that during normal operations

Joutseno will be completely carbon neutral,” adds

Pehu-Lehtonen.

Like Metsä Fibre’s other mills, Joutseno is already

more than self-sufficient in terms of net electricity

generation and consumption. The mill produces

enough surplus electricity to meet the needs of

50,000 homes.

Wider potential for biogas Metsä Fibre is already considering how a similar

facility could be set up at Kemi mill, where the lime

kiln is currently oil-fired. “We’re currently study-

ENERGY SELF

SUFFICIENCYLEVEL 150%

TEXT / FRAN WEAVER , PHOTOS / METSÄ GROUP & SHUTTERSTOCK

M

GREEN SOUNDS

P A G E 2 1G R E E N S O U N D S

BARK

MILL

“Joutseno's new gasification plant is ready to roll.”

ing various technical options for Kemi, after

learning a lot from our achievements at Jout-

seno,” says Pehu-Lehtonen.

Back at Joutseno, Metsä Fibre is also assess-

ing prospects for a larger, 200-megawatt biore-

finery that would convert bark and forest chips

into synthetic biogas. With a methane con-

tent of 95 per cent, this biogas would closely

resemble the natural gas currently imported

from Russia through a network of pipelines

across southern Finland.

Pehu-Lehtonen explains that wood-based

biogas could be fed into this network from

Joutseno mill in collaboration with Finnish

energy company Gasum. “We’ve completed

the conceptual study showing that such a biore-

finery could be technically integrated into the

mill. The next phase will involve further fea-

sibility studies with our partners,” she says.

Renewable biomassAnother partner in this scheme is the Helsinki-

based power company Helsingin Energia, which

is looking to reduce its carbon dioxide emis-

sions by using more renewable energy. Biogas

produced from wood could be piped to Hel-

sinki through existing pipelines to heat water

for the city’s district heating network in exist-

ing gas-fired power plants, reducing the need

for new investments. Another advantage is that

the scheme would not require the transporta-

tion and storage of bulky biomass in urban areas.

“We’re always keen to learn how to make

the most of the renewable biomass available

through our mills’ supply chains,” says Pehu-

Lehtonen. “This makes the idea of synthesis-

ing methane from wood biomass at Joutseno

mill and piping it to Helsinki a very interest-

ing concept.”

48-MEGAWATT GASIFICATION

PLANT AT JOUTSENO

MILL

READ MORE

METSAFIBRE.COM/SUSTAINABILITY

G R E E N S O U N D SP A G E 2 2

“A strong focus on biomass is logical for a forest industry company.”

etsä Fibre’s increasing use of wood-based

bioenergy is part of a wider effort to utilise

renewable energy sources throughout Metsä Group.

“A strong focus on biomass is logical for a for-

est industry company. Biomass accounts for about

80 per cent of our total fuel use today – this is

already a very high figure, and we’re striving to

exploit all economically viable opportunities to

increase it,” explains Ilkka Latvala, Senior Vice

President, Energy, Metsä Group.

“Our group-wide target is that by 2020 our car-

bon dioxide emissions will be 30 per cent lower per

product tonne than in the benchmark year 2009,”

says Latvala. “We aim to achieve this by further

replacing fossil fuels with bioenergy and by enhanc-

ing the overall energy efficiency of our production

processes by 10 per cent over the same period. This

will be achieved through operational and techni-

cal improvements.”

Progress towards these targets is tracked across

the group. Metsä Group is increasingly providing

customers with carbon footprint calculations for

specific products. Such efforts are welcomed by

customers keen to monitor the sustainability of

their suppliers.

Latvala emphasises that the recent major invest-

ments in bioenergy production made both by Metsä

Fibre and other Metsä Group mills represent signifi-

cant steps towards these targets. “We’re always seek-

ing value-adding partnerships with other energy

users or suppliers to find new ways to reduce costs

and replace fossil fuels through the use of sustaina-

ble bioenergy. For instance, many of our mills also

supply surplus heat for district heating schemes in

local communities.”

BY 2020

30% REDUCTION

across Metsä Group

GREEN ENERGY GOALS

BIOMASS ACCOUNTS

FOR ABOUT 80% OF OUR TOTAL

FUEL USE TODAY

METSÄ GROUP'S

TARGET FOR CO2 EMISSIONS

M

OF 2009 LEVELS

GREEN SOUNDS

COLUMN

E A R T H

LIISA ROHWEDERSECRETARY GENERAL,

WWF FINLAND

HOW CAN WE RESPOND

TO THE CHALLENGE?SEE PAGE 32

“BIODIVERSITY IS

CRUCIAL FOR SUSTAINING

PEOPLE’S WELLBEING

AND LIVELIHOODS.”

PHOTO / MIINA POIKOLAINEN

P A G E 2 3C O L U M N

TOWARDS LIFE AS ONE PLANET

The Living Planet Report published by WWF

this year makes for grim reading: we are living

beyond our means. At present we Finns con-

sume natural resources and energy at three times

the biocapacity of our planet. On a global level,

the human ecological footprint is 1.5 times the

world’s biocapacity. If we carry on like this, by

2030 we will need two planet Earths to meet our

demand. At the same time, our increasing con-

sumption places additional stress on the biodi-

versity of the natural environment, which has

declined by 30 per cent since 1970.

Biodiversity is crucial for sustaining people’s well-

being and livelihoods. Living organisms – plants,

animals and microorganisms – form complex,

interconnected webs of ecosystems and habitats,

which in turn supply a myriad of ecosystem serv-

ices upon which all life depends. Understanding

how biodiversity, ecosystem services and humans

interact is vital to safeguarding the future secu-

rity, health and wellbeing of human societies.

We already have ways to secure a sufficient sup-

ply of food, water, energy and various raw mate-

rials for the estimated population of nine billion

in 2050, while preserving ecosystem services and

stopping the decline of biodiversity. This requires

that we accept this fundamental reality as the

basis for our economy, business models and life-

styles: the natural capital of planet Earth – bio-

diversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services – is

limited. Therefore it is vital that natural resources

are used, maintained, managed and distributed

according to the ecological constraints of our

planet. Alongside safeguarding and renewing

the natural capital, more sustainable alternatives

must be introduced to production and logistics

chains. Reorganising money flows and manag-

ing a fairer distribution of natural resources will

support such processes.

Many of us think that the world can only be

changed on the level of states, organisations,

corporations and institutions. It is my personal

view that the world will change only if a sufficient

number of people take action in support of this

change. It is, in the end, people who make deci-

sions and choices in corporations, and thereby

have an impact on the wellbeing of the entire

planet. Knowledge and expertise take us only

so far. We also need the ability to communi-

cate, cooperate and come up with feasible

solutions. By joining forces, and with a

common will and courage, we can stop

living on resources borrowed from

future generations and bring about

a change towards a way of life that

demands only the capacity of the one

planet Earth we have.

E C H O T E C HP A G E 2 4

ECHO TECH

A G R E AT I M P R O V E M E N T I N D E F I B E R I N G

“THE POLYSULPHIDE

DIGESTION METHOD

IMPROVES THE TENSILE

STRENGTH AND BONDING

PROPERTIES OF THE FIBRES.”

P A G E 2 5E C H O T E C H

order to benefit the environment and

make the most of scarce raw material,

in summer 2013 the Joutseno mill will

take a giant leap forward with the introduction of a

brand new cooking process.

The improved technical properties of the cellulose

will also provide cost savings for paper manufacturers.

“The new production method needs less wood per

tonne of end product,” explains Henrik Söderström,

Vice President, Mill Manager at Joutseno mill.

“The polysulphide digestion method improves the

tensile strength and bonding properties of the fibres

produced, while the process itself requires less refin-

ing energy,” points out Söderström.

“Metsä Fibre’s new pulp product will offer unprece-

dented potential for our customers,” adds Tom Nick-

ull, Key Accounts & Vice President, Technical Cus-

tomer Service at Metsä Fibre.

“This is a huge leap forward!” says an excited Kari

Kovasin, D.Sc. (Tech.), one of the developers of Jout-

seno’s new cooking process.

In his opinion, the polysulphide digestion method

is a technical improvement similar to when the bleach-

ing process was completely changed in the beginning

of 1990s and chlorine chemicals were removed from

the pulp bleaching process.

Significant energy savings The new digestion method will deliver immediate cost

savings for all Joutseno pulp buyers. Before transfer to

the paper machine, pulp must be refined. The refin-

ing process is used to adjust the paper-making pulp

properties as desired.

“The new pulp composition will reduce the need

for refining and therefore the amount of electricity

used,” says Nickull.

As a result of the new cooking process, the pulp

strength properties, such as tensile strength, tensile

stiffness and internal bond strength, will improve by

about 5–10 per cent. Improved strength properties can

be of benefit in many different ways, explains Nickull.

“The improved tensile strength is exploitable either by

improving the end-product tensile strength or replac-

ing the softwood pulp with a cheaper raw material,

while keeping the end-product properties unchanged.”

This new type of softwood pulp may provide tis-

In the summer of 2013, the world’s largest

single-line softwood pulp mill will begin using

the polysulphide digestion method. Metsä

Fibre’s new product will save energy and

improve the pulp’s paper-making properties.TEXT / PETJA PARTANEN, PHOTOS / METSÄ GROUP

E C H O T E C HP A G E 2 6

ECHO TECH

sue manufacturers with a suitable method for improv-

ing the softness of their products. Metsä Fibre aims to

cut down papermaking costs and improve end-product

quality in cooperation with the users of its products.

“It is interesting to try to find added value together

with our customers,” concludes Nickull.

It’s finally time for productionThe polysulphide digestion method is not a new inno-

vation. It has been discussed in scientific documents

since the 1960s, with some mills even having tested the

method. But this is no pilot project for Joutseno, home

to the world’s largest softwood pulp production line.

“Our 15.5 million euro investment in the method cov-

ers all production at the mill. The investment will add

value for our customer and benefit our own production

economies,” states Söderström.

Compared to previous experiments, it was not enough

for Joutseno to just use additives. Instead, the entire

cooking process has been redesigned to make the most

of the polysulphide addition. Söderström is, of course,

cautious about revealing details about the development

work carried out by Kari Kovasin and his colleagues.

The polysulphide production itself is based on proven

technology. Sulphide sulphur will be oxidised to elemen-

tal sulphur in a commercial MOXY process supplied by

Andritz. The equipment construction work began in

the autumn of 2012.

“Our process specialists have excelled at building

a fully functional production process based on this

method,” says Nickull proudly.

Customer process changes needed tooAccording to Nickull, Metsä Fibre will offer a totally

new pulp product in 2013. In order for customers to

make the most of this, they should adjust their produc-

tion process in line with the new raw material proper-

ties and its increased hemicellulose content.

“The common feature for all customer groups is that

the process will need less refining energy – how much less

will depend on the product and process. If the process

isn’t adjusted, customers will find that the pulp quality

is lower due to excessive refining. The paper web will

be too compact and water won’t be removed,” points

out Nickull.

Nickull explains that the company intends to make a

startup plan for the new product together with custom-

ers. After this, he promises to support customers when

they want to make the most of related business benefits.

“When the machine is running with the new stock,

we can think together whether, for example, the pro-

portion of expensive softwood pulp could be reduced,”

he explains.

New quality criteriaThe new type of fibre also requires the use of new

KPIs for quality. Pulp quality has traditionally been

estimated with a combination of two factors: tensile

strength and tearing resistance. The polysulphide diges-

tion process will improve the tensile strength of the pulp

but may deteriorate its tearing resistance.

“The tearing resistance is of great significance in

paper, but it is not the same as the tearing resistance

of pulp,” Nickull points out.

“Our starting point is that paper machine runnabil-

ity will play a greater role, for instance in the produc-

tion of printing paper,” reflects Kovasin.

“We have found that properties such as improved

bonding and tensile strength that can be achieved with

EQUIPMENT CONSTRUCTION

WORK BEGAN IN AUTUMN

2012.

P A G E 2 7E C H O T E C H

MORE FIBRES, BETTER QUALITY

The pulp digesting process is used to

separate fibres by dissolving the lignin

that bonds them together.

The digester reaches temperatures of

170°C, causing a chemical reaction be-

tween the sodium and the sulphur and,

along with the lignin, dissolving some

of the hemicellulose that strengthens

the fibre cell walls. Instead of ending up

in the pulp, this portion ends up in the

soda recovery boiler for burning.

Beginning in summer 2013, some of

the sulphide sulphur from Joutseno’s

digester will be oxidised into elemental

sulphur, which will prevent the hemicel-

lulose from dissolving with the lignin.

This process is known as polysulphide

digestion.

“Thanks to this new chemical cook-

ing process, a larger quantity of hemicel-

lulose will be left in the pulp,” says Kari

Kovasin, one of the developers of the

new process.

This will also change the properties

of the product itself, improving its

paper-making qualities. The increased

hemicellulose content will improve the

tensile strength of the pulp fibres and

facilitate refining.

CAN A PROCESS CHANGE NOT ONLY IMPROVE CELLULOSE YIELD, BUT ALSO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF THE CELLULOSE FIBRE? THE DIGESTER AT JOUTSENO MILL HOLDS THE ANSWER.

polysulphide will be better indicators of paper machine

runnability than tearing resistance,” says Söderström.

A busy summer in 2013The startup of the new polysulphide digestion process

next summer will somewhat increase the uniqueness of

the Joutseno pulp mill, which recently became carbon

dioxide neutral. Wood, an increasingly scarce raw mate-

rial, will be used more efficiently than ever and produc-

tion quality will improve.

“Our goal is to make our company the most desirable

pulp supplier for customers. The new method certainly

supports this idea,” says Söderström with excitement.

Nickull expects next summer to be very busy. In addi-

tion to making trial run plans together with customers,

personnel will soon start to prepare a new pulp manual.

“We want to be present in customer mills when the

trial run begins. Consequently, next summer’s holi-

day plans for technical customer service personnel will

require some special arrangements.”

WOOD, AN INCREASINGLY

SCARCE RAW MATERIAL, WILL

BE USED MORE EFFICIENTLY

THAN EVER AND PRODUCTION

QUALITY WILL IMPROVE.

M A R K E T R E V I E WP A G E 2 8

A NEW PATH TO DEVELOPMENT

China’s ambassador to Finland, Huang

Xing, visiting Metsä Fibre in September.

MARKETREVIEW

P A G E 2 9M A R K E T R E V I E W

C

TEXT / PAT HUMPHREYS, PHOTOS / TEEMU KUUSIMURTO, JERE HIETALA & SHUTTERSTOCK

With China buying more and

more market pulp, the fibre industry

faces two burning questions as it

plans its investments. When will

Chinese demand peak, and where?

His Excellency Huang Xing, China’s

ambassador to Finland, says his

country’s pulp imports will continue

to grow for years to come.

hina bought an estimated 23 per cent of world

market pulp in 2011, up from 15 per cent in

2005. “Our demand for paper and board is certain

to continue rising,” says ambassador Huang Xing.

“Unlike agriculture, where we want to feed our-

selves, we will continue to depend to a certain extent

on fibre imports.”

Planning for future growthThe national forestation programme has been “quite

successful” and is to be accelerated. “We are trying to

achieve forest coverage of 23 per cent by 2020. It is

a big challenge because natural conditions are quite

harsh in many areas.”

Even that will not be enough to keep up with

demand for paper products. “As 1.35 billion people

get richer, the rise in consumption is enormous. Pulp

imports will grow for many more years.”

But the ambassador warns against extrapolating

future Chinese demand from Western figures. “At

68 kg per head, our consumption of paper and board

is already above the world average. It will definitely

grow but it will never reach the peak levels of North

America and some European countries.”

“If Chinese consumption were to rise to 300 kilos

per capita, it would be a disaster for the world and

its forests. We need to find a new path to develop-

ment that is sustainable for the globe.”

Western development has been led by three highs,

Huang Xing says: high wages, high consumption

and high welfare. “Of course our people want these

too, but we need to be guided by three new highs –

high efficiencies in energy, resource utilisation and

transport.”

These new highs are why China is rationalising its

own pulping industry. Since the mid-1990s, thou-

sands of small mills have been closed. The govern-

ment indicated last year that the pace of consolida-

tion would be stepped up.

New capacity, new efficienciesOne effect of rationalisation will be a steady fall in

the amount of non-wood pulp. “But one shouldn’t

conclude that fibre imports will rise correspondingly.

M A R K E T R E V I E WP A G E 3 0

“One of the reasonswhy we have developed so fast

is that we learn from everyone.”

[China ]

MARKETREVIEW

P A G E 3 1M A R K E T R E V I E W

Alongside the closures, China is enlarging its modern

pulping capacity, developing a recycling economy and

curbing growth of paper demand.”

It has a strategy for holding down paper use. “We’re

developing information and communications technol-

ogy. This year Huawei overtook Ericsson as the world’s

largest producer of telecom equipment. Telecommu-

nications will bring efficiency to our economy, to gov-

ernment administration and to office work.”

Although ICT first took off in the West, it would be

a mistake to assume that China’s future economy will

mirror the Western model.

“One of the reasons that we have developed so fast is

that we learn from everyone, and from their failures as

well as their successes. Take transport systems. Sixty per

cent of the world’s high-speed rail network is in China.”

“We’re using rail, and not only to replace road trans-

port. For journeys up to 1 000 km, rail is better than

aviation. Planes are even more wasteful than cars.”

Lessons from ChinaFrom 2001–2005, Huang Xing was Director Gen-

eral of the China Science and Technology Exchange

Center, and it shows. What else can his country teach

Western businesses?

“We have a very fast-moving economy. Europeans

aren’t as efficient and responsive to customers as they

could be. Americans are less rigid. But of course the

Nordic countries are quite pragmatic…”

CHINA AND FIBREIn papermaking, China has come full

circle. The oldest pieces of paper in ex-

istence are hemp wrappings, excavated

from the tomb of Chinese emperor Wu,

who died in 87 BCE.

After papermaking spread to the

West in the 13th century, Europeans

developed industrial production,

transforming a luxury into a commod-

ity. Now China is a papermaking giant

once more.

By 2010, Chinese production of

paper and paperboard had reached 97

million metric tons, 22 per cent more

than the next-ranked country, the

United States. Finland and Sweden are

minnows in this table, producing only

an eighth as much.

Chinese paper consumption has been

rising even faster than production. Its

demand for tissue is particularly strong.

Total paper consumption overtook

North America’s in 2009, although

consumption per capita is only about a

fifth. Paper is one of China’s few indus-

trial sectors that have a trade deficit.

The pulp trade gap is even greater,

because of the speed at which paper

demand has grown and the shortage of

suitable wood in China. About 60 per

cent of the pulp China uses is recycled

fibre, a quarter is virgin wood fibre and

the rest is non-wood pulp. Less than

half of this fibre is produced domesti-

cally.

The outlook for foreign pulp appears

good. Despite China’s own great invest-

ment in pulp mills, the shortage of local

wood is expected to continue to limit

growth of domestic production.

Metsä Fibre’s Ari Harmaala (left) and Ilkka Hämälä (right) warmly welcomed His Excellency Huang Xing to Metsä Fibre’s headquarters in September.

E C H O M O N I T O RP A G E 3 2

ECHO MONITOR

A FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITYfull capacity, Metsä Fibre mills use about

12.5 million cubic metres of wood per year

for pulp production. The wood is purchased and

delivered to our mills by Metsä Group, a cooper-

ative owned by more than 130,000 private Finn-

ish forest owners.

Wood is a renewable raw material and Finn-

ish wood reserves grow continuously. Finnish

forests currently grow at a rate of almost 100

million cubic metres a year, while annual drain,

natural mortality included, is some 70 million

cubic metres. Of this amount, around 55 mil-

lion cubic metres a year are used as raw material

in the industry.

All our actions aim to safeguard the biodiver-

sity of forests and the conservation of rare nat-

ural habitats and endangered species. The most

valuable forest areas and natural sites are pro-

tected from forestry use by various conservation

measures. Our goal is to leave forests to the next

generation in a better condition than they were

when we received them.

All the wood used by Metsä Fibre comes from

sustainably managed forests. Since our main raw

material is supplied by our own group, we always

know the origin of our wood in detail. We natu-

rally prefer to use certified wood.

Metsä Group is a strong pioneer in forest certi-

Also in terms of sustainability,

Metsä Fibre is one of the top

international companies in our

industry. We verify and audit

the origin of all our wood to

ensure forest diversity and

growth now and in the future.

fication: more than 80 per cent of the wood used

by its production facilities comes from certified

forests. To put this figure into context, less than

10 per cent of the world’s forests are certified.

In autumn 2012, Metsä Group was awarded an

FSC group certificate. It covers the forests owned

by the group – almost 35,000 hectares in total.

A PEFC certificate has already been granted for

these forests. The purpose of the FSC project was

to test the applicability of the new standard to

Finnish forestry.

Contractual customers of Metsä Group’s par-

ent company Metsäliitto Cooperative can also

join the FSC group certificate. However, FSC cer-

tification is not expected to gain much ground in

Finland in the next few years. Most of the wood

purchased by Metsä Group comes from Finnish

private forest owners – some 920,000 people in

total, most of whom have already chosen PEFC

certification for their forests. In addition to forest

owner-specific certifications, both PEFC and FSC

can offer group certification, which keeps costs

reasonable even if certified holdings are small.

Metsä Group considers both the PEFC and

FSC schemes equally sound guarantees of a sus-

tainable chain of custody.

AT

P A G E 3 3E C H O M O N I T O R

RELEASE YOUR CREATIVITYMetsä Fibre’s Innovation Forum was

launched in February to gather ideas and

improvement suggestions from employees

across the business.

“The Innovation Forum has started

well and found its place in the daily work

of inventive Metsä Fibre employees. All

sorts of exciting ideas have come in,” says

Ursula Lumme, Vice President, Product

Development at Metsä Fibre.

The forum’s purpose is to harness the

staff ’s creativity with a transparent proc-

ess that anyone can be part of. Develop-

ment suggestions can be on anything

from products and services to company

procedures. Besides the opportunity

to suggest new ideas, the forum also

gives employees the chance to vote on,

comment on and develop other people’s

ideas. The Challenge section presents

urgent cases that require immediate

inspiration.

“Some of the ideas have been about

developing production processes. The

challenges of usability and tall oil have

inspired people to generate ideas. On the

other hand, lots of suggestions have been

made about sales, customer services and

products,” explains Lumme.

“Catalyzers” have been selected to

push innovation activities forward. They

evaluate plans and expedite them. With

their help, more and more suggestions

can be refined into first-class ideas.

“The biggest challenge is to activate

more Metsä Fibre employees to actively

participate using the Innovation Forum.

In practice, this means developing it into

a tool that is seen as a natural part of the

daily development work.”

IMPROVED ONLINE SERVICEThe Botnia Customer Extranet has been

upgraded: Botnia Fibre Online is now

available for Metsä Fibre customers.

Our goal was to create a user-friendly

service with the content clearly organised

and displayed. Delivery-related quantity

and quality reports can be easily found

from the navigation, as well as accurate,

up-to-date information on our products,

services and sustainable development

activities, and contact information for the

customer responsibility chain.

We want to continue to improve our

online service, so please get in touch if you

have any feedback or development ideas!

NEW BOTNIA PRODUCT NAMES NOW ON PULP UNITSMetsä Fibre is one of the world’s

leading manufacturers of softwood

pulp, and its Botnia brand is well

known in the pulp sector. The

brand promises the highest quality

pulps with services and compe-

tence to support our customers’

competitiveness. In addition to

responsibly produced pulp, the

Botnia brand also includes techni-

cal and logistical services related to

the use and development of fibre.

The Botnia product family,

whose product names were all

harmonised in February 2012,

comprises Botnia Nordic Pine

(long fibre softwood pulp),

Botnia Nordic Birch (short fibre

pulp), Botnia Nordic Strong

(strong reinforcement pulp),

and Botnia High Yield (BCTMP

pulp). Since October, the new

product names can now be

seen on pulp units.

ECHO MARK

E C H O M A R KP A G E 3 4

In the bathroom you might come across it

while cleaning your teeth in the morning. In

the kitchen you might find its name printed

on the side of your cereal box. It wouldn’t be

unusual if the bread you ate for breakfast also

contained it. Carboxymethyl cellulose or CMC

might not sound familiar, but most of us con-

sume it every day.

“CMC is used, for example, in toothpastes. It

keeps the paste solid, so that it doesn’t run off

the toothbrush. At the same time, it transforms

the paste so that it slides comfortably in your

mouth,” explains Jaana Ahtikari, Sales and Mar-

keting Director at CP Kelco, the world’s larg-

est manufacturer of carboxymethyl cellulose.

This remarkable compound has hundreds

of different uses, spanning everything from the

food industry to oil drilling. And new ones are

being developed all the time. Approximately

230,000 tons of carboxymethyl cellulose are

sold globally every year.

CP Kelco’s factory at Äänekoski in central

Finland is home to a production line that man-

ufactures CMC specifically for use in the food

industry, in compliance with the industry’s strict

standards.

“CMC is also used in food packaging,” says

Ahtikari. “Production on these dedicated lines

follows the applicable standards for food packag-

ing. The paper industry also uses the compound

in a wide range of different applications.”

TEXT / TAINA VUOKKO, PHOTO / ARI HEINONEN

C M C

in a tube

P A G E 3 5E C H O M A R K

“You might not have heard of CMC, but you probably consume it every day.”

PAPER INDUSTRY

FOOD INDUSTRY

FOOD PACKAGING

CMC

READ MORE

METSAFIBRE.COM