FINLAND (News release) -- Metsä Group aims to reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions from wood supply in Finland by 30% from the 2022 level by 2030. As one way to reduce emissions, Metsä Group is introducing the use of electric and biogas lorries in the Kemi bioproduct mill's wood transports.

Metsä Group produces and sells products that solve global challenges related to climate change by storing carbon and replacing products made of fossil raw materials. Metsä Group's mills are committed to using only renewable fuels in 2030.

"It's important to consider ways to free us from fossil fuels and the resulting carbon dioxide emissions in wood supply," says Juha Jumppanen, Metsä Group's EVP, Wood Supply and Forest Services.

To reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions, Metsä Group has launched a pilot project testing the use of electric lorries in wood transports between the Kemi bioproduct mill, which started up in the autumn, and wood terminals. In addition, charging infrastructure for electric lorries is being built at the Kemi bioproduct mill. Entrepreneurs are encouraged in various ways to switch to lorries running on fossil free fuels.

Metsä Group calculates that around half the carbon dioxide emissions from wood supply originate in harvesting, and the other half in transport.

"In the next few years, further solutions for reducing emissions are expected to be seen in wood transports, so we're now focusing on reducing emissions from transports," Jumppanen says.

To date, Metsä Group has reduced carbon dioxide emissions in wood supply by increasing rail transports and the use of renewable diesel. Since the deployment of the new Kemi bioproduct mill, the share of electric rail transports especially has increased significantly.

"The availability of electric and biogas vehicles suitable for wood transports has been weak, but their supply has now improved. We now want to encourage and support entrepreneurs to acquire electric and biogas vehicles," says Hannu Alarautalahti, SVP, Production at Metsä Forest.

"The first biogas lorries have already been ordered and we will have around ten in use by the end of next year," he says.

Metsä Group's Wood Supply and Forest Services provides and develops the services offered to the members of Metsä Group's parent company, Metsäliitto Cooperative. The cooperative consists of more than 90,000 Finnish forest owners who together own about half of Finland's private forests.

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