SWEDEN (News release) -- Metsä Group, through its tissue business Metsä Tissue, has made a decision to modernize and expand Mariestad tissue paper mill in Sweden. The investment will increase the availability of locally and sustainably produced tissue products in the Scandinavian market, in which approximately 40% of tissue usage is currently imported. The value of the investment is Euro 370 million and it is one of the largest in the tissue business in Europe and the largest within Metsä Tissue. The construction works will start during spring 2023 and the renewed mill is planned to be operational in the second half of 2025.

The mill produces high quality tissue products and the current capacity will be doubled to approximately 145,000 t/a. After the expansion the mill will have a new modern tissue paper machine with the capacity of 70,000 t/a, three new converting lines, for both rolled and folded tissues. Also a fully automated warehouse for finished goods and raw material handling will be built as well as a new office facility.

• The expansion of the Mariestad mill will bring considerable improvements in the environmental performance of tissue production. Despite the doubled production capacity, the fossil CO₂ emissions will drop to zero latest by 2030 due to new technology in use.
• The expansion will focus purely on sustainable fresh fibre production, after which the total fresh fibre share at the mill is 80%.
• The water consumption per ton will be diminished by 50% to 10 m³/t because of the new paper machine technology, fresh fibre based production and effluent plant modernization which is enabling better utilization of purified water in the Mariestad's mill water circulation.
• Tissue as a bulky product with high air content is not economically viable nor sustainable to transport long distances. Logistics emissions are planned to drop by 25% per year due to replacing paper imports with local production.
• The modernisation brings improvements also to the mill's neighborhood. With the modern production technology, the mill will have lower noise and odor levels than today. A new noise barrier will lower the noise levels by 3-5 dBA because of new embankments between the mill and residential area and additional 26 silencers will block noise effectively.
• The mill will be equipped with new technology for water management and more efficient technology for purification, which will have a positive effect on odors. The majority of the new water treatment equipment will be covered, further improving the odour management.

Through this investment Metsä Tissue will be hiring around 100 people at the mill before the new extension is in operation. Manufacturing at the mill will continue normally during the expansion.

Mariestad mill in Sweden is one of Metsä Tissue's eight tissue paper mills and part of Metsä Group. The mill, originating from 1765 has been part of Metsä Tissue since 1989.