Metsä Group and VR intensify their cooperation on sustainability

The companies are intensifying their cooperation on sustainability in logistics and have agreed a new joint target to halve emissions from transport covered by their cooperation by 2030. In addition, Metsä Group aims to transfer some of its current road transports to railways. For Metsä Group, the measures would represent a total emission reduction of around 14,000 tCO₂e per year, which is equivalent to more than 25,000 average lorry journeys. 

“One of Metsä Group’s strategic sustainability goals for 2030 is to reduce the fossil emissions of our operations and fossil based materials. We have already made good progress in achieving this goal at our mills and would like to see similar development in our supply chain. VR is an important partner for Metsä Group in the logistics of both wood raw material and products, and together we can achieve significant improvements in our environmental performance,”, says Jari Voutilainen, SVP, Sourcing and Logistics, from Metsä Group. 

Metsä Group and VR have set up a joint working group to define concrete ways to achieve the emissions reduction target. The measures include the electrification of the rail network, more efficient train concepts and the use of diesel made from renewable raw materials.

“Sustainability is a key part of the strategy of both VR and Metsä Group. Together, we reduce emissions from transport and accelerate the transition to a carbon neutral Finland. In principle, rail transport is the most energy-efficient mode of transport with the lowest emissions, and it plays a critical role in mitigating climate change. As a strong partner to industry, we are helping our customers achieve their environmental goals,” says Eljas Koistinen, Senior Vice President, VR Transpoint.

Every year, VR transports around 5 million cubic metres of Metsä Group’s wood and mechanical wood products and 2.1 million tonnes of other forest industry products such as pulp and paperboard. With Metsä Group’s ongoing investments, transport volumes will increase.

About VR Group

VR Group is a responsible service company that focuses on travel, logistics and maintenance – we will transport you towards a prosperous and carbon neutral Finland. We keep society moving by providing smooth daily travel and transport, with experience gained over 160 years. By promoting electric track and city transport, we are reducing emissions throughout Finland.

In 2021, our net sales were EUR 838.3 million euros and we employed over 5,600 top professionals. On board our trains, 55 million journeys were made, and we transported 37.4 million metric tonnes of goods. 

Our company is owned by the Finnish State and, in addition to Finland, we operate in the neighbouring markets of the Nordic countries. We are actively seeking growth and aim to be the best in our industry. The better we succeed, the more society around us benefits – we are getting there together for a better world.

About Metsä Group 

Metsä Group is leading the way in advancing the bioeconomy. We invest in growth, bioproduct development and a fossil free future. The raw material for our products is renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. We focus on the growth sectors of the forest industry: wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards, as well as tissue and greaseproof papers.

Metsä Group’s annual sales amount to approximately EUR 6 billion, and we have around 9,500 employees in 30 countries. Our international Group has its roots in the Finnish forests: our parent company is Metsäliitto Cooperative which is owned by nearly 100,000 forest owners. 

Source:

Metsä, press release, 2022-12-13.