In Oulu, northern Finland, Stora Enso has launched Europe’s most advanced packaging board production line. The €1.1 billion investment is part of the continent’s strategy to reduce single-use plastics and will serve markets across Europe, where sustainable packaging demand is growing. The former paper-making site has been transformed into a high-tech facility producing up to 750,000 tons annually of folding boxboard, kraftliner, and sack paper, mostly for export. Innovations such as FiberLight Tec allow boards up to one-third lighter than conventional ones, reducing both raw material use and transport emissions—crucial for the food and beverage sector. By 2027, the plant is expected to reach full capacity with an annual turnover of €800 million. Its fossil-based carbon emissions have already been cut by 90%, relying on pulpwood from Finnish forest owners and by-products like bark and sawdust to generate bioenergy, which also supplies Oulu’s district heating. Employing over 900 people and supporting local industries in logistics and maintenance, the Oulu site strengthens Finland’s export capacity while showing how industrial transformation can drive Europe’s green transition.
