Thank you for this year

I’m Catrin Gustavsson, President of Södra Cell. Although I’ve only been in the job a few months, I’ve worked for Södra for over a decade, most recently as President of Södra Innovation. And I must say that it is really great to be heading up our pulp business.

As another year comes to a close, it’s time to look back before we look ahead.

And this year was busy! We dealt with challenges both familiar and new against a backdrop of an uncertain geo-political situation. Inflation fell but we continued to face rising input costs. We dealt with strikes at ports and climate-induced floods and fires which disrupted the supply chain at time, all while working towards ambitious climate targets, bringing new innovations and investments to market and preparing for new legislation.

One of the greatest challenges this year for pulp suppliers has been the tough competition for wood. During a time of tight supply, our family forestry model has played a key role in helping us secure a stable flow of raw material. We never take the forest for granted and we always strive to make the most value as possible from every tree we harvest. Pulp is the central pillar, but around it we are constantly looking for new ways to extract value from our processes, from lignin and green energy to biomethanol and tannin. 

We’ve also been trialling a brand new pulp, Spira, that will combine agricultural residues with wood cellulose to yield a pulp with excellent strength properties. It’s a great example of a product aligned with the circular economy without compromising performance, which is really exciting. In the meantime, we’ve moved several steps closer to meeting our ambitious Science-Based Targets for a net-zero future, including an electric truck at Värö and our Conscious Delivery initiative for fossil-free transportation, which we ‘re piloting with customers right now.

As we look ahead, we will continue to focus on maximising the efficiency of our mills and optimising the use of our raw material, our members’ trees. Climate change mitigation remains a pressing concern and is the main driver of our actions, along with our desire to be the supplier of choice wherever we can.

Educating the end user and explaining the huge potential of products based on sustainably-managed forests is also a focus for us going forward. Look out for our latest campaign in the New Year which seeks to reach beyond our own customers, all the way to the end user, helping inform consumers and encouraging them to choose products from family forestry.

I’ll end with a note of thanks. To all the people behind our pulp who are dedicated to making the most sustainable pulp they can. And to you, dear customer. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.

All that remains is to wish you a merry festive season and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year! We’re looking forward to adding value to your business in 2025 and beyond!

Merry Christmas!