Together, through the cooperative business form, the estate's values are refined and renewed. For generations, family forest owners have managed the forest and contributed with raw material for products in people's everyday lives. By more than 50,000 family forest owners coming together, conditions have been improved to solve challenges. Today and in the future.
Together we become better
Södra was formed from the idea that we are stronger together. Södra's cooperative ownership structure shapes both values and the association—a union built and developed together with knowledgeable and dedicated employees across generations. Together, family forest owners own Södra and collaborate to create profitability, find new solutions, and contribute to society. The questions and decisions to be handled in forestry, and as owners of a world-leading industry, are many and complex. Therefore, they are best handled together and based on the simple and democratic principle of one member, one vote.
Responsibility for the forest
Among family forest owners, there are different orientations and goals with the forest. But regardless of ambition and orientation, whether it's a full-time job, part-time, or a hobby, whether the family forest owner lives on the forest estate or not, there's a great commitment and sense of responsibility. That shapes the choices made in everyday forestry. The idea of balancing several different perspectives, like the legs of a stool, is guiding. Responsible and active forestry needs to balance replacing fossil materials with products based on forest raw material, a strengthened rural area, the forest as a carbon sink, and biodiversity.
At Södra, we also believe that forestry constantly needs to develop to meet new challenges and needs. That means we need cooperation, knowledge, and development together with researchers, customers, consumers, policymakers, and interest organizations. The forest is not just important for family forestry. It is loved. And we know it's loved by society at large as well.
Our contribution to society
Family forestry provides renewable raw material for its own industries. The industries are the result of investments and bold choices made by family forest owners in Södra together over decades. Dedicated employees with the right skills have played a central role in making Södra a world leader in some product segments. The operations create jobs for thousands
of people around Götaland and contribute to vibrant small towns and rural areas. The forest raw material replaces fossil alternatives and is turned into everyday products like building materials, toilet paper, sanitary products, electricity, heating, biofuel, and clothing. In a time when society needs more sustainable solutions, investments in innovation and knowledge are key. At Södra, we want to ensure that the forest, like every part of every tree, is used in the best way. And with a raw material that continuously grows and can be renewed, the possibilities grow.
And it starts in the forests of southern Sweden.
With family forests.