Can Södra make the most sustainable pulp?

A sustainable future requires everyday heroes – and new ways of thinking. It can be as simple as actively choosing products from sustainably-managed forests, but we also need to maximize our part.

Maria Staxhammar, Sales director and Project Leader: “We can see that for our customers, sustainability remains a top priority and an ongoing concern. We would like to help them add value by embarking on the journey to a more sustainable future together. Through Pulp+ services, customers are invited to engage with us and see what aspects of the process we could tailor to offer them the most sustainable pulp possible.” 

“At the same time, we want to build on the Hero campaign and continue to educate and raise awareness of how sustainable pulp and paper products can be,” explains Communication Manager, Linda Ottosson. “for our customers, but to a much wider audience too. With this in mind a series of videos launches today which follows the journey of our pulp from seedling to customer and is aimed to paper users everywhere.”

Episode one launches today. Follow the journey to a more sustainable future as we travel from London to the heart of Södra’s operations in southern Sweden. We begin in one of Södra’s nurseries with Site Manager Tord Barone and Growing Manager Falkenberg, Johan Henriksson. 
Forest regeneration and regrowth are the key to sustainable forestry and to strengthening the profitability of forest estates.  Our integrated seed orchards use the latest techniques to breed trees that will ensure optimal forest regeneration and regrowth for the future. We also have a unique focus on greenhouse spruce orchards to provide customers with faster access to selectively-bred seedlings.

Södra’s nurseries are now completely free of fossil fuels. To heat the facilities, natural gas has been replaced by wood pellets from our sawmills and green energy from our pulp mills, while biodiesel fuels our machinery and vehicles. 

Södra has invested some SEK 10 million in environmental improvements with the result that all our nurseries, greenhouses and staff premises are now run entirely on renewables. 

We have employed a program of integrated pest management for the last 15 years where chemicals are viewed as a last resort – the result is that chemical pesticides have been halved in a decade and we are working to reduce this number further still.

These are just a few examples of sustainability at the first stage of our process. If we were to maximise the most sustainable aspects of every part of the pulp production process, from paper straps to fossil-free nurseries and transport, would the result be the world’s most sustainable pulp?

And if we could show everyone how sustainable we already are, could we help change the perception of this highly underrated industry?

Tune in to find out: Customers can start the conversation right now via Pulp+ and everyone can visit www.sodra.com/theJourney, look out for the videos on social media and share them.