The 500 largest Finnish companies were hit hard by the economic downturn last year. According to a statement frrom finish newspaper Talouselämä turnover declined more than during the depression in 1991. Among large companies that suffered heavy losses were several from the forest sector including Stora Enso and Metsäliitto.
Sweden provides SEK 500 million for action against deforestation, 100 million SEK goes to the Global Environment Facility, GEF (Global Environmental Facility) and applications for sustainable forest management and in addition bilateral assistance for at least 400 million.
In beginning of May Germany announced that they would spend at least Euro 350 million (~USD 450m) of their “fast-start” climate finance on REDD+. The Oslo Climate and Forest Conference aim to launch the Interim REDD+ Partnership through the adoption of a voluntary non-legally binding partnership document. REDD + is the result of negotiations within the UNFCCC.
UPM is starting an official procedure for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a biofuels plant in Lappeenranta, Finland. UPM is planning to build a biofuels plant at the Kaukas mill site in Lappeenranta. In the first phase the plant will serve mainly as a test and training facility. The main end products of the biofuels plant would be second generation biodiesel, bio gasoline, kerosene and naphtha. Raw materials used would be liquid bio-based organic compounds, like fats oils and forest industry by-products.
Finnish paper industry will recover step by step − export in pulp industry blossoming. After the difficult year of 2009 the Finnish forest sector shows some signs of recovery according to Finnish Forest Research Institute and Pellervo Economic Research (PTT) forecast. Private forest owners in Finland can look forward to a 15 percent increase in revenue from the forest this year compared to 2009. The largest predicted key forecast is in volume of roundwood trade that will increse with 50-55% in volume during 2010. The production and export of paper will increase by 5−10 per cent and export of pulp will increase with 25-30%. The Finnish forest owners may benefit even more since cheaper euro makes it easier to export the wood.
Stora Enso has signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for a EUR 165 million loan to be used for research and development. The loan agreement is part of the commitment by EIB to lend altogether EUR 230 million to Stora Enso, including the EUR 65 million loan announced on 10 February 2010.
Stora Enso has launched a Facebook group and Global Responsibility section for discussing responsibility topics. One of the highlights of the website is a dialogue session between Sini Harkki from Greenpeace and Stora Enso's CEO Jouko Karvinen. The Facebook page offers an open forum for straight talk about critical responsibility topics.
New regulation from IMO will mean a drastic increase in transport costs for business community in Northern Europe, and especially for base industries. The decision is likely to have "disastrous effects" for Swedish forest industry according to the organization Swedish forest industry.
The main focus in this thesis is on describing and solving new challenges that globalization presents for the Finnish forest industry. Some of the findings of this thesis can be highlighted to construct a mental map of the impact of the globalizing forest industry on the provisioning of ecosystems services.
Forest and paper company Stora Enso announced closure of recycling plant at Varkaus and core plant at Pori planned - temporary newsprint layoff plan at Varkaus according to a pressrelease from 19th of February.
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Sweden provides SEK 500 million for action against deforestation, 100 million SEK goes to the Global Environment Facility, GEF (Global Environmental Facility) and applications for sustainable forest management and in addition bilateral assistance for at least 400 million.
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