In the end, we all want the same thing – customers, employees, suppliers and the rest of the community – a good world to live in and the possibility to leave it at least as good, to our children.
Sustainability is often referred to as consisting of three parts – people, planet and profit. Although it can sometimes be easier to handle the different parts in this way, we would argue that they go hand in hand, and here’s how we do it – by helping our customers in their sustainable business, by contributing to a better climate and by being committed to our employees and in our local communities.
Holmen is one of the largest forest-owners in Sweden, and we pride ourselves with having truly sustainable management of our forests. Holmen’s forest management has chain-of-custody certification, which means that all the wood can be traced back to its origin in sustainably managed forests. Holmen manages its forests with as little environmental impact as possible through long-term, clear silviculture plans and a focus on biodiversity. Our whole business-model is built on circularity, not letting anything go to waste.
We are an industry, and making paper requires a considerable amount of raw material. Our raw material comes from our sustainably managed forests, and for each tree we harvest, we plant at least two new ones. And we do not harvest trees to make paper. The fibres we use come from the material that is left after we have made construction timber and other wood products.
But not only do we need fresh fibres, we also use water and chemicals. The water we use is reused several times in the production process. Either during the cleaning of wood chips and making pulp, or in the shape of steam for example in the drying process. Before the water is sent back to the sea, we clean it. All the waste water goes through a purification process, where we, with the help of bacteria, remove all pollutants. The water we return is actually less polluted than when it entered our facilities. Also, the sludge that remains after the purification is turned into biofuel or soil improvement.
We have ambitious goals regarding reducing CO2 emissions. Our paper mills have actually reduced the use of fossil fuels by 86% since 2005, and we will not rest there. We use HVO fuels in all vehicles at the mills, and we have high demands on the carriers that transport goods to and from our facilities.
Another important factor is the carbon footprints that we calculate for all our graphical paper products (according to the ten toes of the framework set up by CEPI). That is, we measure the emissions caused by our products as carbon dioxide equivalents, you can find carbon footprints for all our products here.
Being part of the Holmen Group, sustainability is always high on our agenda. Some might even say it’s in our DNA. Many of the efforts we do on an aggregated level are described in more detail at Holmen.com/sustainability.
Having the best possible raw material and production facilities is not enough to make the best paper. For that we need people. Committed, skilled, responsible and reliable people, that work for common goals and in a safe manner.
We take our responsibilities as an employer very seriously. Everyone working for Holmen should be treated with dignity and respect and have equal opportunities. Leadership and co-worker development are vital ingredients in our organization, and to ensure that we continue to improve and develop in all these areas, we continuously conduct surveys among the employees. The outcome is followed up and used as input for creating departmental action plans.
We also believe that it's important with a common mindset and sense of direction. Therefore, via the Holmen Paper Management by Objective process, the overall corporate strategy is implemented and translated into team contracts and personal objectives.
Some of the most important goals are connected to the health and well-being of our personnel. We always want you to feel safe at Holmen Paper, and we go by ten safety rules that cover everything from safety helmets to how to work in confined spaces. Throughout the organization, we put a lot of effort into securing a safe and sound work environment, precautionary measures, health and wellness initiatives.
The Holmen core values – Courage, Commitment and Responsibility – are the foundation in everything we do, striving to always do our best. This is also what lies behind the strong commitment we have to the communities we serve.
Being a major player in business and in society at large, we want to give something back to the community. Holmen Paper cooperates with various projects and organisations in the areas surrounding Norrköping and Hallstavik, from integration projects to children's basket ball training. The common denominator is that the initiatives fall under the categories industry promotion (like collaboration with technical gymnasiums), local brand exposure (initiatives like Introduce a Girl to Engineering) or community commitment (e.g. integration projects, diversity youth support).
Read more about CSR and sponsoring in Holmen Paper