Stora Enso only accepts legal wood 

Greenpeace is concerned that wood is harvested in violation of laws in Russian Karelia. They allege that Finnish companies including Stora Enso use wood that is harvested from forests for which Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) have not been conducted.

Stora Enso traceability systems work

To ensure that wood is harvested in compliance with national laws and Group principles Stora Enso uses and constantly develops traceability systems verifying the origin of all wood. In Russia the traceability system was introduced already in 1996.

The traceability systems involve three stages: 1) defining the responsibilities of the supplier in contract clauses 2) registering the origin of wood and 3) internal, supplier or field audits. We also have these systems audited by a third party. For instance in Russia, the traceability system has been third-party verified as part of Stora Enso Wood Supply Finland’s ISO 14001 and EMAS certification since 1999 and last year Wood Supply Russia received FSC Controlled Wood certification.

Thanks to its traceability systems, Stora Enso already recognised the possible need for EIAs in Karelia a few years ago. Consequently all Stora Enso logging subsidiaries commissioned EIAs for their lease holding areas. For wood purchased from external suppliers, the existence of EIA is routinely checked during the auditing process that is part of Stora Enso’s traceability system.

Stora Enso has asked the Karelian authorities to clarify the need for EIAs

The Russian Federation law requires an EIA for forest management plans. The implementation in different Russian regions differs and thus far the regional forestry authorities in Russian Karelia have not always demanded EIAs. To clarify in which cases there is a need for Environmental Impact Assessment in Russian Karelia Stora Enso has asked the Karelian authorities to: clearly state their position and to explain what law or norm their position is based on.

In conclusion, Stora Enso is committed to legal and sustainable forest management. The company also supports the commitment of the Finnish Forest Industry Federation and WWF to combat illegal logging and timber trade through both public and private efforts.