Our climate impact calculations are based on science and the most up-to-date available knowledge.
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Stora Enso combats climate change with renewable materials, resource efficient production and sustainable forest management. Our products help customers and society at large to reduce CO2 emissions by providing low-carbon alternatives to solutions based on fossil fuels and other non-renewable materials.
Our science-based target (SBT) is to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from operations by 50% by 2030 from the 2019 base year, in line with the 1.5-degree scenario. Stora Enso is also committed to an ambitious target to reduce scope 3 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 from the 2019 base year.
The SBTs have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, a partnership between CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
By the end of 2022, the scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions were 1.96 million tonnes or 27% less than in the base year. In 2022, direct emissions from operations (scope 1) accounted for 22% of Stora Enso’s carbon footprint, while emissions related to electricity and heat purchased for use in operations (scope 2) accounted for 2% of the total carbon emissions. An estimated 76% of the emissions in the carbon footprint were generated elsewhere along the value chain.
In 2022, Stora Enso’s estimated scope
3 CO2e emissions along the value chain
were 6.01 million tonnes or 27% less than in
the baseline year.
Stora Enso has been calculating and reporting its value chain emissions according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for years, and we have long been using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool for measuring environmental impacts of our products. However, LCAs may not include wider systemic impacts or closer investigation of the positive effects. Building on this, Stora Enso’s Packaging Materials Division participated in a project from 2018-2021 led by VTT Technical Research Center of Finland Ltd. and LUT University to assess handprints for our European business units. Overall, results point to significant carbon handprint potential – as much as 7.8 Mt CO2eq. in 2020 – enabling customers and consumers using paperboard packaging materials to consequently lower their own carbon footprint. Note: Considering the uncertainty in the results due to several assumptions in the study, the handprint should be treated as indicative only.
From research by Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) which presents an advanced calculation model of climate impacts, Stora Enso is estimated to have a positive impact on the climate equivalent to a reduction of 11.5 million tonnes of CO2e from the atmosphere (2019 data). This equates to the CO2 emissions of some 5 million midsize cars driving 20,000 km annually.
The most effective ways to reduce our direct fossil CO2 emissions are to further improve our energy-efficiency, and to continue to increase our use of biomass fuels. For over a decade, we have been actively reducing the energy intensity of our operations – and in many places also our dependency on fossil fuels.
Combatting global challenges such as climate change does not happen in isolation. Value chain emissions often represent the largest portion of companies’ carbon footprint. To reach our scope 3 CO2 reduction target, we work with suppliers and logistics to further improve efficiency and lower carbon intensity. One tool in implementing and enforcing emission reductions is the Stora Enso Supplier Code of Conduct, which is the common set of requirements for all suppliers.
Stora Enso evaluates risk and opportunities related to global warming through the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) process, which forms an integral part of our management approach. We also routinely calculate the financial impacts of potential cost increases in relation to emission allowances and energy prices. For more information on Stora Enso’s reporting according to TCFD recommendations within the categories of governance, strategy, risk management and metrics, see the Climate-related financial disclosure (TCFD) index.
Stora Enso is a member of the We Mean Business coalition, the Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group (CLG) and the Climate Leadership Coalition.
For 2021, Stora Enso published one combined report covering our strategy, financials, sustainability reporting, corporate governance, and remuneration.
Definitions and calculation of key sustainability figures.
