Our commitment to respect human rights covers all our operations, including our employees, contractors, suppliers, and neighbouring communities.
While we respect and consider all human rights important, our highest priority human rights remain the primary focus of our work:
We continued to develop our human rights due diligence programme in 2020. By the end of the year, we had finalised 22 out of 24 actions addressing development areas that were identified for Group function processes in 2019.
Human rights risks are considered throughout Stora Enso's operations – for example in investment decisions, mergers, acquisitions, and divestments.
Stora Enso's human rights due diligence procedures include:
Human rights are integrated into our Sustainability Agenda, which is aligned with the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. Relevant Stora Enso policies on human rights include, for example:
Many of the human rights challenges we face are deeply rooted in local society and can only be effectively addressed through a long-term commitment and close cooperation with global and local stakeholders. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights emphasise that companies have an ongoing responsibility to respect human rights, even where government actions and regulatory frameworks are inadequate. In addition, new legislation is being explored and developed in numerous countries to address human rights due diligence by companies. Stora Enso supports legislation that puts companies on an equal standing.