Strategy and governance

As a renewable materials company, sustainability is an integral component of our wider company business strategy, as well as our corporate governance.

Sustainability – an integral part of our business strategy

Stora Enso creates value in the circular bioeconomy with its products based on renewable materials, solving global sustainability challenges for our customer and other stakeholders. We focus on meeting consumer demand for eco-friendly and circular solutions through a strong focus on innovation. More about our strategy here.

We believe that the world needs a transformation to balance between staying within planetary boundaries and securing economic and social progress. As the renewable materials company, Stora Enso can and will contribute to this transformation by offering regenerative solutions. We want to go from leaving no trace to leaving a positive trace. This is called being net positive. 

Our approach is two-fold:

• Our goal is that by 2050, we provide 100% regenerative solutions. These are solutions that are circular and contribute positively to biodiversity and climate change – and thus, the wellbeing of people. The 2050 goal means we will support our customers’ in becoming regenerative themselves.
• We will continue to ensure that we conduct our everyday business in a responsible manner: that, for example, human rights are respected and emissions to air and water are minimised throughout our operations, and impacts from our value chain are proactively managed. This will always be the foundation of our work.

Transformation areas are where our business can have the biggest impact and the best opportunity to shape the materials system into a regenerative one. All three transformation areas are interlinked: circular economy is one solution for climate change, and it also serves biodiversity.

Sustainability governance

Sustainability is a key element of Stora Enso’s corporate governance, promoted by the Board of Directors, the CEO, and the Group Leadership Team (GLT). The CEO has the ultimate responsibility for the successful implementation of our sustainability strategy. At Stora Enso, sustainability work is led by the Executive Vice President, Sustainability, who reports directly to the CEO and is part of the Group Leadership Team (GLT).

The Board of Directors’ Sustainability and Ethics Committee

The Committee oversees the implementation of our Sustainability Strategy, and Ethics and Compliance Strategy. It comprises of between two and four Board members who are nominated annually by the Board. The members are independent of and not affiliated with Stora Enso. At least one Committee member is expected to have sufficient prior knowledge and experience in managing responsibility and ethics matters.

Ethics and Compliance Management Committee

The Committee supervises and monitors legal and regulatory compliance-related issues, policies, processes and tools. It consists of the General Counsel (chair), CEO, CFO, Head of HR, Head of Internal Audit, and the Legal Counsel dedicated to compliance matters.