Stora Enso has agreed to build a demonstration line for lignin-based hard carbon anodes with China's Shanshan Technology, to be sited at Shanshan's Ningbo facility. The line aims to validate wood-based hard carbon for sodium-ion battery anodes at industrial scale, supporting Stora Enso's plan to set up large-scale hard carbon production in Europe.
Why this mattersA credible path to commercial-scale wood-based anode material would open a new revenue line for forestry groups beyond packaging and pulp.
- Demonstration line to be built at Shanshan Technology's facility in Ningbo, China
- Line targets lignin-derived hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries
- Stora Enso aims to establish large-scale hard carbon anode production in Europe
- Stora Enso recorded sales of EUR 9.3 billion in 2025 and employs about 19,000
Stora Enso has confirmed that its cross-laminated timber production unit at Gruvön, Sweden, will close permanently by the end of 2026, after completing negotiations on the shutdown it first proposed in September. About 80 positions are affected, and no redundancies will be made until personnel talks end. The company cited slower-than-expected CLT market growth, rising wood costs and high fixed production costs at the unit.
Why this mattersEurope's largest CLT producer, by its own description, is shutting a line after slower market growth and higher wood costs, a signal for other mass-timber capacity plans.
- Closure of the Gruvön CLT unit in Sweden takes effect by end of 2026.
- About 80 positions are affected.
- Proposed closure was first announced in September 2026; negotiations have now concluded.
- Stora Enso cites slower CLT market growth, higher wood costs and high fixed production costs as reasons.
- Stora Enso will continue CLT production at Ždírec (Czech Republic) and Ybbs and Bad St. Leonhard (Austria).
- Sawn goods deliveries from Gruvön continue; Stora Enso employs about 19,000 people and had 2025 sales of EUR 9.3bn.
Austria's Dunapack Packaging, part of the privately held Prinzhorn Group, has agreed to acquire Stora Enso's German corrugated packaging operations: Gaster Wellpappe, Wellpappe Sausenheim and PTI. The businesses, located in south-west Germany, employ 350 people and generated EUR 74m in revenue in 2025. The deal is subject to merger control clearance and is expected to close this year.
Why this mattersThe exit lets Stora Enso retrench in German corrugated as Dunapack expands footprint and raises its paper integration rate within Prinzhorn's containerboard business.
- Dunapack Packaging has agreed to acquire Gaster Wellpappe, Wellpappe Sausenheim and PTI from Stora Enso.
- The three businesses recorded EUR 74m of revenue in 2025.
- The sites are in south-west Germany and employ 350 people.
- Completion requires merger clearance and is expected before the end of 2026.
- Dunapack will run the sites alongside Prinzhorn's Hamburger Containerboard division.
- Prinzhorn Group has annual revenue of EUR 2.4bn and more than 10,000 employees in 16 countries.
Stora Enso has opened change negotiations at its Gruvön mill in Sweden over a plan to end cross-laminated timber production by the end of 2026, putting up to 80 jobs at risk out of about 220 covered by the talks. The company cites slower-than-expected CLT market growth, higher wood costs and high fixed costs, and would refocus the site on sawn and planed timber.
Why this mattersThe closure would concentrate Stora Enso's Nordic CLT supply in its Czech and Austrian plants, signalling weaker near-term demand growth for mass timber in construction.
- Change negotiations cover approximately 220 employees at Gruvön, including the Nordic CLT sales organisation
- Up to 80 positions could be affected by the proposed closure
- CLT production would end by the end of 2026 if the plan proceeds
- Sawn timber deliveries from Gruvön would continue as usual with no impact on wood consumption
- If closed, Nordic CLT customers would be supplied from Stora Enso's plants at Ždírec (Czech Republic), Ybbs and Bad St. Leonhard (Austria)
Pulpac, the Swedish developer of dry-moulded fibre packaging technology, has filed for corporate restructuring at a district court, stating that it cannot pay its debts, according to Göteborgs-Posten. The company has issued layoff notices to 50 of its 70 employees, and Johan Sölveland has been appointed restructuring administrator. Pulpac attributes the filing to a slower-than-expected market shift towards fibre-based packaging.
Why this mattersThe insolvency of a leading dry-fibre-moulding technology developer signals that plastic-replacement innovators are struggling to convert development-stage promise into commercial revenue.
- Pulpac has filed for corporate restructuring at a Swedish district court, citing inability to pay its debts
- 50 of Pulpac's 70 employees have received layoff notices
- Pulpac reported 2024 revenue of just under USD 5.7m (SEK 56m) and a loss of USD 17m (SEK 168m)
- Johan Sölveland has been appointed restructuring administrator
- The company cites a slower-than-anticipated market transition to fibre-based packaging
- Pulpac's dry-moulded fibre technology targets replacement of single-use plastics in sectors such as fast food
- PulPac previously raised SEK 340m (USD 34m) in a funding round backed by Stora Enso and Amcor Ventures.
- The company separately received a EUR 65m loan from the European Investment Bank.
- 2025 operating result was a loss of SEK 117.6m (USD 11.8m) on net sales of SEK 52m (USD 5.2m).
- PulPac holds more than 500 international patents; CEO Linus Larsson Green cites slower-than-expected market conversion to dry-moulded fibre as the cause.
Stora Enso is considering permanently closing its corrugated packaging production unit in Kristinestad, Finland, and consolidating output at its Lahti plant. Restructuring talks would affect about 50 employees, with any closure occurring between May and September 2027; sales, customer service and warehousing would remain at the site.
Why this mattersConsolidating corrugated capacity into a single Finnish site signals continued pressure on smaller converting plants amid weak demand and rising equipment investment needs.
- Stora Enso plans to concentrate corrugated packaging production in Finland at Lahti.
- The Kristinestad production unit would permanently close.
- Restructuring talks would affect about 50 people.
- Any closure would take place between May and September 2027.
- Sales, customer service and warehousing functions would remain in Kristinestad.
- Stora Enso Packaging employs about 320 people across Lahti and Kristinestad.
Valmet will supply a recovery boiler retrofit, including a new secondary superheater, to Stora Enso's pulp and board mill in Varkaus, Finland. The companies have also signed a three-year cooperation agreement covering process monitoring and operator training. The new superheater is scheduled for installation in September 2027; order value was not disclosed.
Why this mattersSuperheater replacement in September 2027 protects output at a mill making 420,000 tonnes of containerboard and 335,000 tonnes of pulp a year.
- Order booked in Valmet's second-quarter 2026 order intake
- Scope includes replacing the recovery boiler's secondary superheater with a Valmet tube superheater
- Three-year cooperation agreement covers remote process monitoring and operator training
- Varkaus mill has annual capacity of 420,000 tonnes of containerboard and 335,000 tonnes of pulp
- New superheater delivery and installation set for September 2027
- Order value and cooperation agreement terms not disclosed
Stora Enso will spin off its Swedish forest holdings into a new listed company, Bergslagets Skogar, in the spring, Affarsvarlden reported on 18 September 2026. The magazine says the move could pave the way for a further upward revaluation of Swedish forestry groups' forest assets after several weak years on the stock market. No transaction structure or exact date has been reported.
Why this mattersSeparating forest land from operations would give the market a standalone price for Nordic forest assets, a reference point peers will be measured against.
- Affarsvarlden reported on 18 September 2026 that Stora Enso will spin off its Swedish forest holdings into a new listed company, Bergslagets Skogar, in the spring
- Finland's state holding company Solidium and the Wallenberg family vehicle FAM each hold 10% of the shares and 27% of the votes
- Stora Enso shares stood at USD 12 (SEK 118) at the time of the report
- Stora Enso's mills are in the Nordics, central Europe, China and South America, with a focus on board and packaging
Cartonboard converter Alzamora Group won three categories at the European Carton Excellence Awards 2026, presented by Pro Carton and the European Carton Makers Association in Rome on 17 September. The company was recognised for a child-resistant mono-material pack, a postal-optimised skincare pack and a tequila gift pack, taking its cumulative Pro Carton award tally to 16.
Why this mattersThe wins show cartonboard displacing multi-material and plastic formats in child-safety and e-commerce packs as regulators tighten material rules.
- Awards presented in Rome on 17 September 2026 at the 30th European Carton Excellence Awards.
- Innovation Award went to KidGuard, a single-piece cartonboard child-resistant pack made from Billerud's CrownBoard Kraft, developed with Proquimia.
- Sustainability Award went to a postal-ready pack for UK skincare brand Skin + Me, made from Stora Enso's Ensocoat 2S, fitting a 25mm postal-format limit.
- Beverage Award went to the Tequila Buen Amigo Duo Pack for Zamora Company, made from Metsä Board's FBB Bright folding board.
- KidGuard's child-resistant mechanism was tested on children aged 12 to 35 months by product safety institute AIJU.
- The three wins bring Alzamora Group's total Pro Carton award count to 16.
Stora Enso has appointed Chief Financial Officer Niclas Rosenlew as Deputy CEO with immediate effect from 17 September 2026, while retaining his CFO role. He will deputise for President and CEO Hans Sohlström, who continues in post. Rosenlew joined the group as CFO in January 2025.
Why this mattersPairing the CFO and deputy CEO roles gives Stora Enso a second senior voice with customers and investors while leaving Sohlstrom in charge of strategy execution.
- Niclas Rosenlew becomes Deputy CEO with immediate effect from 17 September 2026
- Rosenlew retains his role as CFO and Group Leadership Team member
- Rosenlew will deputise for President and CEO Hans Sohlström, who remains in post
- Rosenlew joined Stora Enso as CFO in January 2025
- Stora Enso employs approximately 19,000 people and reported EUR 9.3 billion sales in 2025
- A further report cites the appointment as effective 22 September 2026
Stora Enso has completed negotiations to permanently close its Veitsiluoto sawmill in Kemi, Finland, ending temporary curtailment in place since early August 2026. Sawmill production for the Northern Finland region will be centralised at the company's other sawmills in Oulu, Oulainen and Kalajoki, with about 60 job losses. Stora Enso cited weak profitability driven by high log costs; after the change, roughly 840 people will remain at Business Unit Oulu's sawmills, board mill and port operations.
Why this mattersThe closure tightens Stora Enso's Northern Finland wood-processing footprint but is described as having only a minor impact on wood supply to its Oulu board mill.
- Veitsiluoto sawmill in Kemi, Finland, permanently closed following negotiations concluded 16 September 2026
- Approximately 60 people made redundant
- Production had been temporarily curtailed since early August 2026
- Closure first announced 12 August 2026 as a plan to centralise Northern Finland sawmill production
- After the change, Business Unit Oulu will employ approximately 840 people across board mill, sawmills in Oulu, Oulainen and Kalajoki, and port operations
- Reason cited is need to improve efficiency, profitability and competitiveness amid high log costs
- Stora Enso acquired Junnikkala Oy, builder of the Oulu sawmill absorbing Veitsiluoto's production, in 2024; Junnikkala also operates sawmills in Kalajoki and Oulainen.
Finland's forest management associations opened the Pino digital marketplace for mandate-based timber sales on 15 September, and neither Metsä Group nor Stora Enso intends to use it. Metsä Group has confirmed it will not register, arguing an independent marketplace must stop price and bid information from advantaging one participant; Stora Enso says it will keep bidding in power-of-attorney sales but has raised information technology questions. The associations arrange 15m-20m cubic metres of such sales a year, so bids risk being split across Pino, the rival Kuutio platform, buyers' own systems and email.
Why this mattersA fragmented timber-tendering landscape raises procurement costs and reduces price transparency for two of Europe's largest fibre producers.
- Pino, built by MHYP with farmers' organisation MTK, opened on 15 September 2026
- Finnish forest management associations arrange 15m-20m cubic metres of mandate-based timber sales a year
- Metsä Group has publicly confirmed it will not register for Pino, citing concerns over access to commercially sensitive bid data
- Stora Enso will keep participating in power-of-attorney sales but has raised information technology questions over Pino
- UPM had not reached a final decision and said it would continue using the rival Kuutio platform
- Metsä Group is a shareholder in Kuutio and says mandate-based deals can also be handled through Kuutio or by email
UFlex has inaugurated a $126 million greenfield Asepto aseptic carton facility at Ain Sokhna, Egypt, with eventual annual capacity of 12 billion packs, taking the Indian group's combined global aseptic capacity to about 24 billion packs a year alongside its Sanand plant in India. The Egyptian plant is expected to start at around 30% utilisation and progressively ramp toward full capacity by around 2030, targeting Europe, Africa, the Gulf, the Americas and the CIS via Suez Canal shipping routes.
Why this mattersA second, closer-to-market aseptic base gives UFlex a route to compete more directly with Tetra Pak, SIG and Elopak in Europe, Africa and the Gulf.
- Investment: $126 million greenfield Asepto plant at Ain Sokhna, Egypt, on a 30-acre site
- Eventual annual capacity: 12 billion aseptic carton packs, matching UFlex's Sanand plant in India
- Combined global aseptic capacity reaches approximately 24 billion packs per year
- Initial utilisation expected at roughly 30%, rising to about 70% in year two and design capacity by 2030
- The plant has entered customer trials, with commercial production planned for late 2026
- Egypt trade access includes COMESA, GAFTA and the African Continental Free Trade Area
- The Ain Sokhna plant is equipped with two Heidelberg Boardmaster printing lines, an SML extrusion line and two IMS slitters.
- Utilisation is now phased at about 30% in year one and 60-70% in year two, with full capacity targeted around 2029-30.
- UFlex reported group revenue of about $1.63 billion for the year ended 31 March, with more than 16,000 employees globally.
- More than $100 million of the $126 million investment has already been spent.
- UFlex frames the Egypt plant as a shift from an India-led export model to multi-location global manufacturing
- The plant uses a Heidelberg Board Master XL 1650 printing line and an SML Triplex extrusion laminator.
- Paper for the plant is supplied by Stora Enso.
- Asepto's existing Sanand, India plant serves over 250 customers in more than 50 countries.
- Utilisation is now guided at 30% in year one, rising to 100% by year three.
- The Ain Sokhna plant uses automated manufacturing machinery
- The Ain Sokhna plant sits in the Orascom Industrial Park within the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
- Installed equipment includes a Heidelberg Boardmaster XL 1650 press, an SML Triplex lamination line and Madern Automation reel handling rated at 160 reels an hour.
- Commercial trials are underway ahead of commissioning, still targeted before the end of 2026.
- The Ain Sokhna plant will use next-generation automated manufacturing machinery
- UFlex's Q1 FY27 consolidated net profit rose 629.6% year-on-year to INR 423.3 crore
- Q1 FY27 revenue rose 37.6% year-on-year to INR 5,366 crore
Montes del Plata, the Uruguayan pulp joint venture of Stora Enso and Arauco, has produced exclusively talc-free eucalyptus pulp since spring 2026, replacing talc with an organic additive that controls resin deposits. Stora Enso announced the change on 20 August 2026, citing customer expectations and regulatory scrutiny of talc. The switch followed evaluation from 2023, lab trials in 2024, and subsequent industrial trials.
Why this mattersThe move signals rising regulatory and customer pressure on talc in pulp processing, with implications for other eucalyptus pulp producers.
- Montes del Plata has produced exclusively talc-free eucalyptus pulp since spring 2026
- Talc has been replaced by an organic additive that controls resin (pitch) deposits
- Stora Enso announced the change on 20 August 2026
- Stora Enso and Arauco began evaluating replacement solutions in 2023, with lab trials in 2024
- The additive reportedly meets US FDA requirements and German BfR recommendations for food contact
- Montes del Plata supplies eucalyptus pulp to global markets
