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Suominen strengthens its capabilities in sustainable products by enhancing and upgrading one of its production lines in Nakkila, Finland. The investment is made in line with Suominen’s strategy and supports company’s vision to be a frontrunner in sustainability.

“As we foresaw in our strategy the market demand in Europe has changed remarkably towards more sustainable products. With this investment we respond to the increased demand for environmentally friendly products and also enhance our operational performance in terms of safety, quality and productivity,” says Petri Helsky, President and CEO of Suominen.

The total value of the investment is approximately EUR 6 million and the investment project will be completed in the second half of 2023.

Suominen launches a carbon neutral nonwoven, BIOLACE® Zero. BIOLACE® Zero is suitable for many kinds of wiping applications like baby, personal care, and household wipes. It has wet and dry strength and it’s very soft. It is made of 100% cellulosic lyocell fibers and the product is 100% biodegradable, compostable and plastic free.

BIOLACE® Zero utilizes VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers from Suominen´s long-term partner Lenzing. BIOLACE® Zero is made of 100% carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers.

“We are very excited to introduce BIOLACE® Zero, which is not just Suominen´s first carbon neutral product, but also one of the first carbon neutral nonwovens on the market. BIOLACE® Zero will be available as part of Suominen's sustainable product portfolio”, says Marika Mäkilä, Senior Manager, Category Management, Europe.

Suominen’s BIOLACE® Zero and Lenzing’s VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers are certified as carbon neutral products by globally recognized company, ClimatePartner. Carbon neutrality means that the greenhouse gas emissions of nonwoven have been calculated – from the raw material production to the client’s production facility – reduced and are offset through certified carbon offset projects.

“With this new carbon neutral product BIOLACE® Zero we are able to support our customers in their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Innovating new products in collaboration with partners such as Lenzing by using carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers is well aligned with our strategy and vision to be the frontrunner in sustainable nonwovens”, says Noora Rantanen, Manager, Sustainability & Marketing.

As part of Suominen Corporation’s Half-Year Financial Report for January 1 – June 30, 2021 the company shared their insights and actions defined in their sustainability agenda.
A new Code of Conduct was launched in the beginning of 2021 and a mandatory training program about the Code will be start in the third quarter of this year.

Suominen is committed to continuously improving their production efficiency and the efficient utilization of natural resources. What active measures towards reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and waste to landfill are concerned, the commitment is to diminish them by 20% per ton of product by 2025 compared to the base year of 2019.
Offering a comprehensive portfolio of sustainable nonwovens and continuously developing new and innovative solutions with a reduced environmental impact, the target is a 50% increase in sales of sustainable nonwovens by 2025 compared to 2019, and to have at least 10 sustainable product launches per year. During the first half of the year, nine sustainable product launches were made.

OUTLOOK FOR 2021
As announced on August 12, 2021 Suominen expects that its comparable EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) in 2021 will decrease from 2020 due to the slowdown in the demand for nonwovens in the second half of 2021 as well as some continuing volatility in the raw material and transportation markets. In 2020, Suominen’s comparable EBITDA was EUR 60.9 million.