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Stora Enso

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Industry Paper, Lumber & Forest Products
Employees 10,000+
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FY2020 Annual Report · Stora Enso
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Stora Enso 
Annual Report 2020

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceWelcome to read about our contribution to circular bioeconomy. Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020 includes our strategic, sustainability and financial performance, governance, and remuneration.Contents

Annual Report 2020

Stora Enso supports
customers to meet
consumers’ demand for
sustainable products based
on renewable materials. Our
solutions offer low-carbon
alternatives to products
based on finite resources.

Strategy

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

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Annual Report 2020

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Annual Report 2020

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Annual Report 2020

Sustainability

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

Our sustainability work
covers social, environmental,
and economic responsibility
throughout our value chain,
with respect for human
rights integrated into
everything we do.

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Financials includes the report
of the Board of Directors and
the financial statements, as
well as Stora Enso in capital
markets and our tax footprint.

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Financials

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

Stora Enso complies with
current governance rules
and regulations, and applies
best practices in the field
of governance.

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Governance

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

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Strategy

Sustainability

Financials

Governance

This is Stora Enso ..........................2

Stora Enso in 2020 .........................4

CEO’s overview ..............................9

How we create value ................... 12

Transformation ............................ 13
Strategy ........................................ 14
Innovation ...................................... 16
Circular bioeconomy ..................... 18
Forest .............................................20
Leadership .....................................23

Divisions ......................................  24
Packaging Materials ......................25
Packaging Solutions ......................26
Biomaterials ...................................27
Wood Products ..............................28
Forest .............................................29
Paper ..............................................30

Our renewable solutions ............ 31

Group Leadership Team .............40

Our approach .................................5
Strategy, governance,  
and stakeholders .............................6
Our targets .......................................9
Contributing to the SDGs .............. 10
Human rights ................................. 12 

Social agenda .............................. 17
Employees and wider workforce... 18
Safety ....................................... 19
Community ....................................23
Business ethics .............................28

Environmental agenda ...............32
Materials, water, and energy .........33
Carbon dioxide ..............................43
Forests, plantations, and land use ..49

Economic agenda .......................55 
Customers .....................................56
Suppliers ........................................60
Investors ........................................64
External recognition ......................66

Data and assurance ....................67
Reporting scope ............................68
Data by production unit .................69
Auditor’s assurance report ............72

The GRI index is available at  
storaenso.com/gri2020

The SASB index is available at  
storaenso.com/sasb2020

Stora Enso in 2020 .........................2

Report of  
the Board of Directors ..................3

Consolidated financial 
statements ...................................21

Notes to the consolidated 
financial statements ...................26

Parent company  
Stora Enso Oyj 
financial statements ................... 74

Notes to the parent 
company Stora Enso Oyj 
financialstatements ....................76

Signatures for 
the financial statements ............85

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020 .........................2
Shareholders’ meetings ..................2
Board of Directors (Board) ..............3
Board committees ...........................7
Management of the Company .........8
Internal control and  
risk management related to  
financial reporting .......................... 10

Members of the Board  
of Directors .................................. 12

Members of the Group  
Leadership Team ......................... 14

Appendix 1 .................................... 17

Auditor’s report ...........................86

Remuneration

Stora Enso in capital markets ...89

Stora Enso as a taxpayer ............95

Capacities by mill in 2021 ...........97

Information for shareholders ...100

Introduction ...................................1
Letter from the Remuneration 
Committee Chair .............................1
Decision-making procedure ...........2
Remuneration development ...........2
Remuneration policy summary ........3

Remuneration Report 2020 .........4

100% plastic free is not 
always feasible. The majority 
of fossil-based materials in 
packaging could be reduced 
with existing technologies.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020Annual Report 2020

Stora Enso supports 
customers to meet 
consumers’ demand for 
sustainable products based 
on renewable materials. Our 
solutions offer low-carbon 
alternatives to products 
based on finite resources.

Strategy

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

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Contents

Our renewable 
products provide 
a sustainable
alternative to fossil-
based materials.

This is Stora Enso ............................... 2

Stora Enso in 2020 .............................. 4

CEO’s overview ................................... 9

How we create value .........................12

Transformation ..................................13
Strategy ............................................. 14
Innovation ............................................16
Circular bioeconomy ...........................18
Forest .................................................. 20
Leadership .......................................... 23

Divisions ............................................ 24
Packaging Materials ........................... 25
Packaging Solutions ........................... 26
Biomaterials ........................................ 27
Wood Products ................................... 28
Forest .................................................. 29
Paper ................................................... 30

Our renewable solutions ................. 31

Group Leadership Team .................. 40

Stora Enso’s formed fiber products help customers to replace plastics. The salad 
bowl made of PureFiber™ by Stora Enso is plastic-free, recyclable and made of 
renewable materials. The PureFiber™ product line enables approximately 75% lower 
CO2 footprint compared to alternative packaging materials, such as plastic or bagasse.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020Strategy

This is Stora Enso

Stora Enso in 2020

CEO’s overview

How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

Our renewable solutions

Group Leadership Team

This is  
Stora Enso

Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading 
global provider of renewable solutions in 
packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction 
and paper. We employ some 23 000 people and 
have sales in more than 50 countries. Our shares 
are listed on the Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and 
Stockholm (STE A, STE R) stock exchanges.

Our fiber-based materials are renewable, 
recyclable, and fossil free. Our solutions offer 
low-carbon alternatives to products based on finite 
resources. We believe that everything that is made 
from fossil-based materials today can be made 
from a tree tomorrow.

We are the renewable 
materials company

Our raw material is 
renewable, recyclable, 
and fossil-free.

Our products 
replace fossil-
based materials.

Our renewable products 
contribute to a circular 
bioeconomy.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
Serving markets  
around the world

Stora Enso operates worldwide and focuses on utilising its 
expertise in renewable materials and creating value in packaging, 
biomaterials, wooden construction, and paper. We combine 
global resources with local presence, service and sustainability.

Sales

 EUR 8.6 billion

Countries

Employees 

50

23 000

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  Production unit

  Sales office

  Design Studio

  Innovation Centre

  Forests and plantations

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Value in %Other5%5%South America2%2%North America4%4%Asia Pacific18%18%Europe72%72%Sales by destinationEurope 72%Asia Pacific 18%North America 4%South America 2%Other 5% 2Sales by originValue in %Europe89%89%Brazil and Uruguay6%6%China5%5%Europe 89%Brazil and Uruguay 6%China 5% 3Value in %Europe88%88%Asia Pacific7%7%South America5%5%Purchases by regionEurope 88%Asia Pacific 7%South America 5% 4Other countries 1%Brazil and Uruguay 3%Other Europe 17%Russia 5%Germany 4%Poland 8%China 15%Sweden 21%Finland 26%LegendValue in %Exact valueFinland 26%26%1026%FinlandSweden 21%21%1015%ChinaChina 15%15%1021%SwedenPoland 8%8%108%PolandGermany 4%4%104%GermanyRussia 5%5%105%RussiaOther Europe 17%17%1017%Other EuropeBrazil and Uruguay 3%3%103%Brazil and UruguayOther countries 1%1%101%Other countriesTotal100%90Personnel by country11 Including 50% of the employees at Veracel in Brazil and Montes del Plata in Uruguay. 1StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Stora Enso 
in 2020

Meeting consumer 
demand for eco-friendly 
and circular solutions.

Operational ROCE 
excl. Forest

7.0%

(Target >13%)

Climate impact

−11.5 

(annual estimate)

million 
tonnes 
of CO2e

Sales and operational EBIT 
EUR million

%

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

18

15

12

9

6

3

0

2018

2019

2020

Sales, EUR million
Operational EBIT, %

Sales by business

77%

Packaging Materials 36%

Sales, EUR million

Packaging Solutions 7%

Operational EBIT, %

Biomaterials 14%

Wood Products 16%

Forest 24%

Paper 23%

Other and eliminations –21%

sales excl. Paper

2018

2019

10 486

10 055

12.9

10.0

2020

8553

7.6

Legend

Value in %

Packaging Materials

Packaging Solutions

Biomaterials

Wood Products

Forest

Paper

Total

36%

7%

14%

16%

24%

23%

77%

141%

Other and eliminations

21% –21%

 6

 5

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Highlights of 2020

Renewable, plastic-
free products for 
eco-friendly lifestyles
In 2020, we introduced several new 
renewable products for packaging. 
PureFiber™ by Stora Enso 
enables plastic- and PFAS-free 
food service packaging made from 
formed fiber. Investments in more 
formed fiber capacity in Sweden 
and China are ongoing. Performa 
Light by Stora Enso is a new 
plastic-free, lightweight board with 
low climate impact for food and 
cosmetics packaging.

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Growth in premium and 
low-carbon packaging
As the demand for sustainable 
packaging in e-commerce and food 
applications is increasing, we enable 
growth by converting production at 
our Oulu Mill from paper to kraftliner. 
The conversion strengthens our 
offering in the growing packaging 
business and is a major step 
forward in our transformation. The 
production of AvantForte™ by 
Stora Enso on the converted line 
started in the beginning of 2021. 
AvantForte™ is a strong, premium 
quality kraftliner that meets 
our customers’ need for high-
performing, safe and plastic-free 
packaging while using less material. 

Exploring expansion of 
consumer board production
Stora Enso is conducting a feasibility study for 
possible expansion of pulp and board production 
at its Skoghall Mill in Sweden. The investment 
would allow us to meet the increasing demand for 
sustainable packaging among consumers. It would 
also bolster profitable growth in, for example, liquid 
packaging board and other packaging grades 
such as CKB. Skoghall Mill is ideally located in 
the proximity of Stora Enso’s forests in Sweden, 
allowing for cost-efficient, local sourcing of wood. 
The feasibility study is expected to be completed 
by the end of 2021 and if the project is approved, 
the production could start earliest at the end of 2023.

Growth in mass timber  
construction for eco-living
Stora Enso is enhancing its position as the market 
leader for cross laminated timber (CLT) by building 
a new production line at its Ždírec sawmill in 
the Czech Republic. As a sustainable renewable 
material, CLT shows significant growth potential 
in construction, as it makes it possible to build 
higher and lighter yet stronger multi-storey 
buildings. Production on the new line is scheduled 
to begin in the third quarter of 2022.

Developments underway for bio-based 
protective packaging materials
Stora Enso is building a pilot facility for producing 
lightweight, fiber-based foam material that 
replaces oil-based polymer foams. Cellulose  
foam can be used as protective packaging for 
fragile products such as consumer electronics.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Accelerating circularity 
along the value chain
• 

Increasing the recycling of used 
beverage cartons in Central and 
Eastern Europe: Together with 
Tetra Pak, Stora Enso is exploring 
the possibility of building a new 
recycling line for used beverage 
cartons (UBC) at its Ostrołeka Mill 
in Poland.

•  Developing barriers designed 
for circularity: Stora Enso is 
investing in dispersion barrier 
technology at its Forshaga site in 
Sweden. The investment supports 
the development of paperboard with 
barrier properties that are easier to 
handle in a recycling process, have 
a smaller carbon footprint and can 
be composted in industrial facilities.

•  Extending the lifecycle of paper 
cups: During 2020 Stora Enso 
continued to explore the recycling 
potential of paperboard cups for 
magazine paper production at 
Langerbrugge Mill in Belgium. 
The paperboard is made from 
renewable, high-quality fibers that 
can be recycled several times.
•  Working for positive change 
in the circular economy: 
Stora Enso is part of the 4evergreen 
alliance – a European circular 
economy platform focusing on 
fiber-based packaging. The aim is 
to drive the recycling of fiber-based 
packaging and collaboration 
in circular design.

•  Turning wastewater into 

renewable energy: Stora Enso 
and energy company Gasum have 
built a biogas plant at Stora Enso’s 
Nymölla paper mill in Sweden. The 
plant, built and operated by Gasum, 
turns the mill’s wastewater into 
Liquefied Biogas (LBG).

A more efficient way of  
handling dry lignin and 
development of carbon fiber
Stora Enso is building a granulation and 
packing plant for lignin, allowing easier 
packing and handling of lignin compared 
to powder and wet form. Lignin is one of 
the key innovation areas for Stora Enso for 
delivering growth on new applications, such 
as energy storage, binders, and carbon 
fiber. Stora Enso and Cordenka, the world’s 
largest producer of industrial rayon, are 
developing bio-based carbon fiber for 
industrial applications, such as wind 
energy rotor blades.

A new valuation method  
for forest assets
Stora Enso started using a valuation 
method based on market transaction 
data for its forest assets in the Nordics. 
The methodology is based on market 
transactions in the regions where 
Stora Enso’s forests are located, on 
the standing stock and price data of 
the traded forest, and own forest regional 
standing stock inventory. This method 
provides a more transparent and less 
subjective basis for valuation. The total 
value of the Group’s forest assets increased 
to EUR 7.3 billion at the end of 2020.

Science-based evidence  
for positive climate impact
Stora Enso is collaborating with the Swedish 
University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) 
to develop more accurate climate impact 
research for forest product companies. In 
2020, SLU published a new report, providing 
evidence of Stora Enso’s positive climate 
impact. The report confirms that when our 
products are used to replace fossil-based and 
other non-renewable materials, it is possible 
to save 18 million tonnes of fossil CO2e 
annually from entering the atmosphere.

Meeting the growing need 
for sustainable textile fibers
TreeToTextile is a joint venture between 
H&M group, Inter IKEA group, Stora Enso, 
and inventor Lars Stigsson. TreetoTextile’s 
goal is to develop and industrialise an 
innovative man-made cellulosic fiber 
technology that will provide textile fibers 
with good sustainability performance at 
a low cost.

The pandemic has changed our buying 
behaviour and e-commerce is growing 
in specific areas, such as food. More 
deliveries mean more packaging, and 
consumers are increasingly aware of the 
environmental impacts of materials – they 
want eco-friendly and circular solutions.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

This is Stora Enso

Stora Enso in 2020

CEO’s overview

How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

Our renewable solutions

Group Leadership Team

Our divisions have 
specific focus areas 
and products that cater 
to a broad range 
of customers.

Packaging Materials

Packaging Solutions

The Packaging Materials division is a global 
leader in high-quality renewable packaging 
materials based on both virgin and recycled fiber.

The Packaging Solutions division develops 
and sells premium fiber-based packaging 
products and services.

Biomaterials

Wood Products

Forest

Paper

Share of Group 
36%
sales

Share of Group 
operational 
EBIT 62%

Share of Group 
7%
sales

Share of Group 
operational 
EBIT 5%

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The Biomaterials division meets the growing 
demand for the replacement of products made 
from fossil-based and hazardous materials with 
bio-based solutions. The division’s offering 
includes a wide variety of pulp grades.

The Wood Products division is a leading  
provider of wood-based solutions for 
construction, the window and door 
industry, pellets and for the packaging and 
decoration industries. 

The Forest division sources all wood raw material 
to Stora Enso Mills in Finland, Sweden, Russia and 
the Baltic countries. It also manages Stora Enso’s 
Swedish forest assets and the 41% share of Tornator, 
the majority of whose forest assets located in Finland.
Outer

Value in text

Value in %

Inner

The Paper division offers a wide product 
portfolio of paper products for print and office 
use based on both recycled paper and fresh fiber. 

Outer
Value in %

Value in text

Value in %

Value in text

Inner

Value in %

Value in text

Share of Group sales

Total

36%

64%

100%

Share of Group 
operational EBIT

Share of Group sales

62%

36%

100

Total

38%

Total
100%

62%

100

7%

93%

100%

7%

100

Share of Group 
operational EBIT

Total

5%

95%

100%

5%

100

Share of Group 
16%
sales

Share of Group 
operational 
EBIT 18%

Share of Group 
24%
sales

Share of Group 
operational 
EBIT 25%

Share of Group 
23%
sales

Share of Group 
operational 
EBIT –6%

Share of Group 
14%*
sales

Share of Group 
operational 
EBIT 1%

* of which internal sales 14%

Sales include inter-segment transactions.

Share of Group sales

14%

86% 14%*

Total

100%

100

Total

Inner

Share of Group 

operational EBIT

* of which internal sales 14%

* Sales include inter-segment transactions.

Outer

Value in %

Value in text

Value in %

Outer

Value in text

Value in %

Value in text

Inner

Value in %

Outer

Value in text

Value in %

Value in text

Inner

Value in %

Outer

Value in text

Value in %

Value in text

Inner

Value in %

Value in text

Share of Group sales

1%

99%

Total

100%

1%

100

16%

84%

100%

Share of Group 

operational EBIT

Share of Group sales

18%

Share of Group 

operational EBIT

Share of Group sales

25%

16%

100

Total

82%

Total

100%

18%

100

24%

100

Total

75%

Total

100%

25%

100

23%

100

Share of Group 

operational EBIT

Total

24%

76%

100%

23%

77%

100%

94%

6% –6%

100%

100

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8

9

10

12

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Stora Enso has 
remained resilient in 
the challenging times, 
thanks to our diversified 
business portfolio 
and relatively strong 
balance sheet.

Packaging Materials

Packaging Solutions

Sales and operational EBIT 
EUR million

3 600

3 000

2 400

1 800

1 200

600

0

2018

2019

2020

%

24

20

16

12

8

4

0

Sales and operational EBIT 
EUR million

800

600

400

200

0

2018

2019

2020

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Sales
Operational EBIT, %

Sales
Operational EBIT, %

Sales

Operational EBIT, %

2017

2018

3422

13

2019

3254

10.4

2020

Sales

3115
Operational EBIT, %
12.9

2017

2018

701

4.6

2019

698

6.6

2020

594

5.7

Biomaterials

Wood Products

Forest

Paper

Sales and operational EBIT 
EUR million

1 800

1 500

1 200

900

600

300

0

2018

2019

2020

%

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Sales and operational EBIT 
EUR million

1 800

1 500

1 200

900

600

300

0

2018

2019

2020

%

24

20

16

12

8

4

0

Sales and operational EBIT 
EUR million

2 500

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

2018

2019

2020

%

25

20

15

10

5

0

Sales and operational EBIT 
EUR million

3 500

3 000

2 500

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

-500

2018

2019

2020

%

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

-2

Sales
Operational EBIT, %

Sales
Operational EBIT, %

Sales
Operational EBIT, %

Sales
Operational EBIT, %

Sales

Operational EBIT, %

2017

2018

1635

26.1

2019

1464

15.9

2020

Sales

1193
Operational EBIT, %
0.8

2017

2018

1622

10.2

2019

1569

6.7

2020

Sales

1386
Operational EBIT, %
8.3

2017

2018

2285

3.9

2019

2321

4.3

2020

Sales

2046
Operational EBIT, %
8.0

2017

2018

3066

7.6

2019

2856

7.4

2020

1979

-1.9

 13

 14

 15

 16

 18

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9

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Strategy

This is Stora Enso

Stora Enso in 2020

CEO’s overview

How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

Our renewable solutions

Group Leadership Team

Significant potential 
for profitable growth 

Little did we know, entering 2020, what an extraordinary year it would be for 
the world. It was shaped by an uncertain political and economic landscape, 
but above all by the pandemic. In these challenging times for societies, 
companies, and individuals, Stora Enso has remained resilient. Our business 
is built on a renewable raw material, serving global markets with products that 
help consumers make eco-friendly choices.

Our changing world
The battle against climate change cannot be 
put aside – on the contrary, it is more important 
than ever that we accelerate the shift towards 
a circular bioeconomy. As a society, we need to 
end our dependency on fossil-based materials in 
favour of products based on renewable materials. 
Stora Enso’s offering plays an important role in 
this. Sustainably managed forests grow back and 
our products are low carbon, helping to address 
some of the world’s climate challenges.

Making choices for growth and value
In 2020 we renewed our strategy, entering a new 
phase in our transformation journey and shaping 
our business for accelerated growth and value. 
We have chosen to focus our growth initiatives on 
Packaging, Building Solutions, and Biomaterials 
Innovations. These are the areas where we have 
leading market positions and are in the frontline 
of customer driven innovation. And we can 
build on strong and competitive assets to drive 
accelerated profitable growth. 

In Packaging, we see increasing demand for 

sustainable, plastic-free, and circular products 
and continue to drive innovation that goes beyond 
consumer needs. We are a global leader in wooden 
Building Solutions, which improve construction 
efficiency and can replace concrete and steel, 
significantly reducing the carbon footprint. New 
biomaterials, such as biochemicals based on lignin 
for binders, carbon fibers, and energy storage, 
provide a highly attractive innovation platform, with 
the potential to become a business of its own one 
day. Learn more about this in the Transformation 
section of this report.

Creating value in forest, pulp and paper
Although we have specific growth areas, our 
ability to create value has its foundation in 
the forest. We are one of the largest private 
forest owners in the world today. The forest 
is a valuable, growing asset that ensures 
a long-term fiber supply for our products. In 
addition, pulp is the base for our production of 
packaging materials, as well as for innovation 
within biomaterials. The traditional wood products 
business contributes to value-added solutions 
within Building Solutions. 

In Paper, we have continuously adapted to 
decreasing structural demand while generating 
strong cash flow and providing high service 
levels for our customers. We aim to ensure our 
paper business has a high degree of operational 
independence so that it can be more agile in 
adapting costs and operational processes to 
the changing market environment.

Innovation through collaboration
In line with the updated strategy focus, we will 
concentrate our innovation efforts and resources 
on areas with strong business opportunities 
such as new sustainable packaging materials, 
sustainable barriers, and our biochemical 
platform. Speed to market is essential and we 
will continue to push this through collaboration 
and an open innovation approach. In our key 
initiatives, we are moving into the piloting and 
scale-up phase. We work across the value chain 
with customers, partners, suppliers, research 
and academic institutions, and start-ups to drive 
open innovation and find new solutions to some 
of the world’s sustainability challenges. Examples 

Our customers are 
asking us to help them 
reduce their carbon 
footprint and innovate 
to substitute fossil-
based materials. 

from 2020 include a strategic partnership with 
the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences 
(SLU) to develop new knowledge within 
sustainable forestry. We have also entered several 
materials innovation driven partnerships, such 
as our collaboration with Cordenka – the world’s 
largest producer of industrial rayon – through 
which we are jointly developing bio-based 
carbon fiber. Or the Tree-to-Textile project with 
H&M group, Inter IKEA group, and inventor 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
100% plastic free is not always 
feasible, but the majority of fossil-
based materials in packaging 
could be reduced with existing 
materials and technologies.

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Strategy

This is Stora Enso

Stora Enso in 2020

CEO’s overview

How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

Our renewable solutions

Group Leadership Team

Lars Stigsson, in which we are developing and 
industrialising an innovative, man-made cellulosic 
fiber technology that will provide textile fibers 
with good sustainability performance at low cost. 
We continue to explore new start-up related 
business ventures through the Combient Foundry 
Programme, which is the Nordic region’s leading 
cross-industry collaboration network. In 2020, 
we were once again recognised as the most 
startup-friendly company in Finland. Through 
our Accelerator programme, launched in 2017, 
we have screened over 1 200 startups in nearly 
40 countries. 

Our investments support our strategic 

focus and innovation agenda. The major 
projects for accelerated growth are presented in 
the Highlights of 2020 section of this report. 
We want to support industries, producers 
and retailers in meeting the growing demand 
for eco-friendly and circular solutions – and 
developing a plastic-free supply chain is part 
of this. Yet this shift will not happen in isolation. 
Some oil-based plastics and fossil materials will 
be harder to replace. This change will require new 
levels of cooperation throughout value chains and 
different combinations of solutions.

Investing for accelerated growth 
Our investments are intended to support our 
strategic focus and innovation agenda. Our 
transformation project at Oulu Mill in Finland 
and conversion to kraftliner production was 
finalised. We are ramping-up the production of 

new-generation formed fiber products. We have 
also announced investments in a new production 
line for cross laminated timber (CLT), a granulation 
and packing plant for lignin, and a feasibility study 
on significantly enhancing and expanding pulp 
and board production. 

Business during the pandemic
Like all businesses, we have taken numerous 
measures in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. 
Our key priorities through the year have been to 
protect our people and business and to support 
our customers. Very early on, we took action 
related to mitigating the spread of the virus 
and its impacts, including a global travel ban, 
social distancing and appointed work streams 
to maintain the business momentum. Our units 
follow strict contingency plans, and significant 
effort has gone into managing our supply chain to 
serve our customers in the best possible way. We 
have built a strong liquidity position and continue 
active working capital management and cost 
savings with, for example, our profit protection 
programme. A strong cash flow gives us flexibility 
and therefore the ability to be ready when 
the markets eventually turn.

The market effects of Covid-19 have posed 
challenges for our paper and pulp businesses. 
However, with other parts of our diverse portfolio 
continuing to perform well during the pandemic, 
the overall impact has been limited. Moving 
into 2021, new vaccines will gradually be 
rolled out. In the meantime, we are prepared to 

Operational ROCE excl. Forest 
%

Net debt to operational EBITDA

20

15

10

5

2018

2019

2020

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0

2018

2019

2020

Operational ROCE excl. Forest, %
Target >13%

Net debt to operational EBITDA
Target <2.0

Legend

2017

Operational ROCE excl. Forest, %

Target >13%

2018

18.9

13.0

2019

12.8

13.0

Net debt to operational EBITDA

Leave this row blank

Target <2.0

2020

7.0

13.0

Legend

2017

2018

2019

2020

1.1

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.3

2.0

Leave this row blank

19

20

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

This is Stora Enso

Stora Enso in 2020

CEO’s overview

How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

Our renewable solutions

Group Leadership Team

Dividend proposal per share

 EUR 0.30

Earning per share  
excl. fair valuation

 EUR 0.45

We are committed to 
the UN Global Compact’s 
ten principles and the 
UN’s Guiding Principles on 
Business and Human Rights.

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manage uncertainty and volatility in the business 
environment. Our focus is on ensuring that 
our colleagues and partners are safe, and on 
serving our customers by keeping our operations 
running, mitigating supply chain challenges and 
introducing new products.

operational EBIT margins potentially exceeding 
20% in growth areas. In Building Solutions, we 
aim to triple our sales with margins close to 
20%. Within Biomaterials innovations, we aim 
for margins exceeding 35% in new markets 
for Stora Enso.

True to sustainability
Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. 
It is integral to our relevance as a business, our role 
as a responsible member of society, and our ability 
to contribute to a greener world. Our emphasis 
is on social, environmental, and economic 
responsibility in our operations and the value chain. 
We have a strong commitment to keep our people 
and contractors safe. Our sustainably managed 
forests are an important part of climate change 
mitigation. With a focus on biodiversity, land-use, 
climate benefit and resilient local communities, 
our aim is to be the leader. We have set ambitious 
science-based targets for reducing greenhouse 
gas emissions. In 2020, our CO2e emissions 
per saleable tonne of board, pulp, and paper 
were 26% lower than the 2010 benchmark 
level. Every year, Stora Enso is estimated to have 
a positive climate impact equivalent to a reduction 
of 11.5 million tonnes of CO2e.This equates to 
the CO2 emissions of some 5 million midsize cars 
driving 20 000 km.

New targets reflecting  
the focus of our strategy
We have also adjusted our long-term financial 
targets and our goal is to grow profitably by more 
than 5% annually, excluding our paper business. 
The majority of our future growth will come 
from the high-margin packaging business, with 

Our people make it happen
Stora Enso is a large company with operations 
all over the world and our people are our greatest 
asset. We emphasise an inclusive culture, we 
have strong values and a sense of purpose, and 
as always, safety comes first. I am proud to work 
alongside so many talented colleagues. We are 
united in our aim to meet the demand for eco-
friendly and circular solutions, further develop 
our product portfolio, and contribute to making 
the world a better place.

As I see it, the winners will be companies 
that have businesses which are sustainable in 
the long term from an environmental, social, and 
financial perspective; that stay close to their 
customers and innovate based on consumers’ 
future needs; that can manage volatility; and that 
are agile in adapting to this changed reality. This is 
Stora Enso’s competitive edge.

To our customers, suppliers, investors and 
other stakeholders, I am delighted that you join us 
on this journey.

The renewable future grows in the forest.

Annica Bresky
President and CEO

Reaching key financial targets

EUR million
Annual dividend
Growth (excl. Paper)
Net debt to operational EBITDA
Net debt to equity
Operational ROCE excl. Forest

2018
2019
2020
0.50
0.30
0.30
5.9%
-3.0%
-8.7%
1.1
2.0
2.3
33%
31%
43%
7.0% 12.8% 18.9%

Target
See below1
>5% per annum
<2.0X
<60%
>13%

1 To distribute 50% of EPS excluding fair valuation over the cycle.

Performance 
against target

  Achieved 

Not achieved

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

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Our fiber-based 
materials 
are renewable 
and recyclable.

How we create value as a renewable materials company

Our solutions provide low-carbon alternatives to products based on finite resources.

Key inputs

•  Investments in human rights  
due diligence programme

Key outputs

Key impacts

•  22 human rights development actions finalised in Group 

•  Respect for human rights in operations

function processes 

•  23 000 direct employees and sales in more than 

50 countries

•  OHS and well-being
•  Employee and leadership development 
•  Partnerships with communities and universities 
•  EUR 2.7 million voluntary 
community investments 

•  Business ethics and compliance

•  Personnel turnover 13.0%
•  6.1 TRI rate
•  Illness related absenteeism 3.6%
•  Leadership index 84/100
•  343 voluntary community investment projects
•  Code of Conduct index 86/100

•  EUR 1 270 million salaries and benefits
•  Impacts of injuries, illness, and well-being
•  Engaged and motivated employees and 

a capable organisation

•  EUR 980 million value through taxes borne 

and collected

•  Value creation with local communities
•  Value through ethical operations in the market place

CO2

•  2.39 million hectares of lands we own or manage
•  35 million m3 of wood used
•  EUR 91 million environmental investments
•  1.9 million tonnes of Paper for Recycling (PfR)
•  2.1 million tonnes of pigments, fillers 

and other chemicals

•  561 million m3 water withdrawal
•  38.6 TWh fuels of which 82% biomass
•  6.5 TWh purchased electricity

•  9.7 million tonnes of board, market pulp, and paper
•  5.3 million m3 of wood products
•  Certification coverage 98% for lands in wood production 

and harvesting and 78% of sourced wood
•  25% utilisation rate for Paper for Recycling
•  98% utilisation rate for process residuals and waste
•  97% of water withdrawal returned back to the environment incl. 

266 million m3 process water discharges

•  2.52 million tonnes fossil CO2e emissions from generated 

and purchased energy

•  1.0 TWh externally delivered electricity/heat/steam

•  Net climate impact of -11.5 million tonnes of CO2e
•  Other environmental impacts of operations and 

along the value chain

•  Forests provide ecosystem services

CO2

CO2

CO2

CO2

•  EUR 11 714 million capital employed
•  EUR 146 million R&D investments
•  Over 20 000 suppliers and nearly 21 000 private 

forest owners

•  112 000 shareholders

•  Customer satisfaction: Net Promoter Score 59%
•  69 patent applications and over 440 patents granted 
•  96% of supplier spend covered by Supplier Code of Conduct 
•  22 third-party supplier sustainability audits 
•  EUR 12.4 billion market capitalisation

•  EUR 8.6 billion sales of products and services
•  EUR 5.8 billion paid to suppliers
•  EUR 687 million capital expenditure
•  EUR 237 million dividends for shareholders
•  EUR 139 million interests for creditors

NPS

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Trees absorb CO2 and store carbon together with wood-based products, which can then be recycled as raw material and used for energy generation at end of life.

Read more in Financials 2020 and Sustainability 2020.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accelerating 
the eco-evolution 
of materials

Out of the global megatrends impacting societies, markets 
and businesses, climate change is our greatest challenge. 
Consumers, legislators, companies and financial institutions are 
focusing more on raw materials, CO2 emissions, circularity, and 
waste reduction as well as on land-use and forestation. Moreover, 
governments around the world are increasingly regulating 
the use of fossil-based materials, such as plastics.

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

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Through collaboration with its customers 
and partners, Stora Enso provides solutions 
that solve sustainability challenges facing 
businesses and industries. For example, 
food and beverage companies and retailers, 
both physical and online, are looking for 
ways to replace plastics in their packaging 
and become more circular. The construction 
industry is facing a major challenge to reduce 
carbon emissions and waste. The energy and 
transport industries are looking for strong 
bio-based alternatives for carbon fiber.

We meet our customers’ challenges with our 

renewable, recyclable, plastic-free materials, 
supported by efficient, sustainable operations 
and supply chains. 

Our purpose:

Do good for people  
and the planet.  
Replace fossil-based  
materials with 
renewable solutions.

Our values:

Lead.
Do What’s Right.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Shaping our 
business for 
higher growth 
and value

As the renewable materials company, our 
promise is that everything that can be made from 
fossil-based materials today can be made from 
a tree tomorrow. To accelerate this development, 
we are shaping our business to build on our 
leading positions and growth opportunities in 
packaging, building solutions and biomaterials 
innovations. Our forest, traditional wood products 
and market pulp are the foundation for value 
creation in our company.

Growth

1

Packaging Materials

Packaging Solutions

3

Wood Products: 
Building Solutions

Foundation

Biomaterials:  
Innovations

5

Cash

2

4

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Wood Products:  
Traditional wood products

Biomaterials: Pulp

Paper

1

2

3

4

5

We are a leader in eco-
friendly, circular packaging

We drive the sustainable 
construction market through 
CO2 efficient building solutions 

We see innovation within 
biomaterials as a highly 
attractive platform for growth

Forest, traditional wood 
products, and market pulp 
are our foundation

Paper is a strong 
cash generator

Packaging will represent a majority of 
Stora Enso’s growth, given the rising demand 
for sustainable packaging. We have strong 
market positions backed by cost-efficient 
integrated assets and have identified several 
attractive growth opportunities. We want to 
increase collaboration with brand owners, 
retailers and converting partners to drive 
the packaging innovation agenda and 
accelerate plastic substitution.  Furthermore, 
we are speeding up the commercialisation of 
formed fiber, biofoam, biobarriers and films 
to replace fossil-based solutions. 

We have attractive growth opportunities 

in Building Solutions, where we offer 
wooden alternatives to construction 
materials with a large carbon footprint, 
such as concrete. Supported by our 
strong sawmill presence in Europe,  we 
can capture a larger share of the wood 

construction value chain through value-
added solutions. In line with this, we are 
transforming our wood products offering 
from a classic sawmill commodity business 
to integrated mills with an end-to-end 
focus. This entails new business models 
and services, such as digitalisation tools 
and the prefabrication of wooden buildings. 
Our agenda in Biomaterials Innovation 

will mainly focus on bringing new 
innovative and sustainable materials based 
on lignin to the market. Here we target 
strong growth in new applications and end 
uses with our proprietary technologies 
and unique value propositions. Through 
best-in-class knowledge and strategic 
collaborations and partnerships, we can 
accelerate breakthrough innovations in for 
example lignin-based carbon for energy 
storage, bio-binders, and carbon fibers.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rooted in the forest, 
traditional wood 
products, and pulp

Our forests ensure a long-term fiber supply for our businesses, 
now and in the future. We strive to be the leader in sustainable 
forest management with a focus on biodiversity, land use, climate 
benefits and resilient local communities. We will also work to 
increase forest growth and sustainable harvesting levels through 
innovations in precision forestry and digitalisation, as well as 
biotechnologies for tree breeding. 

Our traditional wood products business – sawmilling – 

is the base for value-added products within Building Solutions and 
supports our pulp mills by supplying fiber.

Integrated and cost-efficient pulp production underpins our 
board and paper manufacturing operations and is the basis for 
our cost competitiveness and future growth. Our two market 
eucalyptus pulp mills in Latin America (joint operations) are highly 
competitive and we continuously work to further improve their 
cost positions. In our market pulp mills in Sweden and Finland, we 
focus on developing higher value-added specialty pulp products, 
leveraging internal capabilities and strong customer relationships.
Our Paper business is a strong cash generator with assets 
and products that can remain competitive in a declining market. 
We will continue to focus on cost reductions and capacity 
management. Moreover, the division will be given higher 
operational independence so that the business can better adapt to 
the challenging market conditions.

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Innovations 
driving change 
towards a 
greener future

Our innovation agenda is driven by finding 
new renewable solutions to replace fossil-
based materials. In this way, we help our 
customers offer eco-friendly and circular 
products to their customers and consumers. 
Innovation at Stora Enso focuses on new 
sustainable packaging materials, bio-
based barrier solutions, and lignin-based 
breakthrough materials, such as bio-binders 
and bio-based carbon fiber for energy storage. 
Digitalisation is a key enabler in supporting 
capabilities in the industrial transformation 
and in developing new business models. 
Cooperation across the value chain with 
customers, suppliers, industry partners, 
startups, and academia is needed to develop 
the desired sustainable solutions.

The latest research and customer insights 

are important inputs in defining the winning 
path forward. This encompasses new 
properties of or uses for wood fiber-based 
materials, new business models or service 
concepts, as well as more effective energy 
and resources usage, in our own operations 
and throughout the whole value chain. In 
order to drive scientific development in 
prioritised areas we engage with leading 
international researchers and universities. 
We have strategic partnerships with four 
universities in the Nordics: Aalto University, 
Chalmers University of Technology, The Royal 
Institute of Technology and The Swedish 
University of Agricultural Sciences. These 
partnerships are also important in terms of 
ensuring access to well-educated engineers, 
foresters and researchers, responding to 
both short and long-term research needs. 
Stora Enso also has cooperation with other 
universities. We aim to gradually intensify 
the work with leading research and science 
groups globally to address challenges we 
want to solve together.

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Our focus on innovation has resulted in 
a number of recent launches, partnerships, 
and pilots, including new offerings in formed 
fiber, lignin-based binders, carbon fiber, 
bio-based carbon materials, bio-based 
foam for packaging applications, and 
intelligent packaging. 

In the search for future business 
opportunities, we have expanded our 
collaboration with Combient Foundry, 
a venture client alliance of 30 industry-
leading Nordic companies. Through 

this partnership, we are reaching out 
to a wider selection of startups with 
a materials focus. We are also working 
with other innovative companies, such 
as the world-leading rayon producer 
Cordenka to develop bio-based carbon 
fiber, HS-Manufacturing to develop plastic- 
and fluorochemical-free barriers for food 
packaging, and the TreeToTextile, a joint 
venture with H&M group, Inter IKEA group, 
and inventor Lars Stigsson, to industrialise 
wood-based textiles.

Increasing focus on our innovation agenda
We aim to increase the focus of our innovation efforts in the areas of sustainable 
barriers, new sustainable packaging materials, and our biochemical platform in 
lignin. Speed to market is essential and we will drive this through cooperation 
with other parties and an “open innovation” approach.

Three focus areas for innovation, research, and development at Stora Enso:

Formed fiber

Biofoam

New technologies for barriers

New applications for fiber-based packaging 
to replace fossil-based materials

Bio-based barrier 
solutions for 
packaging applications

Carbon for 
energy storage

Bio-binders

Carbon fiber

During 2020 we had

508

ideas

19

campaigns

69

patents filed

Biomaterials innovation

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cases

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

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Carbon fiber for 
wind energy rotor blades
Today, 20% of the global carbon 
fiber supply is used by the wind 
energy industry. In collaboration 
with Cordenka we are developing 
renewable and fossil-free carbon 
fiber for industrial applications 
requiring low weight and high 
mechanical performance, such 
as wind energy rotor blades. 

Bio-based foam for protective packaging and cushioning
Stora Enso will build a pilot facility for producing a lightweight, fiber-based 
foam material that replaces oil-based polymer foams. Cellulose foam can 
be used as protective packaging and for cushioning of fragile products such 
as consumer electronics. The material offers a renewable, recyclable, and 
biodegradable alternative to traditional oil-based inner packaging, such as 
plastic foam or polystyrene.

Eco-friendly barriers for food service applications
In 2020, Stora Enso expanded its range of renewable packaging 
materials by introducing new dispersion barrier materials for paper 
cups and food packaging. Barriers are needed for protection 
against moisture, oxygen, or fat, for example. The new barrier 
solution responds to market demands for eco-friendly, renewable 
and recyclable packaging materials to replace plastics in food 
service applications. The new dispersion barriers Aqua™ and 
Aqua+™ by Stora Enso are fluorochemical-free and used to 
produce paperboard for cups and food service packaging without 
the traditional plastic layer.

Bio-based 
carbon materials 
for energy storage
Stora Enso is developing 
bio-based carbon materials by 
processing lignin into a carbon 
intermediate for electrode 
materials. By converting lignin 
into so-called hard carbon anode 
materials for lithium-ion batteries, 
we can offer a product that 
replaces fossil-based anodes, 
mainly synthetic graphite, 
currently used in batteries.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Positive climate 
impacts through 
substituting 
fossil-based 
materials

With our sustainably managed forests and renewable 
solutions, we contribute to climate change. Positive 
climate benefits are achieved through forest sequestration 
with trees absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, as well 
as through the replacement of fossil-based or other finite 
materials with renewable ones. Good management of 
forests means healthy forests and increased productivity. 
It also means protecting biodiversity and ensuring that 
forests are always regenerated. Better growth in the forest 
enables us to substitute more fossil-based products with 
renewable solutions. 

The product substitution effect describes how much 

greenhouse gas emissions would be avoided if a wood-based 
product, serving the same function, was used instead of 
a fossil-based product. Our renewable products can help to 
reduce emissions otherwise generated in the production or 
consumption of fossil-based products. When the new materials 
come from renewable sources, as wood does, no additional 
fossil CO2 will be released into the atmosphere. Carbon remains 
in the fibers when they are made into products, even through 
recycling. Non-renewable raw materials cannot be replenished 
during our lifetime – if ever. That is why we at Stora Enso believe 
the future grows in the forest. 

Case

Stora Enso’s climate impact

CO2

CO2

Our forests remove carbon

Our products store carbon

−1.5 

million tonnes of CO2

−2.6 

million tonnes of CO2

Assessing the life cycle 
of our renewable products

Stora Enso regularly carries out Life Cycle 
Assessments (LCAs) to understand and develop 
product environmental footprints, including carbon 
footprints. The LCAs show great potential for renewable 
products in substituting fossil-based alternatives to 
cut carbon emissions. The LCAs are conducted by our 
own experts, our customers, or brand owners, often 
in collaboration with academia, expert organisations, 
or industry associations.

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CO2

Our products help combat climate change

Our value 
chain emissions

+10.5 

million tonnes of CO2

Our products substitute 
fossil-based products, saving

−17.9 

million tonnes of CO2

Climate impact

−11.5

million tonnes of CO2

Read more    Sustainability 2020

Formed fiber bowl
According to the LCA 
conducted by Stora Enso 
in 2020, formed fiber is 
the most low-carbon 
material choice on 
the market. The 
PureFiber™ product line 
contains no plastic or 
per- and polyfluoroalkyl 
substances (PFAS) and 
enables an approximately 
75% lower CO2 footprint 
compared to alternative 
packaging materials, such 
as plastic or bagasse.

Wooden buildings
The wood used in Wood 
City office building, 
the largest wooden 
office building in Finland, 
removed 1 500 tonnes of 
CO2 from the atmosphere. 
This equals to the annual 
emissions of 660 
passenger cars. It takes 
5 minutes for an equal 
amount of wood to grow 
in a Finnish forest on 
a summer day.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Towards a circular bioeconomy

The world needs materials that are both renewable and recyclable – a circular bioeconomy – to combat climate change 
and to limit the use of finite resources with a large carbon footprint. As a leader in the bioeconomy, Stora Enso’s focus is 
to create value through projects and partnerships that integrate the circular economy into design and innovation. 

Circular design

2

3

Circular 
products

1

Renewable 
raw 
materials

Zero waste 

6

5

New circular 
business 
models

7

Sustainable end of life

4

Extending value

A circular economy 
requires collaboration 
across the value chain 
to drive change at all 
stages, from product 
design and recyclability 
testing to collection and 
recycling systems.

Opportunities in circular construction
Designing for products to be updated 
during use extends their lives and saves 
users’ resources. Modularity, on the other 
hand, allows for products to be re-used 
over time. For example, construction 
is becoming more circular as modular 
building solutions enable multiple uses for 
building elements during their lifecycle. 
Stora Enso Building Concepts provides 
tools and guidance for architects, 
engineers and developers to design 
modifiable office buildings from wood.

There are a lot of future opportunities in 
recycled wood: in Europe, about 25 million 
tonnes of wood is discarded annually as 
a result of construction and demolition, 
and by private households. This provides 
interesting opportunities for Stora Enso to 
source material.

1 Renewable raw materials

Trees are renewable. This means 

that in sustainably managed forests, 
they can grow forever. For Stora Enso, 
renewability is at the core of what we 
do – we need healthy forests to do 
business. Growing trees absorb CO2 from 
the atmosphere, and together with wood-
based products act as carbon storage.

used, the manufacturing process, 
the distribution and the potential for 
reuse, refurbishment, remanufacturing or 
recycling. Our aim is to maintain the value 
of products and materials for as long 
as possible through product design, 
innovation and recycling. Our core 
circular design principles are leading us 
on our way towards a circular future.

2 Circular design

Circular design refers to designing 

3 Circular products 

In the circular bioeconomy, 

for all stages of the product lifecycle, 
instead of designing just the product 
itself. It considers the materials 

products are bio-based. They are 
also shared, reused, remanufactured, 
and finally recycled. Creating new 

products and business models is all 
about collaboration. We are forming 
partnerships to build circular value 
chains for the future. 

4 Extending value

Stora Enso is one of the biggest 

buyers and users of recycled board 
and paper in Europe. We are also 
exploring options to recycle products 
into something very different than its 
original purpose. Utilising side streams 
and waste can also bring added value. 
Our revenues derived from residuals 
amounted to EUR 105 million in 2020.

5 New circular  

business models 

We are collaborating with customers 
and partners to develop new circular 
solutions and business models to 
replace fossil-based plastics and cut 
down on waste along the supply chain. 
Solutions could include leasing and 
take-back programmes. Stora Enso 
is one of the lead companies behind 
the 4evergreen alliance, a European 
circular economy platform. The aim 
is to drive the recycling of fiber-based 
packaging and collaboration in circular 
design and materials.

6 Zero waste

As the renewable materials company, 

we work to minimise waste and resource 
use overall. In our own operations, we 
focus on optimising our use of resources 
and creating value out of by-products 
through innovation and collaboration.

7 Sustainable end of life 

When a material or product has 

reached the end of its life, we promote 
recycling and energy recovery to create 
further value. At the end of the life cycle, 
many of our products are biodegradable 
or can be burned for energy.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Forest is our foundation 
for value creation

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

20

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Sustainable forest and plantation management secures long-term 
availability of wood – our most important renewable raw material. 
We ensure that forests grow to a greater extent than they are harvested, 
and that biodiversity is promoted as part of everyday forest management 
practices. The climate benefit and economic values from growing forests 
are gained while promoting biodiversity and other sustainability aspects. 
Our customers can therefore be assured that our products originate from 
sustainably managed forests, as 98% of the lands we own or manage are 
covered by forest certification. Stora Enso owns forest land in Sweden 
and also has biological assets in Finland, Brazil, Uruguay, and China 
through subsidiaries and joint operations, and indirectly through equity-
accounted investments. 

In 2020, Stora Enso changed its forest assets valuation method. 
The forest assets in Sweden are valued by using a market approach 
method based on the forest market transactions in the areas where 
Stora Enso’s forests are located. Today, Stora Enso is one of the largest 
private forest owners in the world with forest assets valued at more than 
EUR 7 billion (land and biological assets) in 2020, including the biological 
assets of more than EUR 6 billion in Sweden and Finland. Globally, 
Stora Enso owns or manages lands covering a total area of 2.34 million 
hectares. About 30% of the Group’s wood raw material needs are covered 
from its own sources or long-term supply agreements.

Wood procurement by region, %

32

24

16

8

0

Finland Sweden Central 
Europe

Russia Uruguay

Baltic 
countries

Brazil

China

Supply from own sources, %

We control about 30% of our wood raw material consumption globally. In 2020, we 
harvested in own forests and sourced from long-term agreements 10 million m3 in total. 
Our deliveries to our own mills was 35 million m3 in total.

Country

Finland

Sweden

Russia

Uruguay

Brazil

China

Central Europe

Baltic countries

% Supply from own 
sources %

% Supply from own 
sources %

1.7

3.5

0.0

0.2

0.0

0.2

0.2

0.0

29.3

22.3

14.4

10.0

6.4

5.4

5.2

1.2

31.0

25.8

14.4

10.2

6.4

5.6

5.4

1.2

5.5

13.4

0.0

1.8

0.3

2.9

3.5

1.2

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Forest growth

13.4

million m3 fo.*

Annual harvesting

9.4

million m3 fo.*

Productive standing 
stock at the end of 2020

195.1

million m3 fo.*

* Forest cubic metres

Stora Enso’s productive forest land areas at end of 2020
Total forest asset value in balance sheet EUR 7.3 billion

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Montes del Plata,
Uruguay 
Stora Enso’s share 

135 000 ha 

of forest land 
Fair value: EUR 418 million 
(31 Dec 2020)

Veracel,
Brazil
Stora Enso’s share 

112 000 ha 

of forest land 
Fair value: EUR 93 million 
(31 Dec 2020)

Swedish forests
1 398 000 ha 

of forest land
Fair value: EUR 5 603 million 
(31 Dec 2020)

Tornator
Stora Enso’s share 

259 000 ha 

in Finland, 

28 000 ha 

in Estonia, and 

5 000 ha 

in Romania
Fair value: EUR 825 million 
(31 Dec 2020) 

Guangxi, 
Southern China (leased)

81 000 ha 

of forest land
Fair value: EUR 359 million 
(31 Dec 2020)

In addition:
Laos: trial plantation, 
3 890 ha (leased land)
Russia: 369 000 ha  
(long-term harvesting rights)

Including owned land EUR 2 065 million and leased land EUR 221 million balance sheet value at the end of 2020.

The distribution of species

Market transaction based 
forest prices in Sweden

Pine 39.4%
Spruce 34.0%
Birch 13.1%
Eucalyptus 12.2%
Other species 1.3%

800

600

400

200

0

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

The importance 
of forests as 
a valuation driver 
has increased.

Legend

Value in %

Pine
Spruce
Birch
Eucalyptus
Other species

39.0

34.0

13.0

12.0

1.0

99

39.4%

34.0%

13.1%

12.2%

1.3%

Total

Southern Sweden
Central Sweden
Northern Sweden
Sweden

Legend

Southern 

Sweden

Central 

Sweden

Northern 

Sweden

Sweden

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

201.0

200.0

239.0

237.0

257.0

247.0

282.0

258.0

271.0

304.0

324.0

384.0

431.0

450.0

463.0

523.0

553.0

554.0

524.0

537.0

566.0

601.0

613.0

649.0

698.0

679.0

189.0

161.0

181.0

201.0

205.0

218.0

194.0

197.0

200.0

231.0

270.0

298.0

356.0

377.0

379.0

417.0

419.0

416.0

388.0

380.0

404.0

397.0

419.0

454.0

451.0

482.0

124.0

102.0

137.0

136.0

140.0

138.0

126.0

128.0

132.0

139.0

169.0

200.0

267.0

283.0

273.0

299.0

293.0

280.0

245.0

249.0

247.0

243.0

273.0

269.0

274.0

288.0

168.0

149.0

180.0

186.0

194.0

196.0

192.0

187.0

193.0

215.0

246.0

284.0

342.0

361.0

361.0

400.0

407.0

401.0

370.0

372.0

388.0

393.0

415.0

436.0

450.0

461.0

 22

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Focus on sustainable 
forest management 

We established the Forest division in the beginning of 2020 to increase the transparency of 
our forest assets and operations. The Forest division includes wood supply operations in 
Finland, Sweden, Russia and the Baltics, Stora Enso’s forest assets in Sweden, and a 41% 
share of Tornator, the majority of whose forest assets are located in Finland.

Platform for innovations
Our forest professionals, forest assets and 
international network create a unique set-up for 
innovation and development. There are several 
opportunities to further improve our forest 
management. Examples include remote sensing 
technology, tree breeding, and genetic engineering.

Precision forestry
Digitalisation, remote sensing technology, and 
artificial intelligence will enable us to take a step 
forward in the way we operate in forests and in 
the wood supply chain. In the future, improved 
forest data and a forest’s digital twin enables more 
accurate forest planning and operations. 

With a forest’s digital twin, we can analyse, 
for example, the shape, height, and diameter of 
a single tree, the structure of a forest site, and 
the landscape view. We will be able to carry out 
forest work more precisely in the right place at 
the right time. Improved data will also support our 
ambition to achieve more influential sustainability 
actions. As we become more aware of the growth 
conditions of individual trees, we can help trees 
to adapt to the weather fluctuations caused by 
climate change. 

Future-fit forests
We breed the best trees for future forests and 
plantations while promoting biodiversity and 
other sustainability aspects. Tree breeding, 
in other words crossing two selected parent 

trees to create a new generation with improved 
properties, is a very important way of improving 
the future growth of the forest. Each crossing 
cycle gives a yield improvement of 10–15%. 
Improvements focus on growth, quality and 
resilience parameters. We have ongoing long-
term strategic tree breeding programmes for all 
our forest and plantation units.

In our own nurseries in Sweden, we produce 

superior seedlings for next-generation forests. 
We improve and speed up the breeding process 
through, for example, somatic embryogenesis, 
where we produce many spruce seedlings from 
one single seed of a selected spruce tree. We 
develop gene technologies through genetic 
engineering to improve and protect the yield of 
eucalyptus plantations, and of spruce and birch in 
the Nordics. Our genetic engineering activities are 
in the research phase.

We develop and deepen our forest 

management practices based on the knowledge 
we gain from tree breeding. This work is 
supported by our strategic collaboration with 
the Swedish University of Agriculture and 
Forestry, which started in 2020. The collaboration 
focuses on four integrated collaboration areas: 
biodiversity, growth- and yield-adapted forest 
management, remote sensing technology and 
life cycle analysis.

See also:
  Financial Report: Note 12 Forest assets
  Sustainability Report: Forests, plantations, and land use

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The total amount of wood (including roundwood 
and wood chips) delivered to Stora Enso’s mills was  

35 million m3 

sub1 in 2020

Stora Enso  
regenerated forest  
by planting

62 million 

seedlings in 2020

In 2020,

98%

of the land Stora Enso owns or 
manages was covered by forest 
certification schemes

In 2020 Stora Enso invested
EUR 68 million 

in future growth through 
silviculture and fertilisation

Share of fiber costs2 
of Group’s total costs:

32%

1 Solid under bark cubic meters
2 Including purchased pulp, recycled paper and purchased containerboards

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

  Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Developing our people’s skills 
to lead our transformation

Value and purpose-driven leadership is a key enabler for executing our strategy and the 
strongest driver for performance and a healthy company culture. Our values are 
“Lead” and “Do what’s right”, which we expect our leaders and all people to embrace 
and demonstrate through their everyday actions and behaviour. 

We continuously invest in the development 
of our leaders through internal and external 
leadership programmes. Our programme 
”Lead Through People”, targets all managers 
in the company. During 2020, we launched 
the “Stora Enso Manager” programme, our new 
global programme for new first-line managers. 
Stora Enso Manager is available with the same 
content and set-up globally and delivered in nine 
different local languages.

During 2020, we organised a series of 
digital webinars to support managers and 
address challenges especially related to remote 
leadership. Around 1 700 managers were invited 
to these online seminars. In addition, we also 
provided separate workshop materials related to 
health and wellbeing for all managers. 

Our own flagship programme, the Accelerator, 

will be run again in early 2021 with the start-up 
companies and programme participants that were 
selected during autumn 2020. Since launching 
the Accelerator programme in 2017, Stora Enso 
has screened more than 1 200 start-ups from 39 
countries and established a deeper relationship 
with more than 30 of these companies. Combining 
collaboration with start-up companies and 
executive training, the programme aims at 
further strengthening the capabilities required 
for our transformation in the areas of innovation, 
entrepreneurship and customer insight. 

A global mentoring concept is in place to further 

build one company culture and use the learning 
and development opportunities that mentoring 
provides. Over 180 mentoring matches have been 
made since the launch of the concept and anyone 
in the company who wishes to have and/or to be 
a mentor can sign up. 

To promote new talent and diverse 

perspectives, Stora Enso runs the GROW Global 
Trainee Programme. Within the programme, 
graduates are initiated into the global Stora Enso 
organisation during their first 16 months of 
employment. In 2019 we welcomed 24 new 
GROW trainees and they have continued their 
learning journey and development during 2020. 
Stora Enso also participates in the Female Leader 
Engineer programme.

Valuable insights from 
our global employee survey
Stora Enso conducts an annual 
global survey (Your Voice) of all 
employees. In 2020, the survey 
was conducted for the ninth 
time and had a response rate of 
83% (86%). The survey follows 
progress in areas that impact our 
ability to deliver on our strategic 
agenda, steering activities 
and priorities. It also supports 
managers and teams as they 
continuously improve their work 
methods. In 2020, there was 
a positive or neutral trend in all 
indices. In the leadership index, 
transformation index, health and 
wellbeing index, and employee 
net promoter score there was 
a positive improvement. Despite 
the exceptional circumstances 
this year, we have been able 
to maintain a good level of 
engagement and team efficiency 
among our employees.

Leadership
85

80

75

70

65

2017

2018

2019

2020

Leadership Index is measured annually in Stora Enso’s Your 
Voice employee survey, and consists of numerical answers 
to 16 questions related to the respondent’s view of the 
direct manager.

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Year

Engagement
85

Value

2017

81

2018

83

2019

83

2020

84

80

75

70

65

2017

2018

2019

2020

Employee Engagement Index is measured annually in 
Stora Enso’s Your Voice employee survey, and consists 
of numerical answers to seven questions related to 
engagement indicators including, but not limited to 
motivation, pride and goal orientation.

Year

Employee Net Promoter Score
30

Value

82

2015

2017

2018

83

2019

83

2020

83

Despite the exceptional 
circumstances this year, 
we have been able to 
maintain a good level 
of engagement and 
team efficiency among 
our employees.

25

20

15

10

5

0

2017

2018

2019

2020

Employee Net Promoter Score is measured annually in Stora 
Enso’s Your Voice employee survey, and consists of one 
question related to the likelihood of recommending Stora Enso 
as a workplace to a friend. A positive score indicates that there 
are more promoters than detractors, while a negative score 
indicates the opposite. 

Year

Value

2017

15

2018

23

2019

17

2020

22

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Divisions

Creating value in the 
bioeconomy with our 
renewable products

  Packaging Materials  25

  Packaging Solutions  26

  Biomaterials  27

  Wood Products  28

  Forest  29

  Paper  30

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
Strategic choices
•  Significant growth opportunities 

for fossil free and circular 
packaging

•  Attractive investment options for 
Packaging Materials growth 

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Packaging Materials

The Packaging Materials division is a global leader in 
the circular economy with our premium renewable and 
recyclable packaging materials based on both virgin 
and recycled fiber. Addressing the needs of today’s 
eco-conscious consumers, we help customers replace 
fossil-based materials with low-carbon, renewable 
and recyclable alternatives for their food and drink, 
pharmaceutical, or transport packaging. A wide selection 
of barrier coatings enables design optimisation for various 
demanding packaging end-uses.

Business environment 
Stora Enso is the global leader in liquid 
packaging and the biggest producer of 
food service board and carton board in 
premium end-use segments Europe. 
In the large containerboard market, 
we are a niche player with world-class 
assets, providing high-end products 
with both virgin and recycled fiber. The 
containerboard market is fragmented 
with many larger and smaller players. 
Our cost-efficient production in Finland, 
Sweden, Poland and China serves our 
customers globally.

Markets 
Our growth is faster than the global 
packaging market. The premium 
consumer board market is expanding 

globally, by 9 Mt in 2014–2021. 
We are a market leader in LPB (Liquid 
Packaging Board), FSB (Food Service 
Board) and CUK (Coated Unbleached 
Kraft) in the world or Europe.

In consumer board products, 
Stora Enso has a strong base in 
Europe and competes with other 
Nordic board producers. Outside of 
Europe, the main competitors are 
established global and North American 
players. In containerboard products, 
the company competes with a large 
number of European or global large-
scale producers. The main competition 
comes from other than fiber-based 
packaging materials such as plastic, 
metal, and glass. 

Operational ROOC

13.9%

(Target >20%)

Employees 5 557

Share of Group  
employees: 23%

Sales

Our approach

Europe 62%
Asia Pacific 26%
Rest of the world 12%

Legend

Employees

Share of Group  

employees:

Employees

Value in %

5 557

23%

23%

Total

77%

Legend

Europe

Asia Pacific

Rest of the world

Value in %

62%

26%

12%

100%

62%

26%

12%

“We are the expert packaging 
materials partner for customers and 
other stakeholders in the transition 
to a circular bioeconomy. We see 
significant opportunities to replace 
other packaging materials with our 
renewable, low carbon footprint, 
fiber-based solutions. We continue 
to collaborate with our customers to 
accelerate our innovation efforts. This, 

in combination with our continuous 
efforts to improve the performance, 
material-efficiency and recyclability 
of our products, allows us to meet 
the increasing demand for eco-friendly 
packaging materials.”

Hannu Kasurinen
Executive Vice President, 
Packaging Materials Division

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Strategic choices
•  Drive packaging innovation 

closer to consumers

•  Significant opportunities for new 

sustainable packaging

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Packaging Solutions

The Packaging Solutions division develops and sells 
premium fiber-based packaging products and services. 
Our high-end eco-friendly packaging products are 
used by leading brands across multiple market sectors, 
including store retail, e-commerce and industrials. 
The portfolio includes corrugated and other converting, 
design services, automation solutions, and scalable 
innovations such as formed fiber and biocomposites.

Markets 
There are significant growth 
opportunities for corrugated packaging 
driven by growing e-commerce and 
the trend towards replacing plastics 
with renewable materials. Retail and 
e-commerce sales are forecasted 
to grow by 12–15% annually in 
our geographies. 

The corrugated packaging market is 

fragmented, with many relatively small 
or medium competitors.

Business environment 
Stora Enso holds a strong position 
in selected corrugated packaging 
markets. We have a leading position in 
the Nordics, are among the top three 
in the Baltics and Poland, and among 
the top ten in Russia. In China, we 
hold a leading position of consumer 
packaging solutions for premium 
products such as consumer electronics 
and cosmetics.

Making of corrugated packaging is 
typically a local business and the market 
is fragmented. We serve a broad range 
of end-use segments such as consumer 
electronics, home and garden, food 
and beverage across traditional retail, 
industry, and e-commerce. 

Operational ROOC

14.1%

(Target >25%)

Employees 5 094

Share of Group  
employees: 21%

Sales

Our approach

Europe 78%
Asia Pacific 13%
Rest of the world 8%

“Our customers want packaging to 
provide business value as well as to 
accelerate their shift to a plastic-free 
and sustainable supply chain. We 
support these needs through packaging 
solutions that help our customers 
increase sales, reduce waste, minimise 
transportation costs, and replace 
plastics. In 2020 we reshaped our 
business and accelerated our efforts in 
growth opportunities such as formed 

fiber, biocomposites and our digital 
B2B platform Box Inc. This journey 
continues in 2021 and together with our 
customers and partners we strive to 
create even more value with solutions 
that are better for our planet.”

David Ekberg
Executive Vice President, 
Packaging Solutions Division

Legend

Employees

Share of Group  

employees:

Employees

Value in %

5 094

21%

21%

Total

79%

Legend

Europe

Asia Pacific

Rest of the world

Value in %

78%

13%

8%

99%

78%

13%

8%

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Strategic choices
•  A focus on strengthening 

competitiveness

•  New biomaterials are a highly 
attractive innovation platform

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Biomaterials

The Biomaterials division meets the growing demand for 
the replacement of products made from fossil-based and 
hazardous materials with bio-based solutions. We use all 
fractions of biomass, like lignin and sugars, to develop new 
solutions. We work to replace fossil-based materials with 
new applications such as carbon for energy storage, bio-
based binders, and bio-based carbon fiber. The division’s 
offering includes a wide variety of pulp grades to meet 
the demands of paper, board, tissue, textile and hygiene 
product producers as well as materials from side streams of 
our processes, such as tall oil and turpentine from biomass.

Business environment 
Stora Enso has the widest pulp 
grades portfolio in the market, and 
it is the leader in Europe in fluff pulp. 
The Biomaterials division has its own 
operations in Finland and Sweden, and 
joint operations in Brazil and Uruguay. 
60% of the pulp produced is used 
within Stora Enso.

In our Nordic mills, our aim is to 
increase our share of specialised pulp, 
i.e. fluff and dissolving pulps, to address 
the changing paper pulp demand 
and to ensure the right product mix 
and customer base. This responds to 

the increasing demand for sustainable 
fibers in the textile industry and for 
renewable hygiene products, for example.

Markets
Pulp is a growth business with the total 
market growing by 2.4% or 1.5 Mt per 
year. The fastest growing segments are 
textiles (+3%) and hygiene (+3.6%).

Apart from the direct competition in 
our business, the Biomaterials division 
faces competition from biochemical 
companies and the chemical industry 
in terms of new potential markets for 
renewable solutions.

Operational ROOC

0.4%

(Target >15%)

Employees 1 822

Share of Group  
employees: 7%

Sales

Our approach

“Our Biomaterials offering focuses on 
research and innovation to develop 
new and viable business opportunities 
from fiber-based materials, especially in 
carbon for energy storage, bio-binders, 
and carbon fibers. As a strong and 
specialised chemical pulp producer, 
we focus on maximising the value 

of eucalyptus pulp in Latin America, 
generating sustainable profits from our 
Nordic pulp operations, and delivering 
growth in new products.”

Markus Mannström
Executive Vice President, 
Biomaterials Division

Europe 61%
Asia Pacific 32%
Rest of the world 8%

Legend

Employees

Share of Group  

employees:

Employees

Value in %

1 822

7%

7%

Total

93%

Legend

Europe

Asia Pacific

Rest of the world

Value in %

61%

32%

8%

101%

61%

32%

8%

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Strategic choices
•  Attractive growth opportunities 

in Building Solutions

•  Capturing a larger share of 

the value chain

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Wood Products

The Wood Products division is the largest sawn wood 
producer in Europe and a leading provider of sustainable 
wood-based solutions for the construction industry. Our 
growing Building Solutions business offers building concepts 
to support low-carbon construction and eco-friendly 
designs. We develop digital tools to simplify the designing of 
building projects with wood. We also offer applications for 
windows, doors and for packaging industries.  

Business environment 
Stora Enso is the largest supplier of 
sawn goods in Europe and the fourth 
largest in the world with 17 production 
units in 10 European countries. This 
gives a strong base to produce wooden 
building materials such as CLT (cross-
laminated timber) and LVL (laminated 
veneer lumber), targeting the growing 
wood construction markets. We 
are increasing the share of wooden 
solutions for new end uses like multi-
storey houses, offices and schools.

As the supplier and customer base 

in the wood products industry are 
fragmented, we have strengthened 
the direct supply chains to merchants 
and end-users globally. In addition, our 
integrated distribution centres offer 
customers local service supported by 
digital tools such as our online ordering 
channel, MySupply. 

Global megatrends shape our 

business environment: growing 
population size and urbanisation require 
more housing while the increasing 
eco-awareness raises demand for 
sustainable construction.

Markets 
Global sawn softwood is growing by 
2–3% annually, and European new 
construction is expected to grow by 
5–6% in 2021, recovering from Covid-
19 related decreases during 2020. 
Competition is fragmented and 

strong, ranging from sawmills to 
manufacturers of construction and 
interior products. In the construction 
market, wood competes mainly with 
concrete and steel. New end-uses for 
wooden buildings, especially multi-
storey constructions, are increasing in 
market share.

Operational ROOC

19.1%

(Target >20%)

Employees 4 026

Share of Group  
employees: 16%

Sales

Our approach

Europe 63%
Asia Pacific 22%
Middle East and North Africa 7%
Rest of the world 7%

“As the market shift continues towards 
sustainable and renewable building 
materials, we strive to be the best 
choice for customers looking to reduce 
their construction carbon footprint. 
To drive profitable growth, our focus 
is on further industrialising the wood 
construction value chain via digitalisation 
and prefabrication of building elements 
such as walls, floors, columns, beams, 

and stairs. We will also leverage our 
saw milling competences to develop 
customer-relevant innovations and 
digital solutions for the construction 
market, including architects, engineers 
and developers.”

Lars Völkel
Executive Vice President, 
Wood Products Division

Legend

Employees

Share of Group  

employees:

Employees

Value in %

4 026

16%

16%

Middle East and North Africa

84%

Legend

Europe

Asia Pacific

Rest of the world

Total

Value in %

63%

22%

7%

7%

99%

63%

22%

7%

7%

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Strategic choices
•  The leader in sustainable 

• 

forest management
Innovation to increase 
forest growth

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Forest

The Forest division creates value with sustainable forest 
management, competitive wood supply and innovation, 
which are the foundation for Stora Enso’s renewable 
offerings. The division manages Stora Enso’s forest 
assets in Sweden and the 41% share of Tornator, the 
majority of whose forest assets are located in Finland. 
The division is also responsible for wood sourcing for 
Stora Enso’s Nordic, Baltic and Russian operations and 
B2B customers. Stora Enso is one of the biggest private 
forest owners in the world.

Business environment 
Stora Enso’s wood supply operations in 
Finland, Sweden, the Baltics and Russia 
cover the entire management cycle in 
forests: from planning to harvesting, 
logistics and forest regeneration. 
Private forest owners are one of Forest 
division’s main stakeholders, providing 
us with 32% of the wood delivered 
to customers. We build long-term 
relationships with private forest owners 
and provide them with comprehensive 
forest management services, such as 
forestry care, harvesting, procurement, 
and certifications.

Our own forest assets support 
competitive and stable wood sourcing 
and create value by increasing long-
term yield, mitigating climate change 
impacts, and optimising land use. To 
capture the full value of our forest asset 
management, we have intensified 
our focus on R&D and digitalisation. 
We invest particularly in precision 
technologies for more accurate forest 
planning and in tree breeding for 
future-fit forests. We are also actively 
exploring new land-use possibilities, 
such as wind power and recreational 
forest use. 

Operational ROCE

3.9%

(Target >3.5%)

Employees 1 520

Share of Group  
employees: 6%

Sales

Our approach

Europe 100%
Rest of the world 

Legend

Europe

Rest of the world

Total

Value in %

100%

0%

100%

100%

Legend

Employees

Share of Group  

employees:

Employees

Value in %

1 520

6%

6%

94%

“As growing trees absorb carbon, we 
always strive to keep forests healthy 
while promoting biodiversity and other 
aspects of sustainable forestry. This 
ensures that Stora Enso’s portfolio of 
fiber-based products stands on a truly 
renewable and traceable resource. 
To provide the best possible value to 
our customers and stakeholders, we 
focus increasingly on research and 

development, as well as on the use 
of technology and digital solutions 
in forest management. In this way 
we ensure that our forests are fit 
for the future.”

Jari Suominen
Executive Vice President,  
Forest Division

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Paper

Stora Enso is the second largest paper producer in 
Europe, with an established customer base and a wide 
product portfolio for print and office use. Customers 
benefit from Stora Enso’s broad selection of paper 
products made from recycled and virgin fiber, our 
technical expertise and our sustainability know-how as 
well as our mill and customer service centre network.

Strategic choices
•  Strong cash generation 

through cost reductions, 
active capacity management, 
and customer service

•  Higher operational 

independence to adapt to 
challenging market conditions

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Business environment 
Paper markets have been in structural 
decline for several years, and in 2020, 
paper demand was further impacted 
by the Covid-19 pandemic. This is due 
to retail stores advertising less during 
lockdowns, and consumers buying 
fewer newspapers and magazines and 
printing less when working from home. 
The development has resulted in severe 
overcapacity in many paper grades as 
well as declining paper prices. One of 
the most challenged paper segments 
has been woodfree coated (WFC), 
which Stora Enso exited as planned at 
the end of 2020, with Oulu Mill being 
converted to produce kraftliner. 

Markets
During 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic 
accelerated structural demand decline 
and placed additional pressure on both 
prices and deliveries in all paper grades.
In the Paper division, we compete 
with other major European and global 
papermakers, not just in the quality 
and range of our products, but with 
the efficiency and sustainability of 
our operations and strong customer 
service. Our customer satisfaction, 
measured by Net Promoter Score, 
is very good and has increased by 
20 percentage points in the past five 
years. More than 90% of our products 
are covered by one or more ecolabels, 
providing external recognition of 
superior environmental performance 
over the life cycle.

Cash flow after investing 
activities to sales

Sales

Our approach

1.6%

(Target >7%)
Employees 4 356

Share of Group  
employees: 18%

Europe 85%
Rest of the world 15%

Legend

Europe

Rest of the world

Total

Value in %

85%

15%

100%

85%

15%

Legend

Employees

Share of Group  

employees:

Employees

Value in %

4 356

18%

18%

82%

“Paper will continue to play a role in 
media, advertising, education, retail 
and office use in the future, alongside 
with digital media and digital tools. 
We work closely with our customers 
to enhance value for their business 
and customers, for example by 
offering fit-for-purpose products 
and services, increasing efficiency 
in transactions with digital tools and 
by helping our customers to improve 
their sustainability performance. At 
the same time, we strengthen our 

competitiveness by further lowering 
costs and improving our operational 
efficiency. Moreover, our paper 
products are inherently circular, 
using production processes that are 
optimised for resource efficiency 
to maximise value throughout 
their lifecycle.”

Kati ter Horst
Executive Vice President,  
Paper Division

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Our renewable solutions

Meeting consumer 
demand for eco-friendly 
and circular solutions

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
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Our renewable solutions

New

New

Replacing plastics 
in food packaging

Recycling alone cannot solve the plastic waste problem. 
To transition towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy, 
we need to move away from fossil-based materials. 
Renewable materials are the way forward. Our renewable 
food and beverage packaging solutions help our 
customers to replace plastic and meet consumer and 
end-user demand for eco-friendly solutions.

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

A new generation of eco-
products to replace plastic
PureFiber™ by Stora Enso is a new range of 
ready-made formed fiber packages suitable for 
food service and consumer goods products. 
The PureFiber™ product line is plastic- and 
PFAS-free and enables a carbon footprint that is 
approximately 75% lower compared to alternative 
packaging materials such as plastic or bagasse. 
Stora Enso’s formed fiber products are designed 
for circularity, meaning that they are renewable, 
recyclable and biodegradable. 
Division: Packaging Solutions

A new eco-friendly material  
for folding cartons
Performa Light™ by Stora Enso is a plastic-
free, lightweight and low-carbon material for 
premium folding cartons. Produced with patented 
lightweighting technology, Performa Light™ 
is designed for chocolate boxes, as well as 
for packaging confectionery, cosmetics, and 
personal care products. Performa Light reduces 
CO2 emissions during production more than 70% 
compared to the competition due to the mill’s energy 
production which is free from fossil-CO2 emissions.
Division: Packaging Materials

New

New

End-use

Dry food, frozen food, 
beverage

Benefits for companies, 
brands, and consumers

Lowering CO2 emissions compared 
to non-renewable materials

Food service, 
quick-service restaurants

Improving brand perceptions through 
replacing plastic in packaging

Cutlery, pulp for food packaging, 
food packaging papers

Differentiation with safe and eco-
friendly solutions for fast food and 
food delivery services

Fresh produce,  
fish and seafood

Helping consumers reduce 
plastic waste

1

2

3

4

A food-safe premium kraftliner 
for corrugated packaging
AvantForte™ by Stora Enso is a three-layer 
structured kraftliner for corrugated packaging, 
made from 100% virgin fibers. It meets brand 
owners’ need for high-performing, safe and 
plastic-free packaging while using less material. 
AvantForte™ kraftliner is produced in Oulu, 
Finland, where a paper machine was converted 
for kraftliner production.
Division: Packaging Materials

Renewable EcoFreshBox for berries
EcoFreshBox by Stora Enso is a berry box 
made from corrugated board as a sustainable 
alternative to plastic packaging. The box is easy 
to recycle and keeps the berries fresh for a long 
time. The raw material for the box is sustainably 
sourced Finnish wood. 
Division: Packaging Solutions

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Our renewable solutions

Natural cosmetics 
& personal care

Combatting climate change and reducing the environmental 
impacts of packaging are high on the agenda for cosmetic 
brands. We help our customers to meet these new demands 
by offering innovative solutions made from renewable 
materials for cosmetics, personal care, pharmaceutical, and 
hygiene products. For hygiene products like diapers, feminine 
care, and adult incontinence products, we work together 
with customers to provide more environmentally friendly and 
low-carbon fluff pulp to meet consumer demand.

End-use

Cosmetics packaging, 
pharmaceutical, and health 
care packaging

Fluff pulp for personal 
hygiene products

Rigid boxes for cosmetics, 
leaflets for cosmetics, and 
pharmaceutical packaging

Pulp for tissues, 
bio-based chemicals

1

2

3

4

Benefits for companies, 
brands, and consumers

Opportunities to collaborate around 
replacing plastics in packaging 
with direct product contact 
(primary packaging)

Lowering carbon emissions with 
light-weight, renewable packaging 

Differentiating with eco-friendly 
solutions for consumers who want 
less plastic

Reduced environmental footprint for 
hygiene products with renewable, 
traceable and biodegradable materials 

A renewable alternative 
to plastic cosmetics tubes
The introduction of paperboard for tubes to 
reduce plastic in primary packaging of cosmetics 
was welcomed by our customers in several 
acceptance test projects. We are expecting to see 
the first paperboard tube on the market in early 
2021. The body of the tube is made from Natura 
Shape™ by Stora Enso, which is 70% based on 
renewable raw material, reducing the need for 
fossil-based materials.
Division: Packaging Materials

Fluff pulp for hygiene  
and air-laid products
Fluff pulp is a soft, absorbent material created 
from 100% sustainably sourced Nordic spruce 
and pine. It is used as a raw material in disposable 
hygiene products, such as baby diapers, feminine 
care, and adult incontinence protection products, 
as well as in air-laid nonwoven materials used for 
tabletops and napkins. NaturaFluff by Stora Enso 
helps to meet the increasing demand for 
sustainable, disposable hygiene products without 
compromising on the end-product performance.
Division: Biomaterials

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Our renewable solutions

Plastic-free 
e-commerce

As online purchasing grows, so does the importance of 
packaging – to meet consumer requirements for a smooth 
and seamless unboxing and returns process. E-commerce 
packaging requires a careful selection of packaging 
materials, inserts, and structural design features that can 
help to safeguard the product and reduce packaging waste. 
Stora Enso’s plastic-free and renewable e-commerce solutions 
help our customers to enhance the online buying experience 
while reducing the climate effect of online shopping.

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

End-use

E-commerce packaging

Envelopes

Catalogues

1

2

3

Benefits for companies, 
brands, and consumers

Reduced plastic usage in 
online retail through fiber-based 
e-commerce packaging 

Optimised and smart solutions 
to reduce void-fill

Intelligent features such as RFID 
tagging to capture a variety of data

Improved consumer perceptions, for 
example through a better unboxing 
experience, easy returns, and 
reduced plastic usage

New

Delivering circularity to e-commerce
The ePaperBag is the circular delivery solution 
that is tailor-made for e-commerce to meet 
the demands of eco-conscious online consumers. 
It is a reusable bag that is efficient in e-commerce 
logistics and can be used to replace plastic bags. 
The raw material is wood fiber from sustainably 
managed forests, and the bag is carbon neutral. 
Division: Packaging Solutions

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Our renewable solutions

Sustainable textiles 
and nonwovens

While textile consumption continues to grow, consumers 
are increasingly aware of the climate impacts of petroleum-
based artificial fibers and cotton. Dissolving pulp from 
Stora Enso enables the manufacture of textiles based on 
renewable and fully traceable wood from sustainably managed 
forests. For our fluff pulp, end uses in nonwovens include high-
quality tabletops and napkins, and pads for food packaging 
containing liquids. 

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

End-use

Textiles

Nonwovens

1

2

Benefits for companies, 
brands, and consumers

A more sustainable alternative to 
petroleum-based artificial fibers 
and cotton

Fabrics made from cellulosic-based 
fibers are breathable, comfortable to 
wear, and absorb moisture well

Enable a wider range of sustainable 
fashion choices for consumers

Dissolving pulp helps shape  
the fabric of the future
Pure by Stora Enso, a dissolving pulp, is used 
primarily to make viscose staple fibers for 
the textile industry, for example, to replace cotton 
and fossil-based materials, such as polyester. 
Dissolving pulp is made from a renewable raw 
material and sourced from sustainably managed 
forests, with FSC®* and PEFC chain of custody 
certifications. Viscose has significantly lower water 
requirements than cotton, is more sustainable than 
polyester, and requires less land use than wool.
Division: Biomaterials

* Stora Enso Communications’ FSC® trademark 
license number is FSC-N001919

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Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Our renewable solutions

Circular retail

Strong brands communicate their commitment to creating 
a greener future. We support retailers in meeting the growing 
consumer demand for eco-friendly and circular solutions. With 
our renewable materials and circular design services our customers 
can reduce their use of plastics, lower their carbon emissions, 
and reduce waste. Our circular retail solutions support needs in 
packaging, consumer goods, RFID technologies, and more.

End-use

Food, grocery, and 
electronics packaging

Furniture, construction, interior, 
toys, childcare, apparel

Handles and hangers, 
RFID tags

Retail flyers and catalogues, 
pulp for specialty papers, and 
food packaging

1

2

3

4

Benefits for companies, 
brands, and consumers

Renewable, recyclable, and 
compostable solutions for a broad 
range of retail packaging 

Reduced plastic usage in high-volume 
in-store items such as coat-hangers 
and RFID tags

Improved environmental footprint for 
everyday consumer items, such as 
children’s toys

Biocomposites – an affordable way 
to replace fossil-based plastics 
Our wood-fiber biocomposites blend wood fibers 
and polymers – virgin, recycled, or bio-based. 
Biocomposites are a more sustainable alternative 
to fossil-based plastics with the ability to reduce 
the carbon footprint by up to 80% compared to 
fossil-based plastics. In addition, Biocomposites 
are an outlet for recycled plastic streams that 
would otherwise be sent to landfill or incinerated.
Division: Packaging Solutions

New

A digital B2B marketplace 
for corrugated packaging
In 2020, Stora Enso introduced Box Inc, 
a new B2B platform business designed to help 
companies source packaging online easily and 
cost-efficiently. Box Inc digitalises the traditional 
buying process by integrating every single step 
on the platform – from the design of the boxes to 
supplier quotes and even the ordering process. 
As a result, companies save both time and money 
while choosing sustainable packaging from 
verified suppliers.
Division: Packaging Solutions

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Our renewable solutions

Carbon neutral 
buildings

Today, production of construction and building materials 
account for 11% of the CO2 emissions related to global energy 
end-use. As the global building stock is estimated to double 
by 2060, there is a growing need to shift from non-renewable 
construction materials to renewable wood. Our building 
concepts and digital tools and services show the best ways 
of using wood as a construction material. Third party verified 
EPD’s (Environmental Product Declarations) for our products 
and Life Cycle Assessments of wood products and buildings 
prove the positive climate effect of using wood.

Building Concepts leading  
the way in the wood industry
To grow wood as a building material and to 
simplify its use in construction, Stora Enso has, 
together with partners, developed building 
concepts for wooden offices, multi-storey 
residential buildings, and schools. The 
concepts show how to create well-performing 
and cost-competitive buildings based on our 
wooden components, products, and services.
Division: Wood Products

1

2

3

4

End-use

Building materials and 
components for panels, 
columns, beams, and stairs

Building concepts for 
office buildings, school 
buildings, and multi-storey 
residential buildings

Services and digital tools to 
support the construction process

Bio-based adhesives for 
construction materials

Benefits for companies, 
brands, and consumers

Lower CO2 emissions: reduction by 
up to 75% when building with wood 
instead of non-renewable materials

Lower construction costs and less 
pollution: reduction of construction 
time by up to 70%, with up to 80% 
fewer truck deliveries on site

Increased health and safety for 
construction employees, with less 
noise related construction

Increased health and safety for 
people living or working in wooden 
buildings, through biophilic design, 
which means that occupants can 
feel more connected to nature

New

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Lignin-based glue reduces the 
carbon footprint of plywood products
Stora Enso’s customer Latvijas Finieris, a birch 
plywood producer, is replacing phenol with lignin 
in resins used in their plywood. This new lignin-
based glue is a bio-based solution that helps 
replace a fossil-based material. It significantly 
reduces the carbon footprint of plywood 
products all the way from production to final 
end-use applications, without compromising on 
technical performance.
Division: Biomaterials

Digital tools to streamline 
sustainable construction
Stora Enso offers a range of digital solutions to 
expand the use of wood in construction, from 
design to element installation. These include: 
CLT360+, a mobile assistant for element 
installation; BIM toolbox, an essential Building 
Information Modelling resource for timber 
products; Calculatis®, timber design software 
for engineers; and a digital wood moisture meter 
and dashboard, a material monitoring solution.
Division: Wood Products

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Our renewable solutions

New

Sustainable print

Paper is recyclable, biodegradable, and made of renewable 
materials. Our products are manufactured from responsibly 
sourced wood, and the origin of the wood we use is 100% 
traceable. More than 90% of our paper brands hold ecolabel 
certification recognizing their reduced environmental impact 
over the product life cycle.

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

End-use

Newspapers, magazines

Catalogues, flyers, and leaflets

Book papers and covers

Benefits for companies, 
brands, and consumers

Products manufactured from 
responsibly sourced wood that is 
100% traceable

More than 90% of our wide product 
offering is covered by one or more 
recognised eco-labels

Office paper, graphical board, 
pulp for paper

Business models and services 
aimed to enhance business and 
sustainability performance

1

2

3

4

The new-generation 
uncoated magazine paper
PrimaPlus by Stora Enso is a new uncoated 
magazine paper that performs like a lightweight 
coated paper. It has the brightness and gloss but 
with added bulk for a pleasant touch and feel. 
The raw material used in PrimaPlus comes from 
Scandinavian forests, is completely traceable, 
and is FSC and PEFC certified.
Division: Paper

New

A new digital solution to 
support customers remotely
To drive efficiency, Stora Enso and the startup 
company Snap Support launched a new 
digital solution, Snap Support by Stora Enso, 
for remote technical customer services. The 
solution includes a mobile application used 
to transfer real-time information and media 
whenever a customer encounters challenges 
or has questions related to their printing and 
converting processes.
Division: Paper

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our renewable solutions

Low-carbon  
industrial solutions

In the face of climate change, producers, retailers, and 
brand owners are being forced to rethink every step of the 
supply chain – from raw material sourcing, to production, 
to packing, and logistics. Packaging is a critical area as it 
accounts for 40% of the world’s plastics – most of which 
are made from fossil oil.

1

2

3

End-use

Corrugated boxes

Industrial and heavy-duty 
packaging, industrial 
components

Recycled minerals, bio-based 
chemicals and adhesives

Benefits for companies, 
brands, and consumers

Reduced weight in transport and 
storage solutions

Reduced carbon footprint by 
replacing engineered plastic 
products and components with 
biocomposite solutions

Replacing fossil-based materials 
in applications such as bioplastics, 
biochemicals and biofuels

Increased circularity and 
reduced carbon footprint with 
recycled minerals

Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

New

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A recycled mineral from 
paper and board production
VersaLime™ by Stora Enso is a recycled mineral 
from pulp and paper refinement processes that 
can be used to reduce the carbon footprint of 
products. It replaces non-renewable materials 
with a circular by-product which can be applied 
in, for example, lightweight concrete, cement raw 
material, or infrastructure uses.
Division: Paper

Corrugated solutions for industrial 
and heavy-duty packaging
Stora Enso’s corrugated packaging for industrial 
and heavy-duty end-uses offers a sustainable and 
strong but light solution that helps our customers 
save on logistics costs and reduce emissions. Less 
packaging material also means reduced waste 
and, as a result, a smaller environmental footprint.
Division: Packaging Solutions

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

  This is Stora Enso

  Stora Enso in 2020

  CEO’s overview

  How we create value 

  Transformation

  Strategy

Innovation

  Circular bioeconomy

  Forest

Leadership

  Divisions

  Our renewable solutions

  Group Leadership Team

Group Leadership Team

Annica Bresky 
President and Chief Executive 
Officer (CEO)

Seppo Parvi
Chief Financial Officer 
(CFO), Deputy to the CEO, 
Country Manager Finland

Tobias Bäärnman
Chief Strategy and Innovation 
Officer, member of GLT  
as of 1 November 2020

David Ekberg
Executive Vice President, 
Packaging Solutions Division, 
member of GLT as of 1 April 2020

Johanna Hagelberg
Executive Vice President, 
Sourcing and Logistics

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Kati ter Horst
Executive Vice President, 
Paper Division

Hannu Kasurinen
Executive Vice President, 
Packaging Materials Division

Katariina Kravi
Executive Vice President, 
Human Resources  
as of 1 September 2020

Ulrika Lilja
Executive Vice President, 
Communications and Marketing

Per Lyrvall
Executive Vice President,  
Legal, General Counsel, 
Country Manager Sweden

Markus Mannström
Executive Vice President, 
Biomaterials Division

Teemu Salmi
CIO, Head of IT & Digitalisation, 
member of GLT  
as of 1 November 2020

Annette Stube
Executive Vice President, 
Sustainability  
as of 1 September 2020

Jari Suominen
Executive Vice President, 
Forest Division

Lars Völkel
Executive Vice President, 
Wood Products Division  
as of 1 July 2020

For more detailed information about the Group Leadership Team, see Governance 2020, or storaenso.com/investors/governance.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report 2020

Our sustainability work
covers social, environmental,
and economic responsibility
throughout our value chain,
with respect for human
rights integrated into
everything we do.

Sustainability

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

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Contents

Our approach ...................................... 5
Strategy, governance,  
and stakeholders .................................. 6
Our targets ............................................ 9
Contributing to the SDGs ....................10
Human rights .......................................12 

Data and assurance ......................... 67
Reporting scope ................................. 68
Data by production unit ...................... 69
Auditor’s assurance report ................. 72

Environmental agenda ...............32
Materials, water, and energy .........33
Carbon dioxide ..............................43
Forests, plantations, and land use .. 49

Social agenda .............................. 17
Employees and wider workforce... 18
Safety ....................................... 19
Community ....................................23
Business ethics .............................28

Construction materials currently account for 11% of the global CO2 emissions. 
There is a need to shift from steel and concrete to renewable low-carbon and 
circular building materials, such as wood. Pictured here is the design by Anttinen 
Oiva Arkkitehdit for Stora Enso’s new Helsinki head office building. The building 
will be based on the Office Building Concept by Stora Enso.

Economic agenda .......................55 
Customers .....................................56
Suppliers ........................................60
Investors ........................................64
External recognition ......................66

The report contents have been assured by 
an independent third-party assurance provider 
with a level of Limited Assurance. A level of 
Reasonable Assurance has been provided for 
our direct and indirect fossil CO2e emissions.

The GRI Index is available at  
storaenso.com/gri2020

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Sustainability 
at Stora Enso

At Stora Enso, sustainability covers the social, 
environmental, and economic responsibility of
our operations and value chain. We care for people 
and the planet – from the forest to innovation, 
manufacturing, product use, and end-of-life, while 
respecting human rights in all that we do.

We are the renewable 
materials company

Our raw material is 
renewable, recyclable, 
and fossil-free.

Our products 
replace fossil-
based materials.

Our renewable products 
contribute to a circular 
bioeconomy.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Our year 2020

Protecting biodiversity 
Sustainable forestry helps 
safeguard forest health and 
biodiversity, while securing 
the long-term availability 
of our renewable products. 
100% of our wood comes 
from sustainable sources and 
we apply recognised industry 
standards to ensure this. 
During the year, Stora Enso 
developed a new ambitious 
Forest Sustainability Strategy 
focusing on four areas: 
Carbon, Biodiversity, Land 
use, and Communities. 

Driving circularity  
together with our partners
Transforming to circularity does not happen 
overnight or in isolation. Stora Enso works with 
its partners, customers, and other stakeholders 
to create circular solutions throughout the value 
chains. For example, we are one of the founding 
companies of 4evergreen, a European circular 
economy platform. 

Substituting fossil-based materials
When Stora Enso’s renewable products replace 
fossil-based or other non-renewable alternatives, 
they have significant benefits for the climate. 
Our substitution of fossil materials prevents nearly 
18Mt of CO2 annually from entering 
the atmosphere.

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Climate impact 

−11.5 million

tonnes 
of CO2e

(annual estimate)

Promoting sustainable forestry

98%

of the lands we own or manage were 
covered by forest certification schemes

Sustainable finance
EUR 1 506 million

total amount of Stora Enso’s 
outstanding green bonds 

An exceptional year
The global Covid-19 pandemic has 
changed our lives in ways we could not 
have imagined. As a company, our duty 
is to ensure the health and safety of our 
colleagues. While Stora Enso continues 
to provide vital renewable materials to 
its customers, many of whom serve the 
medical, hygiene, and food industries, 
our units are also supporting their local 
communities. During the pandemic, 
many of our community investment 
projects consisted of donating materials, 
such as personal protective equipment 
(PPE), but also cash donations to charity 
organisations dedicated to health and 
social welfare. 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
Highlights of 2020

By replacing fossil-based materials with our renewable solutions, we help drive the transition from a fossil fuel consuming world 
to a sustainable future based on circular bioeconomy. Here are some of the highlights of our year throughout our value chain.

Employee volunteering

2 684 

employees involved in 
community investment  
activities during working hours. 

Safety during 
a global pandemic
We acted early to secure 
the wellbeing and health 
and safety of our employees 
and others working on 
our premises.

Enhancing human 
rights training
In 2020, we launched 
a new human rights 
e-learning.

Read more on page 16

Comprehensive 
monitoring
Our code of conduct 
index increased to 

86

Green bonds and the use of proceeds
In 2020, the proceeds were used to finance 
sustainable forest acquisition and management in 
Sweden, reduce greenhouse gas emissions at our 
Maxau Mill as well as to develop a production line 
for cross-laminated timber (CLT), at our Gruvön 
Mill and Ždírec sawmill. 

Read more on page 24

Read more on page 20

Read more on page 31

Read more on page 65

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Design 
FAQ

Let’s get started

This FAQ aims to ensure that your packaging supports 
circularity by design. It explains key aspects to consider 
when developing new packaging or modifying existing ones.

Stora Enso has a wealth of expertise in renewable materials 
and products with high sustainability performance. Let us 
help you meet your goals.

These circular design guidelines are based on Stora Enso’s 
work in cooperation with customers, as well as “Paper-based 
packaging recyclability guidelines of the Confederation of 
European Paper Industries’ (CEPI), the “Beverage carton 
circularity guideline” of the Alliance for Beverage Cartons 
and the Environment (ACE) and analysis of selected market 
specific recyclability requirements. 

The guidelines are also developed to support overall 
transition towards circularity, as measured by related 
indicator frameworks such as the WBCSD Factor 10 Circular 
Transition Indicators frame, of which Stora Enso has part of 
the development.

7

Calculating our 
climate impact
We carried out extensive 
research with the Swedish 
University of Agricultural 
Sciences (SLU) on the carbon 
balance in the value chain from 
forest to end-products.

Read more on page 45

Our CO2e 
emissions were

26% 

lower than the 2010 
base-year level.

Read more on page 46

Value from waste 
and residuals
Our utilisation rate for process 
residuals and waste was

98% 

Read more on page 38

Cooperating for low-
carbon sea logistics
We took steps to 
decarbonise our sea logistics 
through industry collaboration 
and close cooperation with 
a major supplier.

Contributing to 
the circular bioeconomy
We published our Circular 
Design Guidelines that outline 
our commitment to contribute 
to a circular bioeconomy through 
our products and solutions. 

Read more on page 62

Read more on page 57

CO2

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Our approach

We work towards 
a renewable future.

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders  6

  Our targets  9

  Contributing to the SDGs  10

  Human rights  12

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

We create value in the bioeconomy 
with our renewable products and 
contribute to solving global challenges. 

Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

6

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As the renewable materials company, our 
promise is that everything that can be made with 
fossil-based materials today can be made from 
a tree tomorrow. To accelerate this development, 
we are shaping our business to build on our 
leading positions and growth opportunities in 
packaging, building solutions and biomaterials 
innovations. Our forest, traditional wood products 
and market pulp are the foundation for value 
creation in our company.

Out of the global megatrends impacting 
societies, markets and businesses, climate 
change is the greatest challenge. A growing 
global population and more consumption 
mean that the planet’s resources are being 
stretched even further. Through collaboration 
with customers, industry partners, recyclers and 
innovators, we aim to make the fossil-free circular 
economy an everyday reality. 

Our Sustainability Agenda encompasses 

the social, environmental, and economic 
responsibility of our operations throughout 
the value chain. The agenda is based on the 
Triple Bottom Line framework widely used in 
corporate responsibility work. It addresses the 
ten sustainability topics identified as material to 
Stora Enso and our key stakeholders: Employees 
and wider workforce; Community; Business 
ethics; Materials, water, and energy; Carbon 
dioxide; Forests, plantations, and land use; 
Customers; Suppliers; and Investors. As respect 
for human rights is considered so integral to our 
long-term success, it constitutes an overarching 
theme of our Sustainability Agenda.

In line with the agenda, we have set targets 
and defined key performance indicators (KPIs) 
for our sustainability work. Progress is regularly 
monitored at Group level and via division-level 
business reviews. Consolidated results on 
our performance are reported annually in our 
Sustainability report. Selected sustainability 
indicators are also reported quarterly in our 
Interim Reports.

Stora Enso acknowledges the importance 
of the United Nations Sustainable Development 
Goals (SDGs) as part of a commonly agreed 
global ambition to end poverty, protect the planet, 
and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, 
everywhere. Read more about our approach to 
the SDGs on pages 10–11.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stakeholder input
Materiality

Sustainability governance at Stora Enso

Board of Directors
Sustainability and Ethics Committee

Social 
agenda

Environ­
mental 
agenda

Economic
agenda

s
t
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a
m
u
H

Employees and
wider workforce

Community

Business
ethics

Materials, water,
and energy

Carbon
dioxide

Forests, plantations,
and land use

President and CEO
Group Leadership Team

EVP Sustainability

Customers

Suppliers

Investors

Sustainability 
Council*

Group
Sustainability

Our Sustainability Agenda is based on the classic Triple Bottom Line model. 
It addresses the ten sustainability topics identified as material to Stora Enso.

Total Contribution
to Society (TCS)

* Stora Enso’s operational sustainability work is steered by 
our Sustainability Council, which includes members from our 
divisions, Sourcing and Logistics function, and subject matter 
experts from our Group Sustainability team.

 EVP Sustainability chairs the Sustainability Council. 

Members of the Council report directly to their respective EVP.

Sustainability governance 
At Stora Enso, sustainability is promoted by the 
Board of Directors, the President and CEO (CEO), 
and the Group Leadership Team (GLT). The CEO 
holds the ultimate responsibility for the successful 
implementation of our sustainability strategy.
The Board of Directors’ Sustainability and 
Ethics Committee oversees the implementation 
of our sustainability strategy and the ethics 
and compliance strategy. The committee met 
four times in 2020 and has also reviewed the 
disclosures in this report. The main focus areas 
of the committee during the year are described in 
our Governance report.

At Stora Enso, sustainability work is led by the 

Executive Vice President (EVP), Sustainability, 
who reports directly to the CEO and is part of 
the Group Leadership Team (GLT). Everyday 
sustainability topics are managed by our Group 

Sustainability team together with our Human 
Resources, Legal, Wood Supply, Group OHS, 
and Sourcing and Logistics functions, and our six 
divisions. Each of our business divisions has its 
own Head of Sustainability, who reports directly to 
the EVP of the division. Other key functions, such 
as Sourcing and Logistics, have sustainability 
organisations to support their management 
teams. The everyday implementation of 
Stora Enso’s Sustainability Agenda is the 
responsibility of line management supported by 
functional experts at all levels.

Stora Enso’s sustainability work is steered 
by our Sustainability Council, which includes 
members from our divisions, our Sourcing and 
Logistics function, and subject matter experts 
from our Group Sustainability team. Chaired by 
the EVP, Sustainability, its work involves sharing 
good practices and identifying longer-term 

opportunities and challenges that may require a 
Group-wide response. The Sustainability Council 
met ten times during 2020. The GLT is periodically 
informed of specific sustainability developments, 
as is the Board of Directors when appropriate, 
through its Sustainability and Ethics Committee.
Sustainability is one of the performance 
metrics in the remuneration of GLT members 
through Short Term Incentive programmes. 
Members of the GLT can be assigned appropriate 
sustainability indicators. For more information on 
remuneration, see our Remuneration report.

Sustainability governance of joint operations
Our joint operations in Brazil (Veracel) and 
Uruguay (Montes del Plata) have their own 
sustainability teams, and sustainability topics are 
regularly discussed by their boards, which include 
representatives from their parent companies. In 

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addition, Stora Enso is represented on the board 
of its equity-accounted investments, such as 
forest company Tornator in Finland.

Structured sustainability processes
Our Sustainability Policy describes our overall 
approach to sustainability. At the same time, 
our code of conduct – the Stora Enso Code 
– and other policies and guidelines on specific 
sustainability topics further elaborate our 
approach, while also guiding our employees in 
their everyday work. As an example, based on our 
Sustainability Agenda, our internal Sustainability 
Assessment checklist ensures that sustainability 
and circularity are considered in all research and 
development initiatives and in the development of 
new products. 

Our policies and guidelines are available at 

storaenso.com/sustainability.

Stakeholder engagement 
Open dialogue with our key stakeholders is crucial 
if we are to successfully and proactively identify 
concerns, global trends and market expectations. 
Our stakeholder engagement work is based on 
both structured and ad hoc interaction, as well as 
regular surveys on topics such as customer and 
employee satisfaction and investor expectations. 
We also obtain important information through 
formal grievance channels. Engaging with 
stakeholders on social media is important for us 
in understanding their opinions and concerns 
locally around our units, as well as on a divisional 
and Group level. We actively monitor social media 
discussions and respond, where appropriate, to 
stakeholder queries through suitable channels.

Materiality during the global pandemic
Given the nature of our business, truly material 
issues do not change annually within our 
operations, and therefore our Sustainability 
Agenda and targets are set for the long term. 

In 2020, we updated the materiality 

assessment for our sustainability topics. The 
baseline for our work was the Group’s most recent 
extensive materiality assessment, supported 
by an international expert organisation, carried 
out in 2017. In the assessment for 2020, the 
Covid-19 pandemic was one of the key external 
factors analysed. The assessment reconfirmed 
that all topics in our current Sustainability agenda 
continue to be material for the company. Although 
the pandemic highlights the importance of 

Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

our social agenda from the relative materiality 
perspective, environmental topics remain 
essential. The assessment identified four 
sustainability topics as particularly material for 
Stora Enso in 2020: Climate change, Sustainable 
forestry and biodiversity, Renewable and circular 
products, and Occupational Health and Safety 
with actions to adapt to the pandemic.

This Sustainability report reflects the 

assessment results. For more information, see the 
separate Materiality Assessment 2020. 

We use investor and other stakeholder 
feedback to identify new or emerging topics for 
our annual sustainability reporting. These new or 
emerging topics are often of high interest to certain 
stakeholders. Our materiality review complements 
our Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) process 
with a broader scope of sustainability topics 
than those identified as the Group’s key financial 
risks and opportunities. Whereas our statutory 
Non-Financial Reporting in the Report of the Board 
of Directors includes those sustainability topics 
that relate to the Group’s key risks, our longer 
Sustainability report also covers topics considered 
important by stakeholders in our broader 
materiality review process.

We also prepare our reporting in accordance 
with the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. 
Our reporting covers all the General Disclosures, 
as well as the topic-specific GRI Standards 
we deem material. For more information, 
see our online GRI Content Index. In 2020, 
we started reporting against the standards 
of the Sustainability Accounting Standards 
Board (SASB). For more information, see 
Financials 2020.

Collaboration with non-
governmental organisations
Stora Enso actively cooperates with prioritised 
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) 
and industry associations. We are involved in 
developing industry practices related to climate 
change, the circular bioeconomy, sustainable 
forestry, human rights, and business ethics, as 
well as the development of sustainability reporting 
and assurance. Examples of our collaboration 
during 2020 can be found in the relevant sections 
of this report.

In 2020, Stora Enso’s CEO was appointed to 
the Executive Committee of the World Business 
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) 
for the period 2021–2023. 

How we create value as the renewable materials company

Our fiber­

Stora Enso engages with people and communities all over the world through its 
operations, sales, and supply chains. We have a range of positive financial, social, 
and environmental impacts on society, such as direct and indirect employment, 
taxes and dividends, and products that provide renewable alternatives to non-
renewable materials. For more information about how we create value and contribute 
to society, see Strategy 2020. For details on Stora Enso’s annual tax footprint in 
the countries where we operate, see Financials 2020.

Significant stakeholder groups 
for Stora Enso include:

In 2020, Stora Enso actively collaborated 
with international organisations including:

•  Consumers
•  Customers
•  Employees
•  Forest owners
•  Policy makers
• 
Investors
•  Local communities
•  Media
•  NGOs
•  Partners and suppliers
•  Trade unions

•  4evergreen, page 58
•  Climate Leadership Coalition, page 46
•  Global Business Initiative on Human Rights (GBI), 

page 14 

•  Science Based Targets initiative, page 43
•  The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, page 35
•  The Prince of Wales’s A4S Accounting for 

Sustainability, page 65

•  The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group 

(CLG), page 45

•  The Forest Dialogue (TFD), page 50
•  Transparency International, page 29
•  UN Global Compact, page 68
•  We Mean Business Coalition, page 46
•  World Business Council for Sustainable 

Development (WBCSD), pages 35, 46, 50, and 57

•  World Green Building Council, pages 46 and 57
•  WWF, pages 51 and 53

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About this report 
Stora Enso’s Sustainability report 2020 is 
structured to reflect our Sustainability Agenda, 
with its ten elements addressed through 
a common four-tier framework:

Opportunities and challenges 

These sections examine the external factors 
and global trends currently affecting the topics 
included in our Sustainability Agenda. Please note 
that our corporate risk management assessment 
appears in Financials 2020.

Our policies 

These sections set out the strategies and 
policies we use to address key opportunities 
and challenges.

How we work 

These sections describe the processes, 
procedures, and systems we deploy to realise our 
strategies and policies.

Progress 

These sections report on our performance 
during 2020.

External assurance 
This report has been assured by an independent 
third-party provider with a level of Limited 
Assurance. Given our commitment to combatting 
climate change and related emission data 
reliability, a level of Reasonable Assurance has 
been provided for our direct and indirect fossil 
CO2e emissions (Scope 1 and 2). For more 
information on assurance, see page 72.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our sustainability targets and key performance indicators (KPIs)

Key performance indicator (KPI)
Human rights

Implementation of Human Rights due diligence programme

2020
22 out of 24 
development actions 
finalised in Group 
function processes

2019
24 development 
actions mapped 
in Group function 
processes 

2018
Eight highest 
priority human 
rights defined

Targets
Actions to address the development 
findings in Group function processes 
to be completed by the end of 2020

Employees and wider 
workforce

Total Recordable Incident (TRI) rate1

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Community

Leadership Index2
% of working hours and in-kind in community investments (CI)3

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Progress
Not achieved

Not achieved

In progress
In progress

7.0

83
46%

6.1

83
50%

4.7 milestone by the end of 2020
New milestone will be communicated 
in the Interim Report for Q1 2021
85 by the end of 2022
70% by end of 2023 while also 
increasing the total CI 

84

85

Positive trend

Achieved

9
98%
61

29

−3.7%6

−1.4%

−26%6

8
98%
56

26

−3.8%6

−1.3%

−18%

Zero significant incidents
Maintain the high utilisation rate of 98%
Decreasing trend from a 2016 base-year 
(57m3)
Decreasing trend from a 2016 base-year 
(27m3)
−15% by the end of 2020 from a 2010 
base-year
−0.8% annual energy saving until 2030

−31% by the end of 2030 from a 2010 
base-year

Not achieved
Achieved
Not achieved

Not achieved

Not achieved

Achieved

In progress

6.1

84
41%

86

8
98%
65

31

0.2%

−0.9%

−26%

98%

98%

96%

Maintain the high coverage level of 96% Achieved

Business ethics

Code of Conduct Index2

Materials, water,  
and energy

Carbon dioxide

Number of significant environmental incidents4
Materials: Process residuals utilisation rate (%)5
Water: Total Water Withdrawal per saleable tonne  
of board, pulp, and paper (m3/tonne)
Water: Process water discharge per saleable tonne  
of board, pulp, and paper (m3/tonne)
Energy: Reduction in electricity and heat consumption  
per saleable tonne of board, pulp, and paper (kWh/tonne)
Energy: Projected Energy Savings %  
(kWh saved/kWh total used, electricity and heat) 
Reduction in CO2 equivalents per saleable tonne  
of board, pulp, and paper (kg/tonne)

Forests,  
plantations, 
and land use

% of the lands owned or managed by Stora Enso  
that are in wood production and harvesting covered  
by forest certification schemes

Suppliers

% of supplier spend covered by our Supplier Code of Conduct

96%

96%

95%

Maintain the high coverage level of 95% Achieved

1 Number of incidents among our own employees per one million hours worked. 
Including joint operations Veracel and Montes del Plata.
2 Measured in the annual employee survey. 

3 Excluding joint operations. Community investments cover cash donations, employee 
working hours for voluntary community work, and in-kind.
4 Environmental incidents involving a non-compliance with environmental legislation or 
a permit, or a significant stakeholder concern related to environmental performance. 
For more details, see page 42.

5 Utilisation rate for process residuals excluding, for example, tall oil, turpentine, and wood chips.
6 Recalculated due to additional data or organisational scope changes after the previous 
report. Read more about our calculation principles in Reporting scope.

Sustainability

Our approach 

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contributing to 
the Sustainable 
Development Goals

The seventeen United Nations Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 address social 
and economic development issues on a global 
scale. During the year, the Covid-19 pandemic 
underpinned the importance of our social agenda 
as an enabler when we contribute to our most 
strategic SDGs 12, 13, and 15.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

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Our priority SDGs
Stora Enso supports all seventeen SDGs, and the following three 
goals are identified as the most relevant to our business: 

SDG 15
Life on land

SDG 13
Climate action

SDG 12
Responsible 
consumption  
and production

Driving sustainability 
for the biggest impact
Sustainable development is at the heart of 
our business strategy. We create value in the 
bioeconomy with our renewable products, 
and by doing so contribute to solving global 
sustainability challenges. 

Stora Enso supports all seventeen SDGs, 

and the goals 12, 13, and 15 related to our 
environmental agenda have been identified as 
most relevant where we have the largest impact 
through our operations and products. Our earlier 
prioritisation of the SDGs was included in our 
2020 materiality review. 

Stora Enso recognises that it has both 
positive impacts that contribute to the SDGs 
but also negative impacts that we have the 

responsibility to mitigate. Scaling up positive 
and minimising negative impacts is fundamental 
to our contribution. 

In 2020, we contributed to the preparation 
of the Forest Sector SDG Roadmap: 
Implementation Report as part of our 
co-chairing of the Forest Solutions Group 
(FSG) at the World Business Council for 
Sustainable Development (WBCSD). 
The report describes the FSG members’ 
progress on eight impact areas, such as 
Working Forests, Climate, the Bioeconomy or 
Communities. Alongside qualitative analysis, 
the progress is reported with a set of KPIs. 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SDG 12 – Responsible 
consumption and 
production
Relevant sub-targets for 
Stora Enso: 12.2 – 12.6, 12.8, 12.a

SDG 13 –  
Climate action
Relevant sub-targets for 
Stora Enso: 13.1-13.3

Many of our actions contribute simultaneously 
to SDG 12 and SDG 13. Our operations 
are based on renewable raw materials and 
sustainable forest management, which 
contribute to responsible consumption 
and resource use – and climate action. Our 
products help our customers and society at 
large to reduce CO2 emissions by providing 
low-carbon, renewable, and recyclable 
alternatives to solutions based on fossil fuels 
and other non-renewable materials. Stora Enso 
is collaborating with the Swedish University of 
Agricultural Sciences (SLU) to develop more 

SDG 15 – Life on land
Relevant sub-targets for 
Stora Enso: 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 
and 15.5.

Sustainable forest management safeguards forest 
health and productivity, helps combat climate 
change, and protects biodiversity while securing 
the long-term availability of our renewable 
resources. Our work with forest, plantations and 
land-use directly contributes to SDG 15. 

All roundwood, chips, sawdust, and externally 

purchased pulp supplied to our mills come from 
sustainable sources. We use a range of tools to 
ensure this, and to guarantee the sustainability 
of each stage of the forest management cycle. 
These tools include forest certification and third-
party traceability systems.

Stora Enso’s current activities focus mainly 
on improving sustainable forest management 
practices to enhance positive impacts on 
biodiversity. Our long-term strategic focus is to 
measure biodiversity holistically to be able to 
improve selected aspects with the largest impact. 

accurate climate impact research. In 2020, SLU 
published a new report, providing evidence of 
Stora Enso’s positive climate impact, including 
avoided emissions by product substitution and 
forest sequestration. 

During 2020, we announced new investments 
as part of our business strategy, with the common 
aim to offer low-carbon, renewable, and circular 
products to our customers. Examples can be 
found throughout the Annual Report:
•  Formed fiber helping to replace plastics and 
more carbon-intensive alternatives, page 58
•  Cross-Laminated Timer (CLT) production in 

Ždírec. As a sustainable, renewable material, 
CLT shows significant growth potential in 
construction, Strategy 2020

•  Lignin, which can be used for example in bio-
based carbon materials for energy storage, 
and in biochemicals, Strategy 2020
•  Biofoam for protective packaging and 

cushioning, page 59.

We apply circular design principles to maximise 
the circularity of our products and solutions, 
thus helping to reduce environmental impacts. 

Read more about our co-operation with the 
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
Stora Enso invests in conservation efforts by 
protecting and restoring significant areas of land. 
For more information, see the table listing our 
owned and managed lands. 

All sites Stora Enso harvests are regenerated. 

In 2020, we planted approximately 62 million 
tree seedlings. 

We provide certification training and 
advisory services for forest smallholders in 
Sweden and Finland. Our Group Certification 
programme in Russia covered 1.3 million 
hectares at the end of 2020. Stora Enso joint 
operation, Veracel, has pioneered the Forest 
Stewardship Council (FSC1) certification in Brazil 
by establishing and managing FSC certification 
groups for local tree farmers (Fomento florestal). 
Subsequently, the management of these 
group certificates has been moved to the tree 
farmers’ association.

At the end of 2020, the coverage of externally 

audited forest certification in our owned or 
managed land for wood production and harvesting 
remained high at 98% (98% at the end of 2019).

Furthermore, we work with value chain partners to 
improve actual recyclability. 

In addition to our products, we contribute to 
SDG 12 and SDG 13 through our operations and 
supply chains. Within our operations, the process 
residuals utilisation rate remained high at 98% 
(98% in 2019). During 2020, we continued to work 
with chemical safety and the sustainable use of 
chemicals in our operations. The aim of this work 
is to minimise any adverse impacts on human 
health and the environment.

Read more:
• 

Innovations driving change towards 
a greener future, Strategy 2020

•  Accelerating circularity along the value 
chain, page 35 and Strategy 2020 

•  Generating value from waste and 
residuals at our units, page 38

•  Using our purchasing power to help 
global supply chains become more 
sustainable, page 60

Read more: 
•  Forest certification, page 52
•  Biodiversity, page 51
•  Forest regeneration, page 51

1 Stora Enso Communications’ FSC® trademark license number 
is FSC-N001919.

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Podcast

The Sustainable 
Development 
Goals: from 
rainbow washing 
to transforming 
the world 

The plan is for the world to achieve 
the UN Sustainable Development Goals 
(SDGs) by 2030. In our podcast, our guests 
discuss how companies can contribute to 
the goals and if they are being ambitious 
enough or just “rainbow washing” – using 
the SDGs superficially.

For example, business can have 
a critical role in contributing to SDG13 on 
Climate Action. “Science-based targets 
help to make sure that the emission 
reductions that the company is working 
on are carried out at the necessary 
pace and scale,” says Anna Kruip, 
Manager Environment and Climate at 
UN Global Compact.

Stora Enso’s climate and forestry 
targets contribute to the SDGs. “We need 
to keep the forests healthy and growing 
well to offer solutions that can substitute 
for fossil-based alternatives,” says Antti 
Marjokorpi, Head of Forests, Plantations, 
and Land use Sustainability at Stora Enso
“The business-as-usual model that 
we have been sustaining is not viable,” 
says Filippo Veglio, Managing Director at 
World Business Council for Sustainable 
Development (WBCSD). “2030 is an 
important milestone and this is a key 
decade to transform economic systems. 
But there will be a lot more work coming 
our way beyond 2030.”

Listen to the podcast 

storaenso.com

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Human rights

When we grow and harvest trees, 
make renewable products, or 
transport materials, we have 
an impact on people. 

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

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Opportunities and challenges

Developments in  
human rights regulation
Many of the human rights challenges we face are 
deeply rooted in local communities 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 (UNGPs) highlight that companies 
have an ongoing responsibility to respect human 
rights and to conduct related due diligence, 
even where government actions and regulatory 
frameworks are inadequate. In addition, 
the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the 
importance of protecting people from human and 
labour rights violations in global supply chains, 
especially in times of crisis, and has consequently 
sped up the development of EU-level legislation 
on human rights due diligence. Stora Enso 
supports human rights regulation that puts 
companies on an equal standing and helps to 
ensure that people are treated with decency 
and respect.

Our policies

Integrated into our sustainability work
Human rights are integrated into our Sustainability 
Agenda, which is aligned with the ten principles of 
the UN Global Compact. We are also committed to 
the UNGPs, which require companies to conduct 
due diligence to identify, assess, and remedy the 
impacts that their activities may have on people.

Relevant Stora Enso policies on human rights 

include:
•  Stora Enso Code – our code of conduct 

that expresses our respect for human and 
labour rights.

•  Supplier Code of Conduct – imposes strict 
contractual requirements on our suppliers 
regarding human rights.

•  Human Rights Policy – sets out our 

commitment to respect human rights 
throughout our operations and in all 
relationships involving Stora Enso and 
expresses our respect for international 
human rights instruments.

•  Human Rights Guidelines – provide more 

insight into how we work towards our policy 
objectives and with our highest priority 
human rights.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13

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Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Human rights are also a fundamental part of 
several internal policies and guidelines such 
as our Environmental Guidelines, Diversity 
Policy, and our Minimum Human Resources 
Requirements for labour conditions.

How we work

Assessing and addressing  
our human rights impacts
Our commitment to respect human rights covers 
all our operations, including our employees, 
contractors, suppliers, and neighbouring 
communities. We require that human rights 
risks and impacts are taken into account 
throughout our operations, including investment 
decisions related to mergers, acquisitions, and 
divestments. Our investment guidelines stipulate 
that environmental and social risks and impacts, 
including those related to human rights, must be 
duly identified, assessed, and addressed prior to 
approval in projects with business-critical risks.

Stora Enso’s key tools for  
human rights due diligence
Continuous or periodic monitoring with:
•  Stora Enso Code
•  Business Practice Policy
•  Minimum Human Resources 

Requirements for labour conditions

•  Supplier Code of Conduct
•  Safety standards and tools for all units
•  Grievance mechanisms

Project-specific human rights 
due diligence with:
• 
•  Environmental and social due diligence 

Investment guidelines

for mergers and acquisitions
•  Environmental and Social Impact 

Assessments (ESIAs)

•  Community consultations, 

including Free, Prior, and Informed 
Consent (FPIC)

•  Sustainability Assessment checklist for 

innovation projects

Environmental and Social 
Impact Assessments (ESIAs)
We conduct ESIAs for new projects that could 
directly or indirectly cause significant adverse 

effects in local communities. Such projects 
include board, pulp, paper, or sawmills built 
on greenfield sites, industrial scale plantation 
projects, and any large-scale investments in or 
expansions of existing facilities.

An important element of any ESIA involves 

assessing the operational context from a 
social impact perspective, including human 
rights, and establishing dialogues with local 
residents, members of local organisations, 
experts, and other stakeholders. This is done 
through interviews, meetings, workshops, and 
public hearings. ESIA results give us valuable 
information on how local communities may be 
affected by changes in their socio-economic 
situation and any impacts on cultural heritage, 
while also setting out implications for community 
health and safety.

Community consultations
Respecting human rights, including Free, 
Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), in land 
identification, acquisition, and management is 
one of our highest priorities. These processes are 
implemented together with local communities 
and authorities. Community consultations, such 
as FPIC, are a key element in our human rights 
due diligence and forestry operations, especially 
concerning land leasing and indigenous peoples’ 
rights. Together with partners, we have developed 
various FPIC tools to ensure that communities 
understand the information that is shared 
with them, and regularly train our employees 
in community engagement and consultation. 
We also continue to enhance gender inclusion in 
community consultation meetings, which is an 
important part of FPIC.

The form and frequency of our engagement 

with local communities is shaped by the local 
context. In some areas, the interaction is done 
through community representatives while other 
communities prefer direct and inclusive contact. 
Many of our employees live in the communities 
and have a deeper understanding of the local 
context.

Stora Enso is a major forest owner in Sweden 
(see page 53) and a significant forestry operator 
in both Finland and Sweden. We recognise our 
responsibilities regarding the rights of indigenous 
Sámi people living on areas that are located on 
or neighbouring our lands or where we procure 
wood, and we maintain good relations with them 
in Finland and Sweden. In Central Sweden, for 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our community consultations In Guangxi, China, were conducted virtually in the beginning 
of 2020. We were able to continue them in person, with careful safety considerations, later in the spring.

example, we have had special agreements on 
land use with five Sámi communities since 1992. 
We have well-established routines for dialogue, 
including regular discussions on forestry, 
reindeer herding, and each other’s opportunities 
and challenges. An evaluation meeting is held 
annually. We always consult the concerned Sámi 
villages before any forestry operations, and all 
consultation meetings are documented. For 
more information about our land use and wood 
procurement, see pages 49–54.

Our forestry employees in Guangxi, China, work 

in dialogue with local communities to understand 
the potential social impacts of our operations. For 
example, ethnic minorities, formally recognised 
by the Guangxi government, live in many areas 
of the province. This was re-confirmed in a 
community mapping completed by Stora Enso’s 
forestry operations in China during 2020, as 
part of new forest certification requirements to 
map all local indigenous communities. Whereas 
previous mappings by Stora Enso focused on 
two regions around our plantations where the 
presence of ethnic minorities was known, the new 

mapping included all four neighbouring regions 
with eight prefecture-level cities. The mapping 
concluded that 15% of all communities in these 
regions can be considered ethnic minorities. In two 
prefecture-level cities, Nanning and Chongzou, 
the combined share of such communities is 88%. 
The assessment gives us a more comprehensive 
understanding of the structure and customs 
of the communities around our plantations, 
which will help us further develop our social 
engagement activities.

Veracel, our 50%-owned joint operation in 
Brazil, has a team of community liaison officers 
who are in regular contact with community 
representatives to agree on actions and 
next steps. 

In southern Laos, in the Saravane and 
Savannakhet provinces, our trial eucalyptus 
plantations are located near culturally and 
ethnically diverse villages. Despite the decision 
made in 2020 to downsize our Laos operations, 
we will continue to engage with local communities 
in a culturally appropriate way, based on informed 
consultation and participation. 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Many of our units and joint operations strive to improve road safety through road construction, training drivers,  
and raising awareness in local communities.

For more information about how Stora Enso 
supports and works with local communities, see 
pages 23–27.

understand their rights to various services, 
including access to legal support. For more 
information, see page 15.

Access to remedy and 
grievance channels
In accordance with the UN Guiding Principles 
on Business and Human Rights and our own 
Human Rights Policy, Stora Enso is committed 
to remedy situations where our activities have 
caused or contributed to adverse human rights 
impacts. Where violations are committed by 
third parties with links to Stora Enso through 
our operations, products, or services, we strive 
to use our influence together with the relevant 
stakeholders to ensure that those impacts are 
remedied. For example, our joint operation 
Veracel in Brazil has worked closely with landless 
movements and authorities for several years to 
find and implement solutions to land distribution 
disputes. Veracel has also helped stakeholders 

Access to grievance mechanisms is one 
of Stora Enso’s highest priority human rights. 
Our formal grievance mechanism enables any 
stakeholder to report instances where their rights 
may have been infringed, or where they have 
observed potential violations of the Stora Enso 
Code, including those related to human rights. 
This service is independently administered by an 
external service provider. For more information, 
see page 30.

We have also established grievance channels in 
local languages for communities and other external 
stakeholders associated with our plantations and 
mill in Guangxi, China. We encourage anyone with 
concerns to call our anonymous hotline number, 
write to us, visit us, or talk to our field personnel. 
Stora Enso’s employees are trained to distribute 
information about our operations in local villages 

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and to duly process grievances, also in villages 
not engaged in any kind of business relationship 
with the company.

Similar local grievance channels exist for our 
project in Laos, and our joint operations Veracel in 
Brazil and Montes del Plata in Uruguay. In Laos, 
Stora Enso works with communities to raise 
awareness of villager rights and the channels they 
can use if concerns arise.

Reporting on our performance
Stora Enso reports on its human rights work 
annually and strives to align its reporting with 
the UNGP reporting framework. In addition, our 
annual Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 
is available at storaenso.com/sustainability.

In 2020, Stora Enso’s human rights reporting 
was top-ranked in a study by the multi-stakeholder 
SIHTI project. The study assessed the human 
rights reporting of companies using the Corporate 
Human Rights Benchmark methodology.

Progress

Continued focus on due diligence
While we respect and consider all human rights 
to be important, our highest priority human rights 
remain the primary focus of our work:
• Health and safety
• Fair labour (fair employment conditions, 

forced labour, freedom of association, non-
discrimination and non-harassment)

• Land and natural resource rights acquisition 

and management

• Grievance mechanisms
• Children’s rights (relevant to the forest sector).

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. In addition, integrating 
human rights into Stora Enso’s enterprise risk 
management (ERM) process proceeded during 
the year. The work focused on ensuring that our 
highest priority human rights are reflected in the 
risk register with associated risk factors, impacts, 
and responses. The goal of this on-going work is to 
ensure that both financial risk and the risk to people 
are considered in our ERM process.

In 2020, we joined the Global Business Initiative 

for Human Rights (GBI) to advance respect for 
human rights in business through peer learning.

In Finland, we continued to voice our support 
for human rights due diligence legislation during 
the year. We also joined a campaign in Sweden 
calling for similar development in the EU. The 
campaign is led by a coalition of Swedish civil 
society organisations.

We updated and published externally 
our Human Rights Guidelines to provide our 
stakeholders with more detailed insight into how 
we work with human rights. 

Actions related to our highest priority 
human rights in 2020 included:

Health and safety
It is our goal that everyone who works for us, 
either directly or indirectly, returns home safely 
from a healthy workplace every day. Despite our 
strong efforts to ensure this, two fatal accidents 
occurred in our forestry operations in China in 
2020. For more information on fatal and other 
accidents in 2020 as well as our progress in health 
and safety, including our response to the Covid-
19 pandemic, see pages 18-23.

In Brazil, Veracel, our 50/50 joint operation with 

the Brazilian company Suzano, manages a pulp 
mill, eucalyptus plantations, and related logistics in 
southern Bahía State. In 2020, Veracel supported 
the construction of a field hospital and donated 
personal protection equipment during the Covid-
19 pandemic. For more information, see page 26.
In Guangxi province, China, we continued to 

focus on road safety in rural areas in 2020. For 
more information, see page 26.

Our joint operation Montes del Plata in 

Uruguay continued to address and raise 
awareness of road safety. For more information, 
see page 27.

Fair labour
We set strict standards for our operations 
to ensure fair employment conditions for 
all employees, on-site contractors, and our 
suppliers’ employees. Our Minimum Human 
Resources Requirements for labour conditions 
cover these topics for our own employees, 
including compensation (see page 22), working 
hours, forced labour, freedom of association, 
discrimination, and harassment. Our Supplier 
Code of Conduct sets similar requirements for 
our suppliers and contractors.

In 2020, we updated our Supplier Code of 

Conduct (SCoC), with additions around fair 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

employment conditions, including requirements 
for recruitment agency use and reasonable 
remuneration for employees. For more 
information, see page 62.

For several years, Stora Enso has been 
monitoring labour rights in its bagasse supply 
chain in the United States to ensure that working 
hour schedules do not have adverse impacts 
on contractor health and safety. For more 
information, see page 62.

Our commitment to combat forced labour in 
our operations and supply chains is expressed in 
our Human Rights Guidelines and the Stora Enso 
Code. For more information about how we 
manage potential forced labour and human 
trafficking, see our annual Slavery and Human 
Trafficking Statement.

In 2020, approximately 80% of our employees 
were covered by collective bargaining agreements 
(read more in the GRI Index). In addition, to 
further strengthen our commitment to freedom of 
association, we continued to address areas in the 
global framework agreement that we have signed 
with the labour unions IndustriAll, UniGlobal, 
and BWI. 

In 2020, we initiated an internal campaign 

raising awareness on harassment and 
discrimination. For more information, see 
page 31. For more information about diversity, 
inclusion, and gender equality, see pages 21–22.
During the year, to strengthen its activities 
around diversity and inclusion, our joint operation 
Veracel added a Brazilian Sign Language (BSL) 
reader on its website and Intranet and began 
using a BSL interpreter for internal meetings 
and events.

Land and natural resource rights 
acquisition and management 

Sustainable resettlement in Brazil
Illegal land invasions of private property are 
a long-running challenge in Brazil that has 
affected various actors that use land, such as 
mining companies and farming businesses. Some 
areas of our joint operation Veracel’s land have 
been illegally occupied since 2008. While Veracel 
is not the root cause of the problems that landless 
people face, it aims to be part of the local solution 
without taking on the role of the state.

Veracel strives to maintain continuous 

dialogue with landless movements and supports 
land allocations through the Sustainable 

Settlements Initiative, launched in 2012. In 2020, 
the initiative continued to provide farmland and 
technical and educational support to hundreds 
of families to improve their incomes. The 
Sustainable Settlements Initiative is facilitated 
by the Government of the State of Bahía and 
is conducted in cooperation with the National 
Institute of Colonisation and Agrarian Reform 
(INCRA) and the representatives of six officially 
recognised landless people’s social movements.
The movements have pledged to leave areas 

occupied since July 2011, while Veracel has 
agreed not to seek to repossess areas occupied 
before this date. The initiative relates to a total 
area of approximately 16 500 hectares of 
Veracel’s lands designated for the settlements to 
be purchased from the company by INCRA.

Veracel continues to support the transition 

of families from these settlements to more 
permanent residencies on the same land, as 
the legal processes regarding their claim to 
the land are resolved over time. In 2020, this 
support included assisting farmers in improving 
productivity, the construction of food production 
units, and help with the commercialisation 
and marketing of the produce. The goal is to 
gradually transfer full responsibility of the area 
to the families by 2022. To minimise the impacts 
of the Covid-19 pandemic on this transition, and 
to protect the health and safety of the families, 
Veracel created emergency plans in 2020 that 
included, for example, ways to secure food 
production during the pandemic.

In line with a 2018 agreement that 
complements the earlier Sustainable 
Settlement Initiative, Veracel has agreed to sell 
approximately 3 500 hectares of previously 
occupied land to the movements on which to 
grow food. In 2020, Veracel began cooperation 
with the Federal University of Southern Bahía 
(UFSB) to support these new settlements by 
conducting socio-environmental profiles of 
the families, training farmers in, for example, 
productivity planning, and monitoring results. 
The total value of the 5-year agreement with 
UFSB, to be carried out in stages, is over 
EUR 750 000.

In total, since 2012, Veracel has voluntarily 
approved the transfer of approximately 20 000 
hectares of land to benefit landless people. 
By the end of 2020, 215 hectares of productive 
land owned by Veracel remained occupied by 
movements not involved in the Sustainable 

Blog

Ensuring respect 
for human rights 
as the world 
recovers

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Every one of us, no matter who we are or 
where we are born, is entitled to the same 
basic rights and freedoms. As the world 
recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, calls 
for companies to respect these rights are 
intensifying, Ylva Stiller, Human Rights 
Director at Stora Enso, writes in her blog post.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business 
and Human Rights (UNGPs) clarify the roles 
of states and companies in protecting and 
respecting human rights. The UNGPs were not 
intended as law but more to steer companies 
in the right direction. Creating a level playing 
field, where all companies must take action, is 

one of the reasons why Stora Enso supports 
human rights regulation on a global and 
EU level.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to 
light the vulnerability of global supply chains 
and how unemployment hits people unequally. 
In addition, climate change cannot be solved 
without solving social issues. As we are once 
again rebuilding the world, it needs to come 
with a transformation that considers both 
the environmental and social implications of 
our actions.

Read more 

storaenso.com

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

We raise awareness of human rights within Stora Enso through training and communications. In 2020, we launched a new 
human rights e-learning for our employees.

Settlement Initiative or in the new agreement. 
Veracel will continue to seek repossessions 
of the remaining occupied areas through legal 
processes. Stora Enso also reports on the 
occupied areas in the Group’s Interim Reports.

Veracel also maintains good relations with local 

indigenous villages and supports educational, 
infrastructure, and cultural programmes for 29 
Pataxó and three Tupinambá communities. Within 
these programmes in 2020, Veracel donated 
school supplies to approximately 5 000 indigenous 
elementary and high school students and teachers, 
supported the construction of classrooms, and 
supported infrastructure improvements in local 
indigenous villages.

Some of the indigenous communities are 
calling for the expansion of the Barra Velha Indian 
Reserve. The extension would cover hundreds 

of land properties, including 3 219 hectares of 
land acquired by Veracel before the indigenous 
peoples first made claim to the land. At the end of 
2020, this case was still being processed by the 
regional federal court. Veracel remains committed 
to fully comply with the court’s eventual decision.

Monitoring land recovery in China
Stora Enso leases 81 000 hectares of land 
in Guangxi province, China, of which 53 600 
hectares is leased from state-owned forest 
farms. The remaining 27 400 hectares, or 34% of 
the total area, is social land leased from village 
collectives, individual households, and local 
forest farms. 

Parts of the land leased by Stora Enso have 
been occupied for up to ten years for the purpose 
of growing crops and trees on a small scale. 

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In some cases, the occupiers are claiming rights 
to the land based on historical land ownership 
documents that have been superseded by state 
ownership in successive land reform processes. 
At the end of the year, 5 350 hectares of 
productive land leased by Stora Enso was 
occupied, including 4 870 hectares of state-
owned land and 480 hectares of social land. 
Approximately 4 000 people were growing crops 
and trees on the occupied land. In 2020, the 
Guangxi government’s recent efforts to recover 
occupied land in the province reached areas 
where Stora Enso leases land from state-owned 
forest farms. Stora Enso is carefully monitoring 
the land recovery process and, for example, 
reserves the right to stop the proceedings at 
any point. We have also trained our local staff 
to identify causes for concern, to promote our 
grievance channel, and to engage with the 
occupiers to ensure that they are informed and 
do not feel threatened.

Grievance mechanisms
Our grievance hotline is available to all 
employees, on-site contractors, suppliers, and 
any other external stakeholders. In 2020, we took 
steps to improve external stakeholder access 
to the hotline. For more information about our 
grievance channels and reports received through 
them in 2020, see pages 29–31.

Children’s rights (relevant to the forest sector)
Stora Enso’s work on children’s rights and 
business is integrated into our implementation of 
the UN Guiding Principles of Business and Human 
Rights framework. We support the Children’s 
Rights and Business Principles developed by 
UNICEF, Save the Children, and the UN Global 
Compact, and we focus on those principles where 
we can have the biggest impact. 

For several years, Veracel has successfully 

cooperated with the NGO Childhood Brasil 
to combat child abuse and exploitation in the 
nearby municipalities of Belmonte, Porto Seguro, 
Santa Cruz de Cabralia, and Eunápolis. The goal 
is to improve the capacity of the municipalities 
to handle cases of child abuse and adolescent 
violence through strengthening public policies 
and providing training to professionals. In 
2020, Childhood Brasil and Veracel, together 
with judiciary, civil society, and municipal 
representatives, agreed on a ten-year plan to 
continue this work. 

In 2020, Veracel began supporting a three-
year extra-curricular programme that aims to 
strengthen the cultural development of socially 
vulnerable children and adolescents in the 
city of Porto Seguro. The programme includes 
ballet, music, and theatre workshops during 
after-school hours. 

Montes del Plata, our joint venture in Uruguay, 

together with local educational institutions and 
other organisations initiated an English learning 
programme for the students of a local secondary 
school in 2020. The goal is to motivate the 
students to continue their studies further through 
recreational and cultural activities. 

Stora Enso continues to support six schools 

in cooperation with the non-governmental 
organisation Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) in 
Pakistan as part of a remediation programme 
targeting 640 children identified as child workers 
in 2015 in the supply chain of our former 35% 
minority holding in the equity accounted 
investment Bulleh Shah Packaging (Private) Ltd. 
(BSP). The programme will continue until 2023 
when the youngest children complete compulsory 
primary school education. However, most of the 
children will be young workers by 2023, which 
is why the programme began to shift its focus 
to vocational training in 2020 to improve their 
future employability. In 2020, ITA also created an 
outreach programme to ensure that education 
continued during the local Covid-19 lockdown. 
The programme used low-tech digital learning, 
such as with mobile phones, and mobilised 
community members to take an active role in 
educating the children. 

Enhancing human rights training
In 2020, we launched a human rights e-learning 
that will be rolled out in our divisions and functions 
during 2021 to build on our existing employee 
training. The e-learning explains what respecting 
human rights means for individuals, companies in 
general, and Stora Enso specifically. 

We have included a section on human rights in 

the e-learning for the Stora Enso Code, which is 
mandatory for all employees.

In Brazil, Veracel continues training, auditing, 
and follow-up procedures related to its supplier 
code of conduct. Additional human rights training 
is provided to employees working as guards for 
Veracel’s security service provider, as required by 
national law, when they begin employment and 
then every two years.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Social agenda

Being a responsible 
employer and partner builds 
trust for our business.

Employees and wider workforce  18

  Community  23

Business ethics  28

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
Employees and wider workforce

We promote 
inclusion and diversity 
and are committed 
to ensuring healthy 
and safe workplaces.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

TRI rate

6.1

TRI = Total recordable incident

Leadership Index

84/100

Opportunities and challenges

Change through people
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and its 
unprecedented impact on global health, 
Stora Enso continues its transformation journey 
as the renewable materials company. During 
2020, we continued to focus on what we can 
influence during these challenging times, 
including ensuring the health and safety of our 
workforce. 

Engaged and motivated employees and a 
capable organisation will enable us to deliver 
our business strategy. The development of 
capabilities in customer insight, innovation, and 
operational efficiency, as well as the ability to 
utilise new technologies will be critical for our 
future success. We need to ensure we have 
competent and engaged employees when 
managing our employee turnover and the 
demographic structure of our workforce in various 
markets. This will require careful workforce 
planning and responsible leadership. To be 
successful and to promote a safe working culture, 
we need to develop our leadership, organisation, 
competencies and processes. We continuously 
focus on providing a safe workplace free from 
harassment and discrimination, and support 
wellbeing at work.

Our policies

Motivated employees  
and a capable organisation
Stora Enso’s People Agenda guides our efforts 
in creating engagement and motivation among 
our employees and in building a capable 
organisation that can help us realise our business 
strategy. Key areas in our People Agenda include: 
strategic workforce planning, talent acquisition, 
talent management, competence development, 
leadership development, performance 
management, people ethics, and health and 
wellbeing. Read more in Strategy 2020.

Stora Enso’s Health and Safety Policy defines 
the objectives for our safety management as well 
as our governance model for managing health 
and safety topics in practice and integrating them 
into annual planning and reporting.

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Other key documents applied in our people 

Case

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

and safety management include our:
•  Stora Enso Code – our code of conduct
•  Supplier Code of Conduct
•  Minimum Human Resources Requirements for 

labour conditions

•  Global Framework Agreement
•  Diversity Policy
•  Human Rights Policy

How we work

Occupational safety
The health and safety of Stora Enso’s employees 
is a key priority. Our goal is to provide an accident-
free and inclusive workplace. A company-wide 
safety culture means that everyone is responsible 
for making every workday healthy and safe – 
starting with our top management and throughout 
the company.

We closely monitor the Covid-19 situation 
globally and take action to secure the health and 
safety of our employees and others working on 
our premises. This work is steered by a Crisis 
Management team that consists of Group 
Leadership Team members and is led by the 
CEO. For more information on how Stora Enso 
promoted the health and safety of employees 
during the pandemic in 2020, see page 20.

Safety management at Stora Enso is based 

on international standards but our processes 
go beyond these requirements. Our units are 
transitioning from the OHSAS 18001 to the ISO 
45001 occupational health and safety (OHS) 
management system. In 2020, 85% of our own 
employees were covered by one of these third-
party audited management systems. Responsibility 
for implementing each safety tool and programme 
in our units lies with line management, supported 
by local staff and OHS professionals.

The Board of Directors’ Sustainability and 
Ethics Committee oversees the Group-wide 
safety work. Safety and industrial hygiene 
are managed by the Group Safety function 
and occupational health including wellbeing 
is managed by our Group Human Resources 
function. Stora Enso’s Safety Steering Group 
directs strategic long-term planning at Group level 
and oversees the work of the Safety Management 
Team, which develops and aligns Group-wide 
safety programmes. Our country-level OHS 
networks in Finland, Sweden, Germany, and 
China also share good practices and organise 

Stora Enso’s digital 
safety innovations 
showcase agility

When times change, so do companies. 
In these exceptional times, Stora Enso is 
leading the way in exploring new technologies 
for maintaining a high level of occupational 
safety. With Covid-19 challenging the regular 
safety procedures, an example of new ways 
of working is replacing physical safety audits 
with digital ones. Live-stream mill tours 
make the audits easy to execute, as the 
only necessary equipment are a 3G internet 
connection, a selfie-stick, and a headset. 
The digital safety audits have exceeded 
expectations and Stora Enso is evaluating if 

they could be used in some locations even 
after the pandemic.

In addition, Stora Enso units have explored 

live-stream safety walks where participants 
from different countries virtually walk through 
a mill and discuss findings. Virtual reality is 
also being tested for safety training.

“Technology can support us in taking the 
next steps in occupational safety and will bring 
a competitive advantage,” says Wolf Willems, 
Head of Safety at Stora Enso.

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

training to enhance our safety procedures 
and competencies. 

Local OHS committees and working groups at 
our units provide forums for raising safety-related 
topics and suggestions. Safety is also a key item 
for Stora Enso’s Operations Forum that develops 
the company’s operations cross-divisionally. To 
further integrate safety into our operations, the 
Group Safety function began reporting to the 
Chair of Stora Enso’s Operations Forum, who 
reports directly to the CEO, in September 2020. 
Our units follow Group-level instructions 
when reporting on safety performance data, 

including incidents, absenteeism statistics, and 
safety observations. Stora Enso also monitors 
the number of safety incidents among on-site, 
logistics, and forestry contractors. We have also 
introduced consistent visitor inductions, that 
include safety information, for all our units. 
Stora Enso has a formal procedure to 
increase the sharing of insights from previous 
accidents within the company and to prevent 
similar accidents from happening again. The 
insights are discussed in different forums 
throughout the company, such as in the Group 
Leadership Team, Safety Steering Group, 

Safety Management team, and division and mill 
management teams.

Health and wellbeing
We believe that the foundation for physical and 
mental health and wellbeing in the workplace is 
based on people management, organisation of 
work, and an inclusive work environment that 
promotes both physical and mental health. All 
these factors impact the health and wellbeing, 
including stress levels, of our employees and 
need to be addressed to create wellbeing in the 
organisation. We follow wellbeing in our annual 
employee survey with a specific wellbeing index 
that measures inclusion and organisational 
factors impacting health and wellbeing in 
the workplace.

To ensure that our employees are well informed 

and to support their wellbeing, we set up new 
actions and channels for internal communications 
around Covid-19 during the year. These included 
bi-weekly information calls with the CEO and the 
Group Leadership Team as well as a special site on 
our intranet dedicated to wellbeing. 

Contractor safety
Stora Enso’s comprehensive approach to 
safety covers everyone working in and visiting 
our operations, including our own employees, 
contractors, suppliers, and on-site visitors. 
We encourage everyone to give feedback and 
provide ideas on how to further improve safety. 
Additionally, we promote safety among our 
contractors and suppliers through a dedicated 
“Safety Trail” e-learning. We also emphasise 
the importance of safety by asking suppliers for 
information on their safety performance in our 
tendering process. In 2020, extra precautionary 
measures were taken related to our maintenance 
stops, to keep our people, our contractors and 
the surrounding communities safe. For more 
information about our co-operation with suppliers, 
see pages 60-63. We also cooperate closely on 
safety work with our joint operations in Brazil and 
Uruguay.

Leadership – driving company culture
Leadership is a key enabler of our strategy as it 
is the strongest driver for performance, wellbeing 
and company culture. Our culture is based on our 
values “Lead” and “Do what’s right,” which we 
expect our leaders to embrace and demonstrate 
through their actions and behaviour. We measure 

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Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

our progress on leadership by using a Leadership 
Index, which is based on the responses of our 
annual employee survey.

Performance management
Managing the performance of our employees is 
an important part of engaging and motivating our 
workforce. We set and communicate clear targets 
for our employees, help them understand how 
they contribute to our company’s success, and 
provide development opportunities and regular 
feedback. Our annual employee performance 
appraisals are an important component of our 
performance management.

Diversity
We believe diversity strengthens our 
competitiveness and we aim to reflect the 
societies in which we operate. Diverse working 
teams enable us to explore different perspectives 
and challenge our way of thinking, contributing 
to better decision-making. To benefit from 
diverse working teams, we need inclusive work 
environments that respect and appreciate 
individual differences and allow us to embrace 
the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives 
of our employees. Dimensions such as skills and 
experiences, gender, age, cultural background, 

and personality are important to Stora Enso when 
we strive for diversity.

Fair working conditions
We care for all our employees and are 
committed to fully respecting human rights 
throughout our operations. All Stora Enso units 
are expected to work systematically to ensure that 
employees are treated with respect and fairness. 
Units should also comply with a set of minimum 
requirements for labour conditions in order to 
create an environment where employees are 
both motivated and able to perform their work. 
These requirements address areas such as 
working hours, basic employee rights, working 
conditions, and non-discrimination. Based on 
a self-assessment conducted in 2019, the vast 
majority of our production units are in compliance 
with these requirements, and units with 
improvement needs have established action plans 
to become fully compliant with them. The next 
self-assessment will be conducted in 2021.

We continued to address areas in the Global 
Framework Agreement that we have signed with 
the labour unions IndustriAll, UniGlobal, and 
BWI to strive for a working environment where 
all our employees are treated with respect and in 
a fair manner.

Support in restructuring situations
In organisational restructuring situations, it 
is important that the impacted employees 
understand the reasons for the change. Our 
ambition is to support leaving employees in 
finding work elsewhere. Support initiatives 
are often developed on a country or local 
level to best suit the local circumstances and 
requirements. Every employee is treated with 
respect and has access to support throughout 
the restructuring process.

The earlier announced plan concerning 
the conversion of our Oulu paper mill in Finland 
into a packaging production unit was completed 
in January 2021, and the redundancies of 
365 employees mainly took place during the 
year 2020. We also announced the closure of 
the newsprint paper machine (PM3) and the 
deinking plant at Hylte Mill in Sweden. These 
measures will impact up to 140 employees. 
Our Forest division downsized its plantation 
operations in Laos and our Packaging Materials 
division closed the paper sack plant at the 
Ostrołeka Mill in Poland. Closing the plant 
resulted in 130 redundancies. Our Wood 
Products division finalised the divestment of 
the Pfarrkirchen sawmill. The unit employed 
90 employees.

Total recordable incident rates (TRI)1 2 
Number of incidents among our own employees  
per one million hours worked

Lost-time accident rates (LTA)1 2 
Number of lost-time accidents among our own  
employees per one million hours worked

25

20

15

10

5

0

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

China
Finland
Poland
Sweden
Group

2.8
19.0
5.1
19.4
11.7

1.4
11.5
4.4
12.0
7.4

1.4
9.7
3.5
9.7
6.1

0.9
13.0
4.5
8.8
7.0

1.1
10.3
3.0
7.9
6.1

China
Finland
Poland
Sweden
Group

0.9
5.0
3.0
8.4
4.4

1.0
8.7
4.1
8.5
5.2

0.8
8.0
3.5
7.1
4.6

0.8
11.0
4.3
6.3
5.6

1.1
8.6
3.0
5.7
5.1

1 For Stora Enso employees, including joint operations. Figures for the four largest countries in terms of the total number of employees.  
² Since January 2017, Stora Enso has applied Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) definitions in the reporting of TRI and LTA rates. Due to this change, the 2016 figures are not comparable 
with 2017–2020 figures. 

At Oulu Mill, we have offered training to all 
interested employees to support them in finding 
new job opportunities. Over 120 employees have 
participated in this training. Overall, a solution 
already exists for almost 200 employees before 
the end of their Stora Enso employment contract. 
The solutions include new employment, either 
within Stora Enso or externally, professional 
training (over 50 employees participating), and 
some employee retirements.

In connection with the paper sack plant 

decommission in Ostrołeka, we have cooperated 
with an external partner to support our employees. 

During 2020, our China packaging units 

started to increasingly outsource needed 
workforce to further improve operational flexibility 
in the face of changing market situations. The 
units’ packaging manufacturing operations are 
relatively labour intensive and the number of 
employees varies according to seasonality.

Progress

Safety during a global pandemic
During the global Covid-19 pandemic, we have 
promoted the health and safety of our employees 
and others working in our premises through various 
measures. We took early action by imposing a 
global travel ban from early February 2020. We 
also prohibited all physical meetings by strongly 
advising personnel to work remotely whenever 
feasible, restricted access to mill sites, and 
quarantined potentially affected employees. These 
practices were in place throughout most of the 
year. Our employees were advised to follow the 
rules and recommendations of national and local 
authorities both at work and in their private lives. In 
the end of November, several Covid-19 infections 
were detected among contractors working on 
the Oulu Mill conversion project. Following the 
infections, Stora Enso further enhanced guidelines 
to prevent Covid-19 infections, tested the entire 
personnel including contractors working at the 
mill, and continued testing as required. We also 
conducted a third-party supplier audit of selected 
contractors on how they have prepared for and 
executed the prevention of Covid-19 while onsite 
at Oulu Mill. We continue to closely monitor the 
Covid-19 situation.

Enhancing safety performance
Stora Enso reports incidents and accidents 
using the international Occupational Health and 

Leave blank

2016

2.8

19.0

5.1

19.4

11.7

2017

1.4

11.5

4.4

12.0

7.4

2018

2019

2020

1.4

9.7

3.5

9.7

6.1

0.9

13.0

4.5

8.8

7.0

1.1

10.3

3.0

7.9

6.1

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Finland

Poland

Sweden

Group

China

Finland

Poland

Sweden

Group

Leave blank

2016
0.9

5.0

3.0

8.4

4.4

2017
1.0

8.7

4.1

8.5

5.2

2018
0.8

8.0

3.5

7.1

4.6

2019

2020

0.8

11.0

4.3

6.3

5.6

1.1

8.6

3.0

5.7

5.1

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China

Finland

Poland

Sweden

Group

China

Finland

Poland

Sweden

Group

 38

Leave blank

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Leave blank

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

XX

XX

XX

XX

XX

XX

XX

XX

XX

XX

leave row empty

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Our aim is to create a safe and blame-free workplace where all employees are treated in a fair and just manner.

improved to 84 (83). The response rate to our 
employee survey remained high at 83% (86%).

We continuously invest in the development of 
our leaders through programmes such as “Lead 
Through People.”  The Lead Through People 
programme targets all managers in the company 
and supports them in developing their leadership 
skills to drive performance, wellbeing, and 
company culture. Since 2015, approximately 3 400 
managers have participated in this programme. 
During 2020, we organised a series of leadership 
webinars to address challenges related to remote 
leadership and to support leaders in various other 
topics. Around 1 700 leaders were invited to 
these online seminars, and the recordings of the 
webinars were made available afterwards. 

All Stora Enso employees should be involved 

in at least one formal performance appraisal 
meeting with their manager each year. In 2020, 
90% (90%) of our employee survey respondents 
stated that they had taken part in a performance 
review in the past twelve months.

Employee diversity
When asked about diversity in the annual employee 
survey, 85% (84%) of our employees reported 

that their management was able to create diverse 
teams. As for gender diversity among our senior 
management, 73% were male and 27% female 
at the end of 2020 (76% and 24% in 2019). The 
Group Leadership Team had 6 female and 9 male 
members at the end of 2020.

Living wages
Every other year, the global non-profit 
organisation BSR supports us in defining and 
calculating living wages in relevant locations. We 
reviewed the situation in our production units in 
Brazil, China, Estonia, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, 
Poland, Russia, and Uruguay in 2019. The results 
of this study indicate that our units’ minimum 
compensation in these countries is above the 
living wages defined by BSR. The next study will 
be conducted in 2021.

1 As of our 2020 reporting, our joint operations Veracel and 
Montes del Plata are excluded from the absenteeism rate, 
which is in line with our other HR reporting. The 2019 rate 
has been recalculated for comparability. For more information 
about data boundaries in our sustainability reporting, see 
Reporting scope.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

For Stora Enso, developing trust with 
employees is critical when it comes to safety 
issues and discussing safety incidents. In 2020, 
we continued to introduce the ‘Fair and Just’ 
process, which provides a transparent way to 
manage the outcome of safety investigations. 
It also serves as a tool to facilitate the review and 
discussion of safety incidents and other unsafe 
behaviour. The aim of ‘Fair and Just’ is to create 
a blame-free working environment and a learning 
organisation to ensure that all our employees are 
treated in a fair and just manner.

Stora Enso also encourages employees 
and contractors to identify and report unsafe 
situations or actions. In 2020, the average number 
of safety observations reported per employee was 
12.2 (12.7). To further increase and harmonise 
safety reporting, Stora Enso is implementing 
a Group-wide digital tool for submitting safety 
observations, safety notifications and near-
misses in our operations and office locations. 
The implementation of the new reporting system 
began in Q4 2020 and will continue in 2021.
In November 2020, Stora Enso arranged 

a Group-wide Safety Week with the theme 
‘Caring for each other’. The aim was to engage 
our management, employees and contractors 
to accelerate safety and safety culture through 
local activities. Safety Week resulted in a range of 
activities across divisions, functions and offices, 
such as safety webinars and trainings, as well as 
health and wellbeing activities.

During the year, Stora Enso continued its safety 

audit programme to verify the implementation 
of safety standards and tools. The programme 
promotes a common approach, content, and 
methodology for safety audits with focus on 
common areas of concern such as the “Lockout-
Tagout” procedure, risk assessments, permits 
to work, and the operating of heavy machinery. 
During the year, 2 (43) physical internal safety 
audits were conducted across Stora Enso units 
before the programme was put on hold due to 
Covid-19. By using digital tools, we were able to 
conduct 30 additional online safety audits despite 
social distancing. 

Leadership and 
performance management
Stora Enso’s KPI for leadership is the Leadership 
Index, which is calculated based on our annual 
employee survey. Our target is to achieve an index 
of 85/100 by 2022. In 2020, the Leadership Index 

Safety (OHSA) definitions when reporting Total 
Recordable Incident (TRI) and Lost-Time Accident 
(LTA) rates. This allows the reported rates to be 
better aligned with international standards and 
to enable future benchmarking with peers and 
companies in other sectors. Stora Enso uses the 
Total Recordable Incident (TRI) rate as its main 
key performance indicator (KPI) as it provides a 
comprehensive overview of safety performance 
by including less severe accidents. Stora Enso 
also monitors contractor accidents in separate 
categories for on-site accidents and logistics 
incidents. For more information, see page 63.

Our milestone for 2020 was to reach the TRI 
rate of 4.7 by the end of 2020. In 2020, our TRI 
rate decreased to 6.1 (7.0 in 2019). Despite our 
ambition to improve our safety performance, 
the milestone for 2020 was not achieved. 
Tragically, during the year, two fatalities occurred 
at our Guangxi forestry operations in China, 
both involving contractor employees. We have 
investigated the incidents and their root causes 
together with the contractor and local authorities. 
The learnings from these tragic events will 
be acted upon at Stora Enso to prevent such 
accidents from recurring. 

Regarding occupational health, Stora Enso 

measures illness related absenteeism with a 
focus on encouraging units to invest in proactive 
health management. In 2020, illness-related 
absenteeism amounted to 3.6% (3.4%1) 
of maximum theoretical working hours of 
our employees.

Employee distribution by country¹ 

Finland 26%
Sweden 23%
China 14%
Poland 9%
Russia 5%
Czech Republic 5%
Austria 4%
Germany 4%
Other Europe 9%
Other countries 1%

1 Excluding employees of our 50%-owned joint operations 
Veracel in Brazil and Montes del Plata in Uruguay.

Legend

Finland

Sweden

China

Poland

Russia

Czech Republic

Austria

Germany

Other Europe

Other countries

Total

Value in %

26% XX%

23% XX%

14% XX%

9% XX%

5% XX%

5% XX%

4% XX%

4% XX%

9% XX%

1% XX%

100%

 40

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Compensation and equal opportunity1

Ratio of highest individual compensation  
to median compensation2

Female employees’ compensation  
compared to male employees 3

China
Finland
Poland
Sweden

2020

101
17
17
26

2019

106
13
19
42

2020

90%
92%
90%
99%

¹ Figures for the four largest countries in terms of the total number of employees. For more information on remuneration, see our Remuneration report 2020.
² The ratio shows how many times larger the highest individual annual total compensation, including paid incentives, is compared to median compensation.
³ Calculated using weighted averages based on gender comparisons within each country’s employee categories as applicable.

Our lowest wages compared to local minimum wages1

Ratio of our lowest wage to the local minimum wage

2019

91%
95%
94%
99%

Brazil²
China³
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Russia
Uruguay4

2020
1.2
1.3
1.2
1.7
1.4
1.1
1.6
1.6

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1.1
1.5
1.0
1.6
1.5
1.2
1.4
1.5

1 In the most relevant locations based on internal assessment and human rights 
risks, compared to minimum wage levels set at national, state, or provincial level as 
applicable. Reporting on Laos discontinued due to the downsizing of the operation. 
The ratio shows how many times larger our lowest wage is compared to the local 
minimum wage.
2 Including employees of our 50%-owned joint operation Veracel.
3 Due to variations in regional minimum wages, the ratio is calculated as a weighted 
average for Stora Enso’s units in China. The weighting is based on the units’ total 
number of employees.
4 Including employees of our 50%-owned joint operation Montes del Plata. 

Share of female employees at Stora Enso

Total number of employees at year-end1
Share of women among all employees (%)
Share of women among senior managers (%)
Women in the Group Leadership Team
Women in the Board of Directors

1 Excluding employees of our 50%-owned joint operations Montes del Plata and Veracel.

2020
22 320
24%
27%
6 out of 15
2 out of 9 

2019
24 390
26%
24%
5 out of 11
2 out of 9 

Employee distribution and turnover1

Number of 
employees
Up to 30
31–50
51 and over
Number of 
hires2
Up to 30
31–50
51 and over
Number of 
leavings3
Up to 30
31–50
51 and over
Employee 
turnover

China4

Finland

Poland

Sweden

Group total

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

1420 (45%)
340
1 060
20

1 720 (55%)
540
1110
70

1 180 (20%)
120
630
430

4 600 (80%)
490
2330
1780

400 (20%)
70
220
110

1 570 (80%)
250
880
440

1 080 (21%)
140
540
400

3 960 (79%)
500
1510
1950

70 (26%)
30
40
0

660 (55%)
220
440
0

200 (74%)
110
90
0

550 (45%)
220
320
10

60 (22%)
20
40
0

80 (15%)
0
40
40

210 (78%)
70
110
30

460 (85%)
20
150
290

20 (22%)
10
10
0

40 (16%)
0
20
20

70 (78%)
20
40
10

210 (84%)
30
100
80

70 (27%)
20
50
0

70 (21%)
10
30
30

190 (73%)
80
90
20

260 (79%)
30
80
150

46 %

32 %

7 %

10 %

9 %

13 %

6 %

6 %

22 320
16%
53%
31%

1430
41%
51%
8%

2 830
23%
50%
27%

13%

1 Figures for the four largest countries in terms of the total number of employees. Rounded to the nearest 10.
2 Hires: numbers of permanent employees joining the company. Excludes hires due to acquisitions. 
3 Leavings: numbers of permanent employees leaving voluntarily or due to restructuring, retirement or death. Excludes leavings due to divestments.
4 The employee turnover in China is mainly due to Stora Enso China Packaging units where packaging manufacturing operations are relatively labour intensive and the number 
of employees vary according to seasonality. The employee turnover in China Packaging has a significant impact on the Group employee turnover. The Group employee turnover 
excluding China Packaging units was 8% in 2020.

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Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Community

With a global presence in more 
than 30 countries, Stora Enso 
engages with numerous local 
communities around the world. 

Total voluntary community investment

EUR 2.7 million

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Opportunities and challenges

Supporting community resilience
Companies can improve the quality of life of 
local communities through active corporate 
citizenship. Voluntary investments can also 
generate long-term community support for 
the company’s operations.

When Stora Enso sources its main raw material 

– renewable wood – and manufactures its wood-
based products, it depends on local communities 
for workforce and a social license to operate. In our 
efforts to be a good corporate citizen, we support 
and work with these communities to help them 
thrive economically, socially, and environmentally. 
The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated how 
important, although challenging, community 
engagement and investment can be in times of 
crisis. When communities thrive, they are more 
resilient to changes brought on by phenomena 
and crises, such as pandemics, climate change, 
or economic turbulence.

While Stora Enso is a significant employer, 

taxpayer, and business partner in many 
communities, our operations also generate 
emissions and our tree plantations influence 
land use in ways that may adversely impact the 
rights of those communities. Our actions must 
be managed responsibly in order to minimise 
negative socio-environmental impacts, maximise 
our positive influence, and maintain a constructive 
community dialogue that ensures our long-term 
license to operate.

Our policies

Guidance for our community work
Policies that guide Stora Enso’s community 
relations include our:
•  Sponsorship and Donations Policy
•  Community Investment Guidelines
•  Volunteering Guideline – encourages our 

employees to volunteer during their working 
hours to support charitable causes.

•  The Stora Enso Code – our code of conduct
•  Business Practice Policy
•  Human Rights Policy
•  Tax Policy

Our joint operations in Brazil and Uruguay 
have each developed formal procedures for 
their respective community work to reflect 
Stora Enso’s requirements.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Managing our impacts 
on local communities
We take precautionary actions to mitigate and 
remedy potential adverse environmental and 
social impacts on neighbouring communities. 
These include:
• Due diligence where we evaluate the impacts 

that our current or potential business 
operations may have on local communities 
and the environment. Community 
consultations are a key element of this work. 
For more information, see page 13.

• Third-party certified management systems at 
our production units that apply international 
standards, such as ISO 14001, ISO 45001, 
and ISO 50001.

• Third-party forest management certification 

for our own forestry operations and suppliers, 
such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) 
and the Programme for the Endorsement of 
Forest Certification (PEFC).

• When necessary, restructuring processes 
and the closure of operations are realised 
in cooperation with the authorities to 
support communities through related 
changes, and to create opportunities for new 
business initiatives.

• Grievance mechanisms are available to 
communities close to our operations. 
For more information, see page 30.

Community investment 
through local projects
To Stora Enso, voluntary community investment 
means contributions that involve engaging with 
local communities beyond our core business and 
legal responsibility. This is carried out through 
voluntary donations of cash, working hours, and 
in-kind for non-profit purposes or non-profit 
community organisations in accordance with the 
globally recognised Business for Societal Impact 
framework (B4SI, formerly LBG). 

Stora Enso has a worldwide Community 
Investment programme where projects are 
managed and funded locally to ensure that the 
communities close to our operations are the main 
beneficiaries. The programme has three strategic 
focus areas: Education, Environment, and 
Resilient local communities. 

We promote volunteering as a way to 
strengthen the relationship between our 

How we work

Voluntary community investment by investment area1

Education

14%

Emergency relief

4%

Other 

1%

Resilient local communities2 

76%

Environment 

5%

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1 Total community investment including cash, working hours, and in-kind as defined in the B4SI framework. Including 50% of joint operations Veracel in Brazil and Montes 
del Plata in Uruguay. 2 Resilient local communities include B4SI framework areas of Economic development, Social welfare, Healthy lifestyle and Arts and Culture.

employees and local communities. All Stora Enso 
employees can volunteer eight hours of work time 
per year to charitable causes.

We monitor the impact that our contributions 
have on local communities. For example, in China, 
Stora Enso has invested in drinking water projects 
since 2017. These projects have benefitted nearly 
3 500 people and enabled a significant reduction 
in the instances of water-related illnesses and the 
consumption of bottled water in the communities.

Progress

Contributions affected  
by Covid-19 pandemic
Our key performance indicator (KPI) for 
community investment monitors the proportion 
of inputs made in working hours and in-kind 

compared with cash donations, excluding our 
joint operations, with continued growth in our 
community investment over time. Our target 
is to increase the proportion of working hours 
and in-kind contributions to 70% by the end of 
2023, excluding joint operations. Our progress 
towards this target was slowed down in 2020, 
which is largely explained by the restrictions 
on volunteer work and community projects 
that we needed to enforce to ensure the safety 
of our employees and community members 
during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, this 
proportion decreased to 41% (46% in 2019). 
When including our joint operations in Brazil 
and Uruguay, the proportion was 19% (22%). 
The difference is explained by the nature 
of community investment projects in these 
countries, where programmes tend to be more 

long-term and often cover wider societal issues 
with investment needs. 

Due to limitations brought on by the pandemic, 

the share of community investment projects in 
the Education category reduced to 14% (18% in 
2019). The share of those related to the categories 
of Environment and Resilient local communities 
was 5% and 76% respectively (6% and 66% 
in 2019). During the pandemic, many of our 
community investment projects consisted of 
donating materials, such as personal protective 
equipment (PPE), but also cash donations to 
charity organisations dedicated to health and 
social welfare. 

In 2020, the number of reported employees 

involved in community investment activities 
during working hours increased to 2 684 
(1 771), but total volunteered hours decreased 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Case

Supporting local 
communities during 
the pandemic

We are living in exceptional times and 
solidarity is needed more than ever. 
Authorities, charities, and businesses are 
working together to reach out to those in need. 
While Stora Enso continues to provide vital 
renewable materials to its customers, many 
of whom serve the medical, hygiene, and 
food industries, our units are also supporting 
their communities.

“The resilience of local communities is now 

more important than ever, and Stora Enso 
wants to be a partner that can support this 
goal,” says Leena Delestre, Community 

Investment Manager at Stora Enso. “Our units 
support communities in three ways: through 
cash donations, donations of materials, and 
volunteering on company time.” 

Examples of Stora Enso units supporting 
their communities include donating to a food 
programme in Finland, donating packaging 
for hospital supplies in Poland, producing 
disinfectant for local needs in Sweden, and 
donating packaged milk to school children 
in China.

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

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to 6 921 (8 372). The total contribution to 
communities as defined by Business for Societal 
Impact was EUR 2.7 million (EUR 2.7 million), 
including 50% of the community investments by 
our 50/50 joint operations in Brazil and Uruguay. 
The total number of Stora Enso’s voluntary 
community investment projects was 343 (441 
in 2019), including those facilitated by our 
joint operations. 

Community support around the world
During 2020, we engaged with the communities 
close to our operations in various ways, including 
agroforestry programmes and educational 
support. Many of the donations related to Covid-
19 support were granted to charity organisations 
with a local reach in order to ensure that the help 
went directly to families in need. 

Our community engagement work was 

impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in 
different ways. In Europe, our employee 
volunteering reduced and focused on activities 
related to pandemic support. In Uruguay and 
Brazil, where community engagement typically 
takes place face to face, our employees have 
mainly relied on phone conversations, emails, 
and virtual meetings to ensure the safety of 
everyone involved. In Guangxi, China, our 
community engagement work was affected by 
the pandemic in the beginning of the year but we 
were able to continue the activities somewhat 
normally later in the spring, when government 
restrictions on accessing local communities 
were lifted.

Europe
In Europe, Stora Enso’s community 
investments are mainly targeted to benefit 
the local communities where we operate to 
enhance their resilience and attractiveness to 
existing and potential employees. To grow and 
support our potential labour pool, we participate 
in programmes that promote education and 
youth work training and provide internships and 
public research opportunities. We also promote 
diversity and inclusion in the local workforce 
by participating in programmes that facilitate 
the employment of disadvantaged people 
and refugees.

To contribute to the everyday vitality of 

communities, we also financially support 

Our Uimaharju 
Mills began 
cooperation with 
a local school to 
support studies in 
natural sciences.

local associations, including sports clubs and 
cultural activities.

In 2020, many of our units in Europe 

supported their local communities with challenges 
related to the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, 
many of our mills in Finland supported local food 
aid programmes for families struggling financially, 
in collaboration with charity organisations. Some 
of our mills in Finland, Sweden, and Poland also 
donated protective personal equipment (PPE) to 
local aid collections. For more examples, read 
this article.

Our Uimaharju Mills in Finland began a 
three-year cooperation with a local secondary 
school to provide students with an opportunity to 
deepen their studies in natural sciences (STEM). 
During the programme, the students will spend 
some of their study time at Uimaharju Mills to 
learn about water management, wood-based 
products, and sustainability in a mill environment.
We also continued to support the Finnish 
Forest Foundation (FFF) by matching voluntary 
donations from forest owners, which are linked 
to the purchase of wood. These donations 
contribute to FFF’s community investment funds 
that focus on the economic aspects of the forestry 
sector. Activities include inspiring young people 
to pursue a career in forestry and funding relevant 
research projects. Stora Enso has supported the 
foundation since 1995.

During the year, Stora Enso’s substantial 
cash donation to Save the Children in Sweden 
and Finland covered both domestic programmes 
and international humanitarian assistance 

Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

and helped mitigate negative impacts caused 
by the pandemic. In Sweden, the target 
group was newly arrived children and youth 
from other countries, children and youth in 
socially and economically deprived areas of 
Sweden, and children who have experienced 
abuse. In Finland, our donation contributed to 
providing books and supporting hobbies for 
under-privileged children.

As for humanitarian assistance, Stora Enso’s 
donation to Save the Children Sweden was used 
to enable a strategic partnership between Save the 
Children and UNHCR, which focused on improving 
the health of the most marginalised children in five 
refugee camps and reception centre for Burundian 
refugees in Rwanda. Our donation to Save the 
Children Finland’s humanitarian assistance 
programme was directed to Somalia, Kenya, and 
Ethiopia to respond to severe drought and the 
consequent critical levels of hunger.

Guangxi, China
In the Guangxi province of China, Stora Enso’s 
field staff and social engagement officers speak 
regularly with local communities impacted by our 
plantations and mill, and along our transportation 
routes, to inform them about our operations 
and to enable them to express their concerns 
and suggest ideas for improvement. Our aim is 
to identify and understand concerns and risks, 
so that we are prepared to properly mitigate 
and remedy them when necessary. For more 
information about our community consultation 
work, see page 13.

In 2020, Stora Enso employees across our 

operations in China organised a fundraiser 
to support the prevention and follow-up 
measures of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over 1 
200 employees raised EUR 22 700, which was 
matched 1:1 by Stora Enso’s units in China. 
The funds were donated to the China Charity 
Federation to support national pandemic 
relief work and to foster economic and social 
recovery in China.

During the year, our Beihai Mill donated 800 
kg of its paperboard to six schools in Guangxi to 
support Braille education for visually impaired 
children. The mill also organised two coastal 
clean-up activities, during which nearly 80 
employees collected approximately one tonne of 
waste from the local beaches. 

Our forestry operations in Guangxi run 

community projects to address challenges in rural 

Nearly 80 Beihai Mill employees collected waste from the local beaches in two clean-up activities in 2020.

villages near our plantations. In 2020, Stora Enso 
supported 16 community projects that benefited 
over 32 000 people. The projects had three 
main focus areas: road construction and safety, 
sports and cultural development, drinking water, 
and sanitation.

For example, we donated to several road 
construction and safety projects to improve 
traffic safety and benefit the local rural economy. 
One such project included the construction of 
a road that has enabled more than 800 villagers to 
transport their crops without having to travel on 
mud roads. The road also eases our harvesting 
and transportation operations.

In addition, together with the local 

government, Stora Enso invested in a drinking 
water project in a rural community near our 

plantations during 2020. We supported the 
construction of a 2 km long water pipe, which 
will provide clean drinking water to approximately 
780 residents. 

Veracel, Brazil
Our 50/50 joint operation Veracel owns 213 000 
hectares of land in Bahía, Brazil, of which about 
half is reserved for rainforest restoration and 
conservation and about 82 000 hectares are 
planted with eucalyptus trees. Veracel also 
leases 11 000 hectares of land. Supporting 
income generation and employment in local 
communities are the top priorities of Veracel’s 
sustainability agenda.

For information on Veracel’s engagement 

with indigenous communities, see page 16.

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Veracel’s community support 
during the pandemic
To support local health and safety efforts related 
to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Veracel 
donated more than 200 000 items of Personal 
Protective Equipment (PPE) to public health 
units, social service clinics, and rural workers’ 
associations in Bahía. In partnership with its 
second owner, Suzano, Veracel also supported 
the construction of a field hospital in the city of 
Teixeira de Freitas, run by the Government of 
the State of Bahía, and donated 20 respirators 
to the hospital. To support local fishing and 
indigenous communities, Veracel donated food, 
cleaning and water purification products, as well 
as demineralised water for the manufacturing 
of disinfectant.

Supporting local livelihoods
Veracel supports local livelihoods by making 
some of its land available to family farmers, 
and by providing training and technical support. 
The Agrovida and Roça do Povo farming 
programmes, for instance, aim to support local 
farmers, produce food for local communities, 
and trade surplus production in regional markets. 
A new cassava processing plant was built within 
the Roça do Povo programme, and training 
was provided to improve the productivity of 
cassava growing. The project will strengthen 
the local community by generating income 
and developing new skills. During 2020, the 
two initiatives assisted a total of 164 (192 in 
2019) families cultivating 168 (168) hectares 
of land in total. 

To safeguard biodiversity and help provide 
additional income to local families, Veracel allows 
beekeepers to keep hives on company land. It 
also provides training in beekeeping as well as 
technical and material support. During 2020, 
a total of 158 (161) beekeepers, mostly working 
through local cooperatives, produced 88 (114) 
tonnes of honey.

Beekeepers on 
Veracel’s land in Brazil 
produced 88 tonnes 
of honey in 2020.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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In 2020, Veracel also continued to support 
local fishing communities near Belmonte. The 
cooperation included support for establishing 
local fisheries, providing infrastructure for their 
commercialisation, offering safety training, 
and donating radios, computers, and printers to 
local fishing associations and vessels. A shellfish 
collection programme empowers women by 
creating a profitable livelihood, developing the 
women’s professional skills, and improving their 
opportunities to take part in community decision-
making. During the year, due to the social distancing 
restrictions put in place due to the Covid-19 
pandemic, the women were not able to work in 
the production unit built in 2019. To help generate 
alternative income, Veracel donated materials to 
the women to produce reusable face masks in their 
homes. The masks were then sold to Veracel. 

To further support the local economy, Veracel 

gives preference to local businesses when 
sourcing goods and services.

Montes del Plata, Uruguay
Montes del Plata, our 50/50 joint operation owned 
together with the Chilean company Arauco, runs a 
pulp mill in Punta Pereira in southwestern Uruguay, 
together with associated eucalyptus plantations 
mainly located in central and north-western parts 
of the country. Montes del Plata owns 190 000 
hectares and leases 79 000 hectares (Alianzas 
programme) of land. The Alianzas programme 
provides additional income for local farmers by 
enabling them to integrate eucalyptus plantations 
into their farms on suitable lands. At the end of 
2020, 524 (475 in 2019) farmers participated in the 
programme with 59 500 (53 000) hectares planted 
with eucalyptus. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 
Montes del Plata launched a podcast to ensure 
communication with the farmers continued despite 
restrictions on face-to-face meetings. The podcast 
discussed topics, such as safety, conservation, 
and social sustainability.

Alianzas also promotes the diverse use of 
Montes del Plata’s lands for purposes such as 
cattle grazing and honey production. The diverse 
use of land enhances local livelihoods, reduces 
the risk of forest fires, and helps to build stronger 
relationships with the community. During 2020, 194 
farmers kept cattle on Montes del Plata’s land and 
38 farmers produced honey from approximately 
5 660 beehives situated on the company’s land to 
supplement their incomes. During the year, Montes 
del Plata continued its cooperation with NGO Aves 

Uruguay to promote the sustainable management 
of natural grasslands, which are considered a 
conservation priority in South America. Over 65 
000 hectares of grassland coexist with Montes 
del Plata’s plantations. In 2020, the cooperation 
included defining a conservation index for three 
plots of Montes del Plata land, developing a plan to 
manage these ecosystems, and evaluating the new 
practices together with Alianzas farmers that keep 
cattle on the plots. 

Montes del Plata also seeks to benefit local 

communities by maximising local hiring and 
participating in mentoring programmes. 

Montes del Plata’s Bioparque M’Bopicuá 
environmental centre celebrated its 20-year 
anniversary in 2020. The centre, which typically 
hosts about 2 000 visitors annually, promotes 
education, and enables visitors to experience 
native wildlife at first hand.

During the year, Montes del Plata supported 
the local community in its efforts to combat the 
Covid-19 pandemic by, for example, donating 
hospital beds, face shields, and an ambulance 
to strengthen the response capacity of the 
department of Colonia.

Raising awareness of road safety
Montes del Plata has a long-term strategy for 
the safe transportation of wood, including annual 
action plans involving truck drivers, transport 
companies, and local communities. The mill’s 
wood supply is operated by approximately 600 
truck drivers from different transport companies. 
Montes del Plata trains all drivers before they start 
working for the company, organises quarterly 
workshops for drivers on safety, and follows up on 
safety indicators. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 
Montes del Plata was not able to carry out its 
awareness-raising initiative targeted at local 
schools and communities in 2020. Instead, the 
company launched a road safety campaign on 
radio stations along its transport routes. 

Laos
In 2020, Stora Enso announced it will downsize 
its Laos operations. Despite this, our village 
development fund will continue to support local 
development and livelihoods in the provinces where 
we operate. The projects are designed together 
with local residents based on their needs and are all 
endorsed by the local authorities. Most of the 2020 
funding was directed into projects related to health 
and sanitation, food security, and income generation.

Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Our donation to Save the Children contributed to providing books and supporting hobbies for under-privileged children.

Voluntary community investment1 

EUR 2.7 million

Voluntary community  
investment projects2 
By number of projects (343 projects in total)

Brazil 45%
Sweden 20%
Finland 15%
Uruguay 9%
China 5%
Belgium 2%
Other 4%

Finland 30%
Sweden 27%
Russia 11%
China 9%
Brazil 6%
Germany 4%
Other 13%

1 Total community investment includes cash, working hours, and in-kind as defined in the B4SI framework. Including 50% of joint 
operations Veracel in Brazil and Montes del Plata in Uruguay. 2 Including joint operations.

Legend

Brazil

Sweden

Finland

Uruguay

China

Belgium

Other

Total

Value in %

45%

20%

15%

9%

5%

2%

4%

100%

45%

20%

15%

9%

5%

2%

4%

Legend

Finland

Sweden

Russia

China

Brazil

Germany

Other

Total

Value in %

30%

27%

11%

9%

6%

4%

13%

100%

30%

27%

11%

9%

6%

4%

13%

41

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Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Business ethics

We believe that fostering 
an ethical company culture 
helps our people make 
the right decisions.

Opportunities and challenges

Broad ethical approach 
beyond compliance
Stora Enso operates in locations including 
high-risk markets that offer good business 
opportunities but may also entail exposure to 
serious risks relating to topics such as corruption 
and fraud. The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, 
the UK Bribery Act, and the French Loi Sapin 
II are all examples of effective legislation that 
governments and authorities have introduced 
to combat corruption. These laws place high 
demands on companies’ controlling mechanisms, 
but they also help to build accountability and 
trust among stakeholders. Competition law is 
also an area where lawmakers and competition 
authorities are increasingly active in their efforts 
to preserve a competitive economy. Complying 
with international trade sanctions may also require 
companies to take new measures.

Digitalisation brings great opportunities for 
organisations, but it also presents challenges 
regarding cybersecurity and the treatment of 
stakeholders’ personal data. Legislation such 
as the EU General Data Protection Regulation 
(GDPR) sets requirements concerning the 
processing of personal data, with heavy fines 
imposed for infringements. While compliance with 
laws and regulations is always the highest priority 
for us, we believe that adopting a wider ethical 
approach is also crucial.

Our policies

Comprehensive approach  
to ethics and compliance
Our code of conduct, the Stora Enso Code, 
is a single set of values for all our employees 
that explains our approach to ethical business 
practices, human and labour rights, as well as 
environmental values. These values are applied 
wherever we operate.

Other policies relevant to ethics and 

compliance include our:
•  Business Practice Policy
•  Data Privacy Policy
•  Supplier Code of Conduct

Stora Enso Code index

86/100

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We ensure that 
our grievance 
channels operate 
effectively and 
are accessible 
to all relevant 
stakeholders.

How we investigate suspected non­compliance cases

Report received, 
reviewed, and 
recorded

Investigation 
of the reported 
circumstances

Findings reported 
to ECMC and BoD* 

Proven cases can 
lead to disciplinary, 
legal, or other 
action

* ECMC = Ethics and Compliance Management Committee 
  BoD = Board of Directors’ Sustainability and Ethics Committee and Board of Directors’ Financial and Audit Committee

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How we work

Combatting misconduct on all fronts
Stora Enso’s Ethics and Compliance function 
sits within our Legal team, headed by our 
General Counsel who reports directly to the 
CEO. Our Ethics and Compliance Management 
Committee, a governance body appointed by the 
CEO, monitors Stora Enso’s legal compliance 
and ethical business conduct by following 
up on our Ethics and Compliance Action List. 
The Committee met four times during 2020.
Stora Enso’s Ethics and Compliance 

Strategy forms the basis for annual action plans. 
The strategy has five focus areas:
•  Top-level commitment
• 
• 

Improved communication and training
Intensified efforts in countries with 
heightened concerns

•  Developing our grievance channels
•  Ethics and compliance as a competitive edge.

Stora Enso is represented in Transparency 
International (TI) Sweden’s Chapter and has 
a steering role in TI Sweden’s Corporate 
Supporters’ Forum.

Top-level commitment
In our efforts to make Stora Enso a more value-
driven organisation, we highlight the importance 

of top-level commitment. All managers in key 
positions are required to participate in training and 
make a personal commitment to the Stora Enso 
Code and our Business Practice Policy, and to 
share related information with employees in their 
respective organisations.

Training our employees
We strive to ensure that Stora Enso’s employees 
and business partners all understand what 
ethical behaviour is, and how they should 
respond to any ethical dilemmas that may arise. 
Communications and training are a crucial part 
of this work.

Our employees receive Stora Enso Code 

training, either through an e-learning tool or through 
face-to-face training for those who do not have 
direct computer access. We aim to ensure that our 
new employees receive such training within their 
first month of employment. 

In addition, in-depth training on anti-trust, 
anti-corruption, and other compliance-related 
topics is mandatory for all members of our 
Group Leadership Team, for divisional and mill 
management teams, and for employees dealing 
with competitor contacts, purchasing, marketing, 
and sales. The training has been run since 2013 
and a new interactive training was launched in 
2020. All relevant employees will be invited to 
complete the updated training during 2021.

The Stora Enso Data Privacy Policy aims 
to protect the company against risks related to 
breaches of data privacy, to let our employees 
know how Stora Enso collects and uses their 
personal data, and to ensure that the privacy 
rights of our employees, business partners, and 
other stakeholders are protected. All white-
collar Stora Enso employees are required to 
complete our e-learning training on data privacy. 
By the end of 2020, 92% of white-collar employees 
had been trained (88% by the end of 2019).

In addition, Stora Enso employees are offered 

training in dawn raids, trade associations, joint 
purchasing agreements, gifts and hospitality, and 
the onboarding of critical business partners.

Comprehensive risk 
assessments on compliance
Operating in high-risk markets and entering into 
joint ventures can entail exposure to serious risks. 
Our risk assessment procedures on compliance 
cover all our units. The most significant 
compliance risks in our global operations relate to 
anti-trust and corruption.

Overall risk assessment at Stora Enso follows 

the Risk Management Process (ERM) and is 
outlined in our Enterprise Risk Management 
instructions. In recent years, ethics and 
compliance has been considered one of 
Stora Enso’s key risks. In 2020, the ethics and 

compliance risk assessment, closely connected 
with the Ethics and Compliance Self-Assessment 
Tool (T.E.S.T.), was performed several times.

The results of this assessment have been used 

in divisional manager discussions to enhance  
compliance; for strategy planning in the Group 
Ethics and Compliance function; and in the 
Group-level ERM process.

The management and employees of our fully 

and jointly owned operations in China, Brazil, 
and Uruguay receive training on our Business 
Practice Policy. Employees in our 50%-owned 
joint operations in Brazil and Uruguay also receive 
training on their respective Codes of Conduct 
and Business Practice Principles, covering topics 
such as human rights, environmental impacts, 
safety, and ethical practices. 

Breakdown of potential non-compliance cases
2019
0
4
4
12

2020
0
9
6
14

Anti-trust
Conflict of interest
Corruption
Fraud
Discrimination, harassment 
and/or bullying
Health and safety
Miscellaneous
Total

28
8
21
86

26
3
8
57

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

A culture of ethical behaviour is key to our long-term success.

In recent years, we have reviewed the joint 

ventures where Stora Enso is a shareholder, 
implemented competition law guidelines, and 
arranged training at board level when considered 
necessary. Guidelines and training have focused 
on relevant competition law aspects such as 
information sharing.

During 2019 and 2020, simulations of 
unannounced inspections (often referred to as 
“dawn raids”) and online dawn raid trainings were 
carried out in approximately 20 of Stora Enso’s 
offices worldwide. The purpose of the dawn 
raid spot checks was to verify that Stora Enso’s 
Dawn Raid Instruction Manual and Package have 
been properly implemented within the company, 
including but not limited to the obligation to 
cooperate fully with the authorities.

Grievance channels
Our employees are encouraged to report 
suspected cases of misconduct or unethical 
behaviour. Other stakeholders may also want to 
seek ways to raise concerns over our activities. To 
ensure that rights to privacy and effective remedy 

are respected, we must ensure that our grievance 
channels operate effectively and are accessible to 
all relevant stakeholders.

Stora Enso uses an external service 
through which our employees and external 
stakeholders can anonymously report potential 
non-compliance cases by phone, mail, or online. 
This grievance channel is available 24/7 and is 
open to all stakeholders globally. In 2020, we 
worked to identify ways to better inform external 
stakeholders about the hotline and how to use it. 
All potential non-compliance cases involving 
a Stora Enso employee or a third party working for 
the company are duly investigated by the Ethics 
and Compliance function, and reported both to our 
Ethics and Compliance Management Committee, 
and to our Board of Directors’ Sustainability 
and Ethics Committee. Proven cases of non-
compliance can lead to disciplinary or legal action. 
Our operations in China and Laos offer internal 

grievance channels in multiple local languages. 
Our joint operations Veracel in Brazil and 
Montes del Plata in Uruguay each have their own 
local grievance mechanisms.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a stress test for compliance, and leadership is needed more than ever before to ensure ethical 
business practices.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

In 2020, a total of 86 reports received through 

Stora Enso’s various grievance channels were 
identified as potential non-compliance cases 
(57 in 2019). 

A total of 76 investigations of potential non-
compliance cases were completed in 2020 (40 in 
2019), also including open cases from previous 
years. Proven cases leading to disciplinary action, 
legal action and/or process improvements were 
identified in 28 (26) of the investigations.

Based on our assessments, 10 of the proven 

cases can be considered relating to corruption 
and/or fraud (9 in 2019). All these cases resulted 
in employee dismissal or disciplinary process. 
Two of the cases resulted in the termination of 
business relationships.

Progress

Comprehensive monitoring
We use an index to monitor and evaluate the 
employee perception of our work on topics 
covered by the Stora Enso Code. The index is 
based on our annual employee survey responses 
to questions related to the Code, Stora Enso’s 
values, fair and equal treatment of employees, 
safety, and responsibility. The index is used as 
a management tool to understand the ethics 
and compliance culture of our different teams. 
In 2020, the index increased to 86 (84 in 2019). 
Our objective is to maintain the positive trend 
by increasing our efforts in communications and 
training during 2021.

During 2020, we continued the work of the 
Divisional Compliance Forums and the Group 
Function Compliance Forum to bring together 
the heads of key functions and divisions to assess 
risks, monitor compliance, and contribute to 
a value driven organisation. 

In 2020, we 
launched a virtual 
compliance 
councel.

Our Ethics and Compliance Self-Assessment 
Tool (T.E.S.T.), introduced in 2015, was run once 
in 2020. This tool has been designed to give our 
divisions and functions a better overview of the 
progress their units are making in implementing 
our policies and compliance measures, while also 
identifying, measuring and managing possible 
gaps and risks related to compliance. In 2020, 
the tool was further developed to cover data 
privacy, operational health and safety as well 
as our minimum HR requirements. The results 
are addressed through the Compliance Forums 
with action plans subsequently developed, 
implemented, and monitored as necessary. 

Encouraging employee  
discussions on ethics
We support our managers in discussing ethics 
topics in their teams by providing them with 
ethical dilemmas and related instructions. 
We also support managers with topic-related 
communication materials to facilitate the 
discussions. In 2020, topics included diversity 
and transparency in decision making, the 
Covid-19 pandemic, and rules for competitor 
cooperation. 

In 2020, our Ethics Ambassadors, consisting 

of Stora Enso employees, continued their work 
to voluntarily support our Ethics and Compliance 
function by running training sessions, clarifying 
our rules, and answering questions in their 
respective units. 

The Ethics and Compliance Case Book 

features compliance cases to serve as 
reference and training material for our employees. 
The example cases help to illustrate ethics and 
compliance issues in practice and facilitate 
discussions and training on important topics. 
Two additional cases were added in 2020. 

Extensive training materials for a Group-

wide campaign addressing harassment 
and discrimination were prepared in 2020. 
The campaign will be launched in early 2021.

Digitalisation in focus
A virtual compliance counsel, Amanda, was 
launched in 2020 to help guide our employees 
in ethics and compliance-related issues. 
The chatbot uses modern artificial intelligence 
(AI) technology and was developed in close 
collaboration with the company IBM. 

Given the many potential opportunities from 
digitalisation and AI in the legal field, digitalisation 

Case

Ethical decision 
making in times 
of crisis 

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It can be quite easy to do the right thing 
when life is predictable, but when a crisis 
hits, people may cut corners. Companies 
with strong business ethics have an open 
conversational culture where people are not 
afraid to speak up when they face unethical 
behaviour or ethical dilemmas. 

“The Covid-19 pandemic is an opportunity 

for companies to see how strong and ethical 
their company culture truly is, and how 

prepared they are to maintain that culture,” 
says Anna Romberg, co-founder of the 
Nordic Business Ethics initiative. “By creating 
role models out of leaders and providing a safe 
space for speaking up – one that also works 
in these times of remote working – companies 
can impact the way employees behave during 
a crisis.”

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

has been added as a strategic core capability of 
the team’s Business Information Officer role. 

Enhanced compliance 
control processes
Making sure that laws, regulations, and company 
rules are complied with, not only by us but also 
by our business partners, is an essential part 
of our business. To ensure better compliance 
control, a third-party management tool is used 

for conducting due diligence and onboarding 
critical business partners. Information from public 
sources as well as from the potential business 
partners themselves is collected in an organised 
way to enable informed decisions by business 
managers and compliance professionals. 

Similarly, a screening process has been 
implemented for when recruiting for certain top 
management positions at Stora Enso to identify 
potential hiring risks.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Environmental agenda

We are uniquely 
positioned to 
contribute to the 
circular bioeconomy.

  Materials, water, and energy  33

  Carbon dioxide  43

  Forests, plantations, and land use  49

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Materials, water, and energy

The world needs materials that 
are both renewable and recyclable 
– a circular bioeconomy – to combat 
climate change and to minimise waste.

Process residuals 
utilisation rate

Share of biomass 
in energy generation

98%

82%

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Opportunities and challenges

Reduced waste, maximum value
Among the global megatrends impacting 
societies, markets, and businesses, climate 
change is the greatest challenge of our time. This 
means that consumers, legislators, companies, 
and financial institutes have an increasing focus 
on raw materials, CO2 emissions, circularity, and 
waste reduction. Moreover, governments around 
the world are increasingly regulating the use of 
fossil-based materials, such as plastics.

The European Green Deal provides an action 

plan to boost the efficient use of resources by 
moving to a clean, circular economy, restore 
biodiversity, and cut pollution. In 2020, the 
European Union (EU) proposed a European 
Climate Law as part of the Green Deal. As an 
overall ambition level, the EU should achieve 
net zero greenhouse gas emissions and climate 
neutrality by 2050. To fulfil the ambition, 
contributions are also requested from energy 
intensive industries in terms of further emission 
reductions and promoting energy efficiency. 
The European Commission (EC) adopted a 
new Circular Economy Action Plan in March 
2020 – one of the main blocks of the European 
Green Deal. Stora Enso welcomes the work the 
European Parliament is doing to ensure society 
transitions to a circular economy. 

We also follow regulatory developments in 
other parts of the world, such as the Chinese 
Environmental Protection Laws concerning 
our operations in China and related laws in 
the country on water protection, air pollution, 
solid waste, and noise pollution as well as 
circular economy regulations relevant to our 
product range. Stora Enso monitors relevant 
environmental regulation in Brazil and Uruguay 
through its joint operations.

Materials
As a renewable materials company, Stora Enso 
operates at the heart of the bioeconomy and 
contributes to a circular economy. In a circular 
economy, waste is minimised as materials are 
reused and recycled to maximise their value. The 
Circular Economy Action Plan aims to promote 
a cleaner and more competitive Europe. This 
will drive legislative reviews in the areas of 
sustainable product policy, circularity, and waste 
reduction. Another commitment of the European 
Green Deal is the EC chemicals strategy for 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Wood fibers can be recycled at least 5-7 times, sometimes over 20 times. Once fibers get too degraded to recycle, 
they can be used to make bioenergy.

sustainability which is part of the EU’s zero 
pollution ambition. The objectives of these 
ambitions create a need for new innovations and 
provide business opportunities for Stora Enso.

Water
Water plays a central role in Stora Enso’s 
production, heating, cooling, and cleaning 
processes, and in generating renewable electricity 
from the hydropower we purchase. We mainly 
withdraw our process and cooling water from 
surface waters and after use, we clean the 
process water in our treatment plants before 
discharging it back to the local environment. 
Sustainably managed forests and plantations 

have a key role in maintaining natural water 
cycles, absorbing CO2, and therefore increasing 
resilience to the impacts of climate change. 
Our forests and plantations need rainwater 
for growth, and active water management in 
plantations contributes to positive effects on 
the total water balance as well as water storage, 
purity, and quality. We consider water in the 
planning and management of our forest and 
plantation operations.

The EU Water Framework Directive sets 
the objective to protect and enhance water 
resourcesto ensure good watre quality in lakes, 
rivers, groundwater, and transitional and coastal 
waters. Other key directives are the Water 

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Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive, 
and the Environmental Quality Standards 
Directive. These requirements are implemented in 
the environmental legislative framework of each 
member state, with which we must comply via our 
environmental permits.

While water is relatively abundant in most of 
our production locations, water scarcity may still 
impact our operations locally and through our 
wider supply chains, as controls on pollution, 
recycling, and water pricing are tightened. 
Some of our mills are occasionally impacted by 
water stress in terms of availability or increased 
water temperature. We therefore consider 
water stewardship to be an area of increasing 
importance. At the same time, such challenges 
give us opportunities to reduce costs by using 
water and energy more efficiently. 

Energy
The EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive II includes 
new targets for 2030 that require annual energy 
savings of 0.8% of energy consumed. Additionally, 
the Renewable Energy Directive II sets member 
states a binding collective target on an EU level 
to derive 32% of their final energy consumption 
from renewable sources by 2030. With its high 
proportion of biomass-based energy, the forest 
industry can help the EU achieve its targets.

Our policies

Guidance throughout the supply chain
Stora Enso’s policies relevant to our use of 
materials, water, and energy include our:
•  Stora Enso Code – our code of conduct guides 

us on issues related to resource use.

•  Policy on Energy and Carbon – a policy stating 
our ambitions in combatting climate change.
•  Environmental Guidelines – a comprehensive 
overview of our policy objectives and how we 
work to achieve them.

•  Supplier Code of Conduct, Practical Guidance 

for Stora Enso’s Suppliers, Purchasers’ 
Instructions, Sourcing Policy, and Sourcing 
Guidelines - a guiding framework for the 
responsible sourcing of materials and energy.

•  Policy on Wood and Fiber Sourcing, and 

Land Management – our commitment to the 
responsible integration of forestry, land use, 
sourcing, and water stewardship into our 
sustainable forest management and land 
use practices.

By 2020, 94% 
of our total energy 
consumption 
was certified to 
the ISO 50001 energy 
management system. 

How we work

External initiatives guide our work
We apply precautionary management actions 
to mitigate and remedy potential adverse 
impacts on the environment and people. The 
environmental work at our mills, including water 
and energy management and resource efficiency, 
is supported by third-party certified environmental 
management systems. All our sawmills, 
corrugated packaging units, and board, pulp, 
and paper mills are certified to the ISO 14001 
environmental management system. 

Using materials, water, and energy in our 
production affects the environment but may also 
have an impact on people. At Stora Enso, keeping 
employees and surrounding communities safe 
and healthy is a top priority. The interests of local 
communities are respected in our approach to 
systematic Environmental and Social Impact 
Assessments for new industrial projects as 
well as due diligence executed in conjunction 
with mergers, acquisitions, and divestments 
(see page 13).

As part of our Supplier Code of Conduct, 

our suppliers commit to report significant 
environmental non-compliances and accidents. 
Our forestry contractors are given on-the-job 
training in ecological management, including the 
identification of hydrologically sensitive areas. 
Through our Wood and Fiber Sourcing, and Land 
Management policy, we encourage forest owners 
to apply sustainable forest and land management 
practices that help conserve water resources. We 
require our external pulp suppliers to follow similar 
principles in their wood and fiber procurement.
By the end of 2020, 94% of our total energy 

consumption was certified to the ISO 50001 
energy management system standard (95% 
in 2019). For unit-specific information on 
certificates, see pages 69–71.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Our board, pulp, and paper mills monitor 

effluent discharges, suspended solids, 
chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, 
phosphorous, nitrogen, and water quality, 
including temperature and pH scale. Mills apply 
both online and offline measurements, such as 
standard methods for the forest products industry, 
in order to fulfill permit limit requirements and to 
protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health.
Emissions to the atmosphere and effluent 
discharges to water bodies from our mills are 
regulated by the relevant authorities, with limits 
set through environmental permit processes 
that consider local environmental conditions, 
including water quality and resources, external 
stakeholders, and legislation. Our mills in 
Finland and Sweden work jointly with external 
stakeholders to steward shared water resources 
in regional water recipient control programmes. 
These programmes have been established 
together with other companies, communities, and 
regional authorities to monitor physical, chemical, 
and biological water quality development over 
the long term.

Compliance with legislation and environmental 
permit limits are monitored by the mill in question 
and reported to the environmental authorities. 
Non-compliances and incidents are reported by 
mills to Group management on a quarterly basis. 
Significant incidents are reported immediately. 
For details of significant environmental incidents 
and violations of environmental permits in 2020, 
see page 42.

Environmental improvements and investment 

needs at our production units are driven by 
regional and local conditions. The Best Available 
Techniques (BAT) Reference Document (BREF) 
for the Production of Pulp, Paper and Board is 
developed by the European IPPC Bureau. The 
current version published by the EC contains 
BAT conclusions that form the reference for 
setting permit conditions for installations 

Our circular 
design principles 
aim to maximise 
the circularity of our 
products and solutions.

covered by the EU’s Industrial Emissions 
Directive. BAT conclusions cover board, pulp, 
paper, and sawmills, as well as medium and 
large combustion plants. Our compliance with 
the BREF and environmental permits is reviewed 
quarterly, and investments are proactively 
planned as part of Group investment processes 
and fitted into Stora Enso’s normal capital 
expenditure framework and policy.

As a public commitment to water resource 
management and the development of sustainable 
water strategies, Stora Enso signed the United 
Nations Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate 
in 2009 and the Finnish Water Stewardship 
Commitment in 2018.

Contributing to the circular bioeconomy
We help our customers to become more circular 
with our renewable, recyclable and, in many 
cases, compostable products. We minimise 
waste and resource use and aim to maintain the 
value of products and materials for as long as 
possible through product design, innovation, and 
recycling. When a material or product has reached 
its end-of-life, we promote recycling and energy 
recovery to create further value. Read more about 
our approach to circularity in Strategy 2020.
Stora Enso has a Group Circular Economy 
roadmap consisting of three focus areas: create 
value through new circular pilot projects and 
partnerships, integrate circular economy into 
design and innovation, and build internal and 
external awareness and a culture of circular 
thinking. We apply circular design principles 
to maximise the circularity of our products 
and solutions amd help reduce environmental 
impacts We also work with partners to ensure 
the development of truly circular value chains for 
the future.

We are a signatory to the New Plastics 
Economy Global Commitment led by the Ellen 
MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with UN 
Environment. Our progress was disclosed in 
the foundation’s Global Commitment Progress 
Report in 2020. We are a founding board member 
of the World Business Council for Sustainable 
Development’s (WBCSD) circular economy 
initiative, Factor10. Stora Enso also contributed 
to WBCSD’s Circular Economy Action Plan 2020 
– Summary for Business, and worked with the 
WBCSD on the publication of a new report on the 
circular bioeconomy, “The business opportunity 
contributing to a sustainable world”. 

Case

Residuals 
from the mill 
feed the forest

When trees are harvested and forest residues, 
such as branches and treetops, are left in the 
forest, some nutrients are returned to the soil, 
but when both the wood and the forest residues 
are removed, less nutrition remains in the forest.
Our Skoghall Mill in Sweden is part of 

a research project that investigates the 
opportunity to use sludge from the mill’s 
wastewater treatment plant and ash from the 
biofuel boiler to produce a sustainable fertilizer 

for the forest. Both the sludge and ash contain 
the original nutrients from the harvested trees.
 “This is an important project because 

the goal is to return residuals from the 
forest industry back to the forest in an 
environmentally friendly way,” says Margareta 
Persson, Assistant Nursery Manager at 
Sjögränd nursery.

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

Stora Enso is engaged in several research 
and innovation consortia to develop common 
approaches and tools to promote the 
circular economy. These include the Circular 
Transformation research collaboration with the 
KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, 
Sweden, and the FINIX textile circularity ecosystem 
collaboration led by Aalto University in Finland.

Stora Enso is also contributing to the 

development of the first global standard for circular 
economy, under a process led by the International 
Organization for Standardization (ISO).

In 2020, to be proactive in a topic of growing 
importance, Stora Enso established an internal 

Microplastics Working Group in order to take 
a systematic approach to defining, mapping, 
and mitigating microplastics in our value 
chain. We are also, for example, conducting 
and participating in studies on the topic and 
actively follow and participate in related EU 
discussions. Moreover, we are engaging in more 
specific microplastics discussions with selected 
suppliers to gain a better understanding of and 
performance in minimising microplastics in the 
value chain. 

For information on how we worked with our 
customers and value chain partners to advance 
the circular bioeconomy in 2020, see page 58.

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stora Enso’s water withdrawal 
and consumption

3%

97%

Some 3% of 
the water we 
withdraw is 
consumed in 
our production.

Almost 97% 
of the water 
we withdraw is 
recycled back 
to the local 
environment 
after being 
carefully purified.

In 2020, EUR 7 million 
was earmarked for 
energy efficiency 
investment projects 
at our mills.

Our goal is to reduce impacts on water use, minimise impacts on quality, and recycle water within mills when possible.

Value from waste and residuals
In addition to our traditional products as well 
as lignin, tall oil, turpentine, and energy pellets, 
Stora Enso’s production processes generate 
other residuals and waste, such as ash, sawdust, 
bark, and wastewater treatment sludge. Many of 
these materials are used in our internal bioenergy 
generation or supplied to third parties to be used 
in applications such as agriculture, cement and 
concrete products, or land and road construction. 
We constantly seek ways to improve resource 
efficiency in order to extract additional economic 
value from material streams that would otherwise 
end up as waste.

We ensure that hazardous waste is safely 
processed at suitable facilities, and we report on 
hazardous waste disposal in accordance with 
relevant regulations. Our third-party certified ISO 
14001 systems comprise of on-site management 
procedures for handling chemicals and waste at 
our mills. Expertise and best practices related 

to optimising material streams are shared 
throughout Stora Enso by networks focusing on 
environmental management, materials, Paper for 
Recycling, chemical safety, and product safety.

We aim to maximise the value of our material 
streams and work towards zero process waste. 
We work to achieve this through circular material 
flows in our value chain while reducing our 
own process waste to landfill to as close to 
zero as legally, technically, and commercially 
possible. Our Group target is to maintain 
the high level of a 98% process residuals 
utilisation rate. The target covers all Stora Enso 
production units.

Stora Enso continues to partner with the 
Swedish government agency for innovation, 
Vinnova, with the aim to recycle our materials 
containing carbon and calcium in the steel 
industry. Successful trials have explored the 
beneficial use of fly ash, lime mud, bio sludge and 
fiber sludge. Trials will continue in 2021.

Recycled paper and board
Wood and fiber are the main raw materials in 
Stora Enso’s production processes. Materials 
made with virgin fiber are used for products with 
special safety requirements, such as packaging 
for food and pharmaceuticals. For more 
information about our wood procurement, see 
pages 49–54.

While wood-based fibers can typically be 
recycled 5-7 times, in some cases over 20 times, 
virgin fiber is also needed in the paper recycling 
process. After several recycling rounds, paper 
fibers eventually become too short to be reused 
but can be burned for bioenergy, which drives 
the need for new virgin fiber. Stora Enso also 
uses paper for recycling (PfR) wherever it makes 
environmental and economic sense. Recycled 
newspapers and magazines are used to produce 
certain paper grades at Langerbrugge Mill 
in Belgium (where they account for 100% of 
sourced fiber), Sachsen Mill (100%) and Maxau 

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Mill (75%) in Germany, and Hylte Mill in Sweden 
(25%). Recovered board is used to make specific 
containerboard grades at Ostrołeka Mill in 
Poland (85% of fiber sourced for containerboard 
production) and at Varkaus Mill in Finland.

Through cooperation with local authorities 
and waste management companies, and our own 
collection facilities, we secure sufficient PfR from 
industrial, commercial and domestic sources. 
In Poland, we own and manage a network of 
18 depots where PfR is collected and baled for 
transportation to our Ostrołeka Mill.

According to CEPI, Europe’s overall PfR 
recycling rate has been high for many years. In 
2019, the rate was 72%, and the collection was 
57.5 million tonnes of PfR (-2.5% compared to 
2018). This is a noteworthy achievement as not 
all paper, such as tissue paper, can currently be 
recycled. While overall collection rates within the 
EU are relatively high, certain central and southern 
European countries still have potential to improve. 
Focusing on EU countries with collection rates 
below 60%, Stora Enso and the paper industry 
are actively supporting best practices while these 
countries establish sustainable collection systems 
to support the EU goal (74% paper recycling rate 
by 2020).

In 2020, Stora Enso announced that, together 
with Tetra Pak, it would initiate a feasibility study 
to assess the viability of building a large-scale 
recycling line for Used Beverage Cartons (UBC) 
at Stora Enso’s Ostrołeka Mill in Poland. This 
would represent a significant increase in recycling 
capacity for beverage cartons across Europe.

Responsible water use
Production at Stora Enso’s mills requires large 
amounts of water. However, only around 3% 
is consumed in our production processes 
while almost 97% is recycled back to the local 
environment. Process water is purified by our 
treatment plants and then discharged, whereas 
cooling and other non-process water can be 
safely released without treatment.

According to our water reporting, 98.3% of our 

total water withdrawal was from surface water, 
1.6% from municipal sources, and 0.1% from 
groundwater in 2020. Our strategic approach to 
water stewardship is built on six pillars: assessing 
of conditions at mills and in the water basins 
where we operate; mapping water use at mills 
to identify saving potential; setting ambition 
levels and goals; investments; measuring 

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Utilisation of process waste 
and residual materials¹ 
3.5 million tonnes2

Energy generation 60%
Wood pellet and chipboard 
manufacturing 15%
Landscaping, landfill, and 
road construction 8%
Pulp manufacturing 4%
Brick and cement  
manufacturing 5%
Process waste  
to landfill 2%
Agricultural use 2%
Other 4%

1 Covers all Stora Enso production units, as dry tonnes. 
Excluding joint operations. 
2 Internal and external utilisation of process waste and 
residual materials amounted to 3.5 million tonnes in 2020 
(3.4 million tonnes in 2019 and 3.7 million tonnes in 2018).

Process waste to landfill¹ 
Legend
63 thousand tonnes   

Energy generation

Value in %

60%

15%

Wood pellet and chipboard manufacturing

Landscaping, landfill, and road construction

Pulp manufacturing

Brick and cement  
manufacturing

Process waste  
to landfill

Agricultural use

Other

Total

8%

4%

5%

Fly ash 55%
Green liquor dregs 31%
Lime mud 7%
Bottom ash 5%
Wood handling waste 1%
Other process related 
wastes 1%

100%

2%

2%

4%

1 Covers all Stora Enso production units. Excluding joint 
operations. In addition to process waste to landfill, Stora 
Enso’s production units created a total of 1 745 tonnes of 
non-process waste, and 91 312 tonnes of process waste 
was sent to on-site storage facilities.

Legend

Fly ash

Green liquor dregs

Lime mud

Bottom ash

Wood handling waste

Other process related wastes

Value in %

Value

55%

31%

7%

5%

1%

1%

Total

100%

We are one of 
the biggest buyers 
and users of recycled 
board and paper 
in Europe. 

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Case

Going for 
the win-win-win

The energy company Gasum and Stora Enso 
will together turn waste into renewable green 
energy at Nymölla Mill in Sweden. The liquified 
biogas (LBG) from Nymölla will improve 
the overall balance of renewable energy in 
Sweden considerably.

“Nymölla Mill has long been a leading light 

in sustainability,” says Jonathan Bakewell, 

VP, Office Papers, Stora Enso Paper Division. 
“Even though today the paper production 
process is essentially carbon-neutral, they 
always want to do more.”

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

Long-term energy supply contracts
Board, pulp, and paper production processes 
are the most energy intensive phases in 
Stora Enso’s value chain, which makes it essential 
for our mills to have access to a reliable energy 
supply at a reasonable cost. Stora Enso’s energy 
supply is managed under long-term contracts, 
direct market access through energy exchanges, 
efficient combined heat and power production, 
and shareholdings in power generation 
companies such as Pohjolan Voima Oyj and 
Teollisuuden Voima Oyj in Finland. For more 
information, see Financials 2020 (Note 14).
Stora Enso is committed to continuous 
improvement in energy efficiency and energy 

self-sufficiency. We evaluate the opportunities 
to use fuels from biomass residual streams 
or other low-carbon options when assessing 
energy investments.

Structured approach 
to energy management
Stora Enso’s Energy Services team is 
responsible for procuring energy and managing 
the implementation of our energy strategy. This 
work involves the hedging of energy prices, 
managing the trading of emission rights, green 
certificates, and guarantees of origin, consulting 
our mills on a wide range of energy topics, 
and monitoring our carbon dioxide allowance 

performance; and communicating and engaging 
with stakeholders.

During 2020, we applied the WRI Water 

Aqueduct Tool to assess water-related risks at our 
production units. The tool identified that only four of 
our units with limited water use operate in regions 
with High Baseline Water Stress: corrugated units 
Łódz in Poland, Tallin in Estonia, and Jiashan in 
China, as well as Näpi sawmill in Estonia. During 
2020, these units withdrew 38 800 m3 of water 
which is well below 0.1% of the Group’s total water 
withdrawal. Equally, the process water discharges 
of these units were 6 000 m3, which is well below 
0.1% of the Group’s total water discharges.

In 2020, we also continued to implement our 
Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) procedures 
geared towards enhanced water stewardship, 
water stress, and their potential financial impact. 

Our strategic water goals are to reduce 
impacts on water use, minimise impacts on 
quality, and recycle water within mills when 
possible to reduce the need for water intake. 
Our Group targets are to achieve decreasing 
trends in both total water withdrawal and process 
water discharges per saleable tonne of board, 
pulp and paper. In line with Group targets and 
to drive continuous improvement, our units 
set their own quantified water targets based 
on their local context as part of environmental 
management systems. 

During 2020, a water management pilot 

project was executed at our Sunila Mill in Finland, 
which resulted in a systematic mapping of water 
use. Significant water saving potential was 
identified, and the implementation of saving 
measures will be verified in 2021. The pilot at 
Sunila also provides input to our aim to establish 
a new Group standard for systematic water 
management work and a Group water efficiency 
target for board, pulp, and paper mills in 2021.

 In 2020, approximately 2% of our intake water 
was recycled internally by reusing cooling and non-
contact water as process water (approximately 2% 
in 2019). Optimising our use reduces the need for 
water pumping and heating, which creates energy 
savings and makes the purification of the remaining 
wastewater more efficient.

We continue to explore the potential to use 
refined wastewater residue in new products. For 
example, our Skoghall Mill in Sweden is working 
with the University of Karlstad to create bio-based 
products such as bioplastics and hydrogen gas 
from biosludge.

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

balance. The team also monitors and contributes 
to developments in energy legislation.

A high proportion of biomass is used in 
the internal energy production at most of our 
mills. This renewable energy is generated 
from by-products and residuals from our own 
production processes, harvested residues, 
recovered wood, and waste streams.

The harvesting residuals used for energy within 

Stora Enso’s operations are mainly purchased by 
our wood supply organisation in connection with 
wood purchases. Mills are individually responsible 
for the procurement of most other fuels. They are 
also responsible for optimising energy efficiency 
using internal tools and certified environmental 
and energy management systems, supported by 
our energy efficiency teams.

Progress

Materials

Designing for circularity
In 2020, Stora Enso published its Circular Design 
Guidelines. The guidelines outline our commitment 
to contribute to a circular bioeconomy through 
our products and solutions. These principles will 
serve as guidance for all our units, functions, and 
divisions, whether they are planning to create new 
processes and products or to update existing ones. 

Value from waste
During 2020, we continued to monitor our financial 
value creation from process waste and residuals 
and the commercialisation of new product 
applications. Stora Enso’s utilisation rate for 
process residuals and waste across the Group, 
including internal and external uses, was 98% in 
2020 (98% in 2019). During the year, Stora Enso’s 
revenue from residuals, such as bark and fly ash, 
was EUR 105 million. We improved our procedures 
for this reporting in 2020, and a comparable figure 
for previous year is not available.

We continued the commercialisation and 
product development applications for fly ash from 
several paper mills, such as Hylte in Sweden and 
Sachsen in Germany. A prerequisite for launching 
fly ash as a product is the registration of the product 
according to the EU regulation for chemicals 
(REACH). This registration also ensures that the 
product will be used in a safe and controlled manner 
according to risk assessments. In 2020, Stora Enso 
launched a new product VersaLime™, which is 

a recycled and circular product marketed for a 
range of applications. VersaLime™ is a recycled 
mineral made from fly ash resulting from paper and 
board production that can replace non-renewable 
materials to help our customers’ become more 
circular and reduce their carbon footprint.

In Finland, the Anjalankoski Mills are involved 
in a long-term research project aimed at improving 
water protection and resource utilisation in the 
Tuusulanjärvi region. The project reduces the 
nutrient load from agriculture to surface water and 
investigates the use of composted sludge from 
the mills in agricultural land improvement. In 2020, 
the research showed that the fiber applications 
may even halve the amount of phosphorus 
leaching from fields.

Other examples of material efficiency and 
circularity include the beneficial use of fly ash 
at our Langerbrugge Mill in Belgium. Together 
with contractors, Langerbrugge Mill recycled 
approximately 53 000 tonnes of calcium-rich 
fly ash for road construction and for the cement 
manufacturing industry in 2020.

Hazardous waste
During 2020, Stora Enso’s production units 
generated a total of 5 605 tonnes of hazardous 
waste, up from 4 807 tonnes in 2019. This 
waste includes oils, solvents, paints, laboratory 
chemicals, and batteries that are transported and 
processed by authorised contractors. In addition, 
8 720 tonnes (8 575 tonnes in 2019) of sludge 
classified as hazardous waste was generated at 
the disused Falun copper mine in Sweden and 
handled by an authorised contractor.

Paper for Recycling
In 2020, our paper mills used 1.9 million tonnes 
of recycled paper and board (2.2 million tonnes in 
2019). This makes Stora Enso one of the largest 
Paper for Recycling (PfR) consumers in Europe. 
The PfR utilisation rate in our paper and board 
production was 25% (25%). 

During 2020, Stora Enso continued to 

explore the recycling potential of paper cups for 
magazine paper production on a large scale at its 
Langerbrugge Mill in Belgium. The paperboard for 
paper cups are made from high-quality, renewable 
fibers that can have several lives thanks to 
recycling. Stora Enso is looking into partnerships 
for the collection and sorting of used paper cups 
to ensure that this high-quality fiber material is 
captured and given a second life.

We use all fractions of biomass, such as lignin and sugars, to develop new solutions. 

Chemical safety management
During 2020, Stora Enso introduced digital tools 
for managing chemical safety information, where 
they were not already in use. This improved the 
accessibility and continued roll out of a Group-
wide Chemicals Management Guideline, which 
outlines the minimum requirements for all our 
units globally, including occupational health and 
safety and environmental safety. The guideline is 
a part of the internal management systems at our 
operational units and auditing will be conducted 
within their existing structures.

Stora Enso’s
revenue from 
residuals, such as 
bark and fly ash, 
was EUR 105 million.

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Water

Promoting water efficiency
The objective of our KPIs on total water 
withdrawal and process water discharges is to 
drive a downward trend from our 2016 baselines 
of 57 m3 and 27 m3 per saleable tonne of product, 
respectively. In 2020, our total water withdrawal 
was 65 m3 per saleable tonne (61 in 2019) and 
our process water discharges amounted to 31 m3 
per saleable tonne (29 in 2019). The normalised 
performance as per tonne was partly affected 
by lower production levels. The water needed at 
our board, pulp, and paper mills is not in direct 
relation to production volumes, and wastewater 
treatment, in particular, requires a regular flow of 
water to function properly.

We continued to identify mill-specific 
water-related challenges and opportunities in 
2020. Our EUR 25 million investment at Maxau 
Mill in Germany to install a new steam turbine 
with a closed-loop cooling system and additional 
biomass storage was completed during the 
year. Alongside improved energy efficiency 
and reduction in our fossil CO2 emissions, the 
cooling system will relieve pressure on the Rhine 
River through a lower thermal output and by 
withdrawing considerably less water.

Effluents to water
The wastewater treatment facilities that treat 
process water from our production processes 
release effluents to water. These effluents include 

phosphorus, nitrogen, chemical oxygen demand 
(COD) substances, and adsorbable organic 
halogen compounds (AOX). These facilities 
at our mills ensure that discharged water is 
ecologically safe.

Discharging process water that has not 
been properly treated can contribute to local 
environmental impacts. Excessive concentrations 
of phosphorus compounds in water, together with 
nitrogen compounds and organic substances, 
can lead to increased biological activity in natural 
watercourses through eutrophication. AOX is 
a collective term for the amount of chlorine or 
other halogens bound to organic matter such 
as wastewater. 

The investment of EUR 3.6 million in 
wastewater treatment improvements at the 
Anjalankoski Mills was completed in 2020. With the 
new bio-sludge centrifuges and process control 
model in place, the amount of water effluents 
decreased in 2020 compared to 2019: nitrogen by 
4%, COD by 6%, and phosphorus by 27%.

Continued focus on legionella management
Legionella is a bacterium that commonly appears 
in ground and surface waters and is considered 
potentially dangerous to humans when inhaled 
as aerosols (water mist). Legionella can cause 
respiratory infections such as Legionnaires’ 
disease that can lead to pneumonia. Legionella 
can exist in the pulp and paper industry’s biological 
wastewater treatment facilities, cooling towers, and 
water ponds. Following the roll out of new Group 

instructions for the management of legionella 
in 2019, over 300 employees were trained as 
a precautionary action during 2019 and 2020. 
Following an outbreak of legionnaire’s disease 
close to Ghent in Belgium in 2019, the Flemish 
Care and Health Agency identified the cooling 
tower of the power plant at our Langerbrugge Mill 
as one possible source of the infection. By the end 
of 2020 investigations were still ongoing.

Energy
Our Group-wide energy efficiency target was 
to reduce specific energy (electricity and heat) 
consumption per tonne of pulp, paper, and board 
production by 15% by 2020, compared with the 
baseline year of 2010. In 2020, our specific energy 

consumption per tonne was 0.2% higher than 
the 2010 baseline (2.9% lower in 2019). Specific 
energy consumption has been affected by structural 
factors such as production line closures in the Paper 
division, or conversions to new products at our mills, 
as well as our changing product portfolio. 

As most of our production processes are 
energy intensive, our new energy efficiency 
target is to achieve at least 0.8% annual energy 
savings by 2030. The target is followed with a KPI 
describing the projected fraction of energy savings 
per total energy use of electricity and heat. In 2020, 
the projected annual energy savings were -0.9% 
equivalent to 310 GWh (-1.4% or 521 GWh in 
2019). This is estimated to eliminate over 20 000 
tonnes of annual direct fossil CO2 emissions.

Water withdrawal and consumption12

Million m3
Process water
Cooling water (net)
Total water withdrawal 
m3/tonne

Water consumption
m3/tonne

Process water discharges
m3/tonne

2016
296
300
596
58

24
2.4

279
27

2017
290
304
594
57

27
2.6

270
26

2018
290
297
586
56

24
2.4

272
26

2019
298
297
595
61

23
2.3

282
29

2020
285
273
558
65

20
2.3

266
31

Trend 16–20
-4 %
-9 %
-6 %
12 %

-17 %
-4 %

-5 %
16 %

1 Figures from board, pulp, and paper production units. Normalised figures are reported per unit of sales production. 
2 Historical figures recalculated due to additional data or organisation scope changes after the previous report. For more, see Reporting scope.

Phosphorus12

Nitrogen12

Adsorbable organic halogen 
compounds (AOX)12

Chemical oxygen demand (COD)12

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120

105

90

75

60

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

tonnes
g/tonne

109
111
10.5 10.7

110
10.6

113
11.6

97
11.3

13

11

9

7

5

3

1.6

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

Trend 
16–20
-11%
8%

1 000 
tonnes
g/tonne

130

120

110

100

90

80

400

350
300

250

200
150

100

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

tonnes
g/tonne

282
85

290
90

296
92

302
95

285
103

Trend 
16–20
-15%
2%

Trend 
16–20
1%
21%

110

100
90

80

70
60

50

110

100

90

80

70

60

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

1 000 
92
tonnes
kg/tonne 8.9

93
8.9

90
8.7

93
9.6

83
9.6

11

9

7

5

3

1

Trend 
16–20
-10%
8%

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

1.12 1.21 1.18 1.14
117
108

113

115

0.95
110

1 Figures cover board, pulp, and paper production units. 
Excluding joint operations. Normalised figures are reported per 
unit of sales production.  

1 Figures cover board, pulp, and paper production units. 
Excluding joint operations. Normalised figures are reported per 
unit of sales production. 

1 Figures from bleached chemical pulp production units only. 
Excluding joint operations. Normalised figures are reported 
per unit of bleached chemical pulp production. 

1 Figures cover board, pulp, and paper production units. 
Excluding joint operations. Normalised figures are reported 
per unit of sales production. 

2 Historical figures recalculated due to additional data or organisational scope changes after the previous report. Read more about our calculation principles in Reporting scope.

Leave blank

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Leave blank

Trend

Leave blank

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Leave blank

Leave blank
Trend

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Leave blank

tonnes

g/tonne

109

10.5

111

10.7

110

10.6

113

11.6

97

11.3

-11%
Leave blank

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Leave blank
tonnes

1 000 tonnes

8%

g/tonne

1.12

108

1.21

115

1.18

113

1.14

117

0.95

110

g/tonne

Trend

-15%

2%

282

85

290

90

296

92

302

95

285

103

1 000 tonnes

kg/tonne

1%

21%

92

8.9

93

8.9

90

8.7

93

9.6

83

9.6

Trend

-10%

8%

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

In 2020, the share of biomass in energy 

generation at our own mill sites was 82% (82%). 
Our total energy self-sufficiency rate was 67% 
(67%) and our electricity self-sufficiency rate was 
63% (61%). Electricity from Pohjolan Voima Oy 
(PVO), where Stora Enso is a minority shareholder, 
is included as our own generation in these self-
sufficiency figures.

Energy efficiency high on the agenda
Stora Enso continued to enhance energy efficiency 
throughout its operations. During 2020, we started 
to audit our mills’ compressed air networks to 
further increase energy efficiency.

We are committed to the voluntary Energy 

Intensive Industries Agreement managed 
by the Finnish Forest Industries Federation 
(FFI), which aims for a national 4% energy use 
reduction among its signatories between 2017 
and 2020, and a 3.5% reduction (cumulative, in 
MWh) between 2021 and 2025.

We also participate in groups that share 
industry best practice on energy efficiency in 
Finland and promote energy efficiency at our mills.

Stora Enso’s energy and water efficiency fund
Our central energy and water efficiency investment 
fund is another important part of our work. In 2020, 
this fund amounted to EUR 7 million (EUR 10 million 
in 2019) and was earmarked for energy efficiency 
investment projects at our mills. The fund financed 
37 (47) projects in 2020, including one to increase 
the use of biogas and install high efficiency air 

blowers at Ostrołeka Mill in Poland, as well as 
a project to improve the impregnation of chemo-
thermomechanical pulp (CTMP) and the installation 
of a new energy efficient moisturiser to board 
machine 8 at Skoghall Mill in Sweden. When fully 
implemented, all the projects financed in 2020 are 
estimated to generate annual energy savings of 
at least 123 GWh (40 GWh electricity and 83 GWh 
heat). This is equivalent to 0.3% of our annual 
energy consumption.

To give higher attention to water management, 

the scope of the energy efficiency fund was 
expanded and renamed as the “Energy and water 
efficiency fund” during 2020. 

Emissions to air
Our atmospheric emissions primarily result from 
the combustion of fuels for energy generation. 
Emissions include carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur 
dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and fine 
particles. When not properly managed, CO2 
contributes to climate change while SO2 and NOx 
emissions affect air quality and can cause acid 
rain and soil acidification. We work to reduce our 
air emissions by using more renewable energy, 
improving energy efficiency, and using advanced 
technologies such as scrubbers and boiler 
process control systems.

In 2020, Stora Enso’s Group-wide SO2 

emissions amounted to 2 410 tonnes (2 890 tonnes 
in 2019), NOx emissions totalled 8 990 tonnes 
(10 360 tonnes), and emissions of fine particles 
amounted to 1 440 tonnes (1 680 tonnes). 

Water plays a central role in our production, heating, cooling, and cleaning processes.

Fuels1

Electricity generation and sourcing¹

Heat consumption1

Electricity consumption1

Biomass 82%
Gas 5%
Coal 5%
Peat 2%
Oil 3%
Other fossil 3%

Own electricity  
generation² 61%
Purchased electricity 39%

Our total annual fuel consumption was 38.6 terawatt 
hours (TWh) in 2020 (41.8 TWh in 2019). 

During 2020, we generated and purchased 10.9 terawatt hours 
(TWh) of electricity and consumed 10.5 TWh (12.0 and 11.6 
during 2019). 0.4 TWh was sold (0.4). 

1 Figures cover board, pulp, and paper production units. 
Excluding joint operations.   

1 Figures cover board, pulp, and paper production units. 
Excluding joint operations.  
² Including electricity from Pohjolan Voima Oyj (PVO),  
where Stora Enso is a minority shareholder.

Legend

Biomass

Gas

Coal

Peat

Oil

Other fossil

Total

Value in %

82% XX%

5% XX%

5% XX%

2% XX%

3% XX%

3% XX%

100%

Legend

Own electricity  
generation²

Purchased electricity

Total

Value in %

TWh

61%

39%

6.6

XX%

4.3

XX%

35

30

25

20

15

10

TWh
MWh/
tonne

3.00

2.70

2.40

2.10

1.80

1.50

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

TWh
MWh/
tonne

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Trend 
16–20
23.4 -10.3%

26.1 26.1

25.0

26.1

2.50 2.47

2.49

2.56

2.70 8.0%

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Trend 
16–20
10.5 -14.6%

12.3 12.4

11.6

12.3

1.17 1.18

1.17

1.19

1.21 3.4%

1 Heat consumed by board, pulp, and paper mills, excluding 
sold heat and heat used for electricity generation. Excluding 
joint operations. Normalised figures are reported per unit of 
sales production. 

1 Electricity consumed by board, pulp, and paper mills, 
excluding sold electricity. Excluding joint operations. 
Normalised figures are reported per unit of sales production. 

Leave blank

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Leave blank

Leave blank
Trend

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Leave blank

TWh

MWh/tonne

26.1

2.50

26.1

2.47

26.1

2.49

25.0

2.56

23.4

2.70

TWh

MWh/tonne

-10.3%

8.0%

12.3

1.17

12.4

1.18

12.3

1.17

11.6

1.19

10.5

1.21

Trend

-14.6%

3.4%

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41

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Efficient use of materials in circular bioeconomy1

Production in 2020

Wood1
 35.9 million m3

Fossil fuels
7.2 TWh

External  
biomass energy
5.2 TWh

Purchased 
electricity2
6.5 TWh

Purchased pulp 
and paper for 
recycling
 2.2 million tonnes

Pigments, fillers, 
starch, and other 
chemicals 
2.1 million tonnes

Water
561 million m3, 
of which 97% 
was returned 
back to the local 
environment

Consumer board
2.7 million tonnes

Containerboard
1.3 million tonnes

Corrugated and 
other packaging 
solutions3
0.5 million tonnes

Market pulp1
2.6 million tonnes

Paper
3.1 million tonnes

Other products4

Wood products
5.3 million m3

Bark and 
harvesting 
residuals for 
energy

Lignin

Biocomposites

Externally delivered  
electricity/heat/ 
steam
1.0 TWh

Externally 
delivered residuals 
1.6 million tonnes

1 Covers all Stora Enso production units. Excluding 50%-owned joint operations Veracel and Montes del Plata, except the Wood use and Market pulp production figures in which 50% of the joint operations are included. The illustration shows the key materials used in our 
processes, together with our production figures as reported in our environmental reporting system. For a comprehensive illustration on how we create value see our Strategy 2020. 2 Electricity from PVO included in purchased electricity. 3 Corrugated packaging production 
partly based on our own containerboard production. 4 Other products include mainly pellets, wood chips, tall oil, and turpentine.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Environmental incidents in 2020

Our objective is to have no environmental incidents but occasionally, unexpected process events can result in temporary breaches. The table below provides details of environmental 
incidents involving a non-compliance with environmental legislation or permits, or a significant stakeholder concern related to environmental performance.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

Unit
Oulu Mill, Finland

Hylte Mill, Sweden

Maxau Mill, Germany

Lahti Mill, Finland

  Employees and wider workforce

Sunila Mill, Finland

Incident
The permit limit for phosphorous discharge was exceeded in January due to problems in the 
biological wastewater treatment plant. This was caused by bacteria growth in the biosludge 
settling during trials with biogas plant rejects, which lead to an increased level of suspended 
solids in the treatment plant.
The air emission limits for dioxins and furans were exceeded at periodic monitoring in February. Actions have been taken with trials of various fuel mixes (DIP sludge, recovered wood and 

Corrective actions
The biogas plant trials were stopped and the amount of biosludge in the aeration basin was 
lowered to reduce escaping sludge and improve oxygen levels. Potential investments in aeration 
capacity and sludge handling are under investigation.

The permit limit for COD discharge was exceeded during several days in August due to issues 
with the sludge overflow in the biological wastewater treatment outlet.

The mill experienced problems with sludge flotation overflow in the wastewater treatment plant 
in October 2020.
The environmental permit limit for copper discharges to water was exceeded during April, 
June, and October. This was due to problems with washing waters at the wastewater line of the 
converting machines.
The monthly permit limit for NOx emissions to air from the bark boiler was exceeded 
in November and December.

effluent sludge) and frequent monitoring with a sampling device. The trials were successful and 
the emissions are now kept within the limits.
Corrective actions were taken through extended shutdowns of PM 8 and DIP plant 3 and the 
increased addition of nitrogen and sludge removal. Investments were made in increased sludge-
dewatering capacity.

New way of operating sludge treatment was introduced comprising optimisation of buffer 
capacity, chemical dosing, sludge removal, and improved cooling water treatment.
Inspections performed of the sewage system, new sampling plan established, and washing 
water precipitation test done. Root cause for the copper discharges is still pending, including 
considerations for wastewater treatment investment.
Corrective actions taken as part of the bark boiler improvement, including repair of air 
combustion system, new burners for support fuel, air pre-heaters and secondary air valve 
adjustments. The installations will be finalised in January 2021.
Different options will be evaluated in 2021 in order to establish stable boiler operating conditions.

Anjalankoski Mills, Finland

The annual permit limit value for dioxins and furans was exceeded. This was due to challenges 
with the existing cleaning equipment and fuel mix in boiler 2.

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Carbon dioxide

We combat climate 
change with renewable 
materials, resource efficient 
production, and sustainable 
forest management.

Opportunities and challenges

Contributing to a low-carbon economy
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges 
of our time, impacting the environment and 
people through natural disasters and the loss 
of ecosystems and livelihoods. As a leading 
renewable materials company with access 
to carbon-neutral biomass, Stora Enso is in 
a unique position to combat climate change. 
Trees in sustainably managed forests absorb 
carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere 
and together with wood-based products act 
as carbon storage. Our products help our 
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.

The first truly global climate agreement 
was approved at the Paris Climate Conference 
(COP21) in 2015 and entered into force in 
November 2016. Ahead of COP21, Stora Enso 
signed a pledge to combat global warming with 
science-based reduction targets for greenhouse 
gas (GHG) emissions. In December 2017, we 
became the first forest products company to 
have its climate targets approved by the Science 
Based Targets initiative1. 

The EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) is 
the world’s first and largest mandatory system 
for trading greenhouse gas emission allowances. 
Covering 40% of the EU’s emissions, it is a 
major element of the EU’s policy to combat 
climate change. The ETS grants ‘carbon leakage’ 
status to industries where it is considered 
that costs related to climate policies might 
cause businesses to transfer production to 
countries outside the EU with less demanding 
requirements. The forest industry is exposed 
to a significant risk of carbon leakage and thus 
it has carbon leakage status for its main end 
products. This means that the forest industry 
is eligible to receive free emission allowances. 
The number of free emission allowances 
decreases each year and it follows the emission 
reduction targets set by EU. 

1 The Science Based Targets initiative is a collaboration between 
CDP, World Resources Institute (WRI), the World Wide Fund for 
Nature (WWF), and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). 
It is also one of the commitments of the We Mean Business 
Coalition to drive ambitious corporate climate action.

Our CO2e emissions were

26% lower

than the 2010 base-year level

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Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

Case

Beyond reducing 
emissions: science-
based evidence 
for our positive 
climate impact

The European Commission has recently 
presented its strategy for a carbon neutral EU by 
2050. The strategy relies on the circular economy, 
natural carbon sinks, and lifestyle changes and 
suggests emission cuts from all main sectors, 
including power generation, industry, transport, 
buildings, construction, and agriculture. As an 
overall ambition level, it states that by 2050, the EU 
should achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. 
The role of a competitive EU industry is considered 
a key enabler in the strategy, and it specifically 
refers to reaping the full benefits of the bioeconomy. 
As a result, in 2020, the European Commission 
proposed a European Green Deal which includes 
a new European Climate Law and proposes a 
target to reduce EU emissions by 55% by 2030. 
Stora Enso welcomes the proposal to make the 
EU carbon neutral by 2050, and also supports 
emissions reduction of at least 55% by 2030. 

  Employees and wider workforce

Our policies

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

A resilient carbon strategy
Agreed in 2016, our carbon strategy states that 
it is our firm intention to drive down our fossil 
fuel use, so that we get as close to zero as 
possible within a decade using technically and 
commercially feasible means. Relevant policies 
guiding and steering our efforts to combat climate 
change include our:
•  Policy for Energy and Carbon
•  Environmental Guidelines – a more 

comprehensive overview of our policy 
objectives and how we work to achieve them.

•  Supplier Code of Conduct and Practical 

Guidance for Stora Enso’s Suppliers – guides 
us on how CO2 emissions can be reduced in 
our supply chain.

How we work

Scenario-driven work
We actively aim to reduce the energy intensity 
of our operations and our dependency on fossil 
fuels. We measure our progress to reduce 
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a key 
performance indicator (KPI). Stora Enso’s 
science-based target (SBT) is to reduce GHG 
emissions from our operations by 31% per tonne 
of pulp, paper, and board produced by 2030, 
compared with the 2010 base year. We report on 
our progress in our annual Sustainability report 
and quarterly Interim Reports.

The Swedish University of Agricultural 
Sciences (SLU), Stora Enso’s partner in 
developing climate impact research for forest 
product companies, published a report in 
November 2020 that provides evidence of our 
positive climate impact.

When trees are harvested, the carbon stored 

in the wood fibers is not released immediately 
but continues to be stored in products made 
from that wood for as long as the product 
stays in use. With wooden buildings, for 
example, the timespan can be decades and the 
substitution effect is big. When Stora Enso’s 

products replace fossil-based or other 
non-renewable alternatives, it is possible to 
prevent almost 18 Mt of CO2e from entering the 
atmosphere annually.

“Climate impact calculations need to be 
based on science and the most up-to-date 
available knowledge,” says Torun Hammar, 
PhD and part of the research team. “Hopefully, 
there will be a commonly agreed method that 
will make it easier to compare companies. 
There is always more research to be done.”

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

Our substitution 
of fossil materials 
prevents nearly 
18Mt of CO2 
annually.

The Stora Enso Carbon Neutrality Roadmap 

is a key tool in our GHG scenario assessment 
and the establishment of reduction targets. The 
roadmap guides our long and short-term fossil 
CO2 reduction actions. Read more about our 
actions in the Progress section of this chapter.

Evaluating risks and opportunities
Stora Enso evaluates the financial risks and 
opportunities related to climate change through 
its annual Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) 
process, which forms an integral part of the 
Group’s management approach (for more 

information, see Financials 2020). We routinely 
calculate the financial impacts of potential cost 
increases in relation to emission allowances, 
including the impacts of possible increases in 
energy prices. 

Our production units systematically work to 
meet their environmental regulatory requirements 
and to improve their energy efficiency. Their work 
is supported by international third-party certified 
systems such as the ISO 14001 environmental 
management system and the ISO 50001 
energy management system. For unit-specific 
information on certifications, see pages 69–71.

Detailed carbon reporting
We publicly report on our greenhouse gas 
emissions in three categories:
•  Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions 
from operations we directly own or control, 
including on-site energy generation facilities 
and our own processes, power boilers, lime 
kilns, and on-site vehicles (Scope 1).

•  CO2e emissions related to the electricity and 
heat we purchase externally for use in our 
operations (Scope 2).

•  Estimated CO2e emissions from other indirect 

sources along our value chain (Scope 3).

All our units report quarterly on carbon emissions 
for Scopes 1 and 2. A Group-level estimate for 
Scope 3 emissions is updated every second year. 
In 2020, a new assessment was made for Scope 
3. Our carbon footprint accounting is based on 
guidelines provided by the Greenhouse Gas 
Protocol of the World Resource Institute (WRI) 
and the World Business Council for Sustainable 
Development (WBCSD). In 2020, we continued 
to have the reporting of our direct and indirect 
fossil CO2e emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) externally 
assured to a Reasonable Level. For more 
information, see page 72.

Reporting according to TCFD
The Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) Task 
Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures 
(TCFD) recommends a framework for disclosing 
climate-related risks and opportunities that goes 
beyond current practices. Stora Enso published 
its first TCFD-aligned reporting in the Report of 
Board of Directors in 2019. During 2020, our work 
focused on a qualitative scenario assessment for 
physical climate-related risks and opportunities 
in the Nordic forests. For more information 

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Case

Stora Enso’s annual estimated climate impact

CO2

CO2

CO2

CO2

CO2

CO2

Our forests 
remove carbon1

−1.5

million tonnes of CO2

Our products 
store carbon

−2.6

million tonnes of CO2e

Our value 
chain emissions2

+10.5

million tonnes of CO2e

Our products substitute 
fossil-based products, saving

−17.9

million tonnes of CO2e

Climate impact 3

−11.5

million tonnes of CO2e

1 Estimated net annual carbon sequestration in own and managed forests and 
plantations, which provide about 30% of our wood use. Excludes purchased wood. 
Third-party owned forests that provide Stora Enso’s purchased wood are estimated 
to have an additional net carbon sequestration of –5 million tonnes of CO2 annually.

2 Fossil CO2e emissions in 2019 including direct emissions from our 
operations, emissions from purchased energy as well as emissions 
from other sources along our value chain (Scope 1, 2, and 3). Calculated 
based on the guidance provided by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

3 Negative value indicates a net removal from atmosphere. Calculated by the 
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in 2020 based on Stora Enso’s 
production, forest and wood use, and emission figures in 2019: Climate effects of 
a forestry company – including biogenic carbon fluxes and substitution effects.

on Stora Enso’s reporting according to TCFD 
recommendations, see Financials 2020.

Improving our energy efficiency
Greenhouse gases emitted by our operations 
include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous 
oxide – with carbon dioxide being the most 
significant by far. 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 from 
residuals. Significant investments in recent years, 
particularly in multi-fuel boilers, have achieved 
large reductions in our fossil CO2 intensity.

Calculating our climate impact
Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the 
atmosphere, and the carbon is stored in renewable, 
fiber-based products even through recycling. 

Our products help our customers and society 
at large to reduce CO2 emissions by providing 
low-carbon solutions to fossil-based alternatives. 
We cooperate with the Swedish University of 
Agricultural Sciences (SLU) to further develop 
the scientific methods for calculating climate 
impact. The research also takes into account 
how Stora Enso’s products can substitute other 
greenhouse gas intensive materials and energy, 
such as plastics or concrete. In 2020, the SLU 
published a report on the climate impacts of 
a forest company. Read the SLU report here. 
We continued to implement methodologies for 
calculating the quantities of carbon sequestered 
in forests and plantations owned and managed by 
Stora Enso and our associate companies. For more 
information, see page 50. 

Stora Enso regularly carries out Life Cycle 
Assessments (LCAs) to understand and develop 

the environmental footprints of products, including 
carbon footprints. The LCAs show great potential 
for renewable products in substituting fossil-based 
alternatives to cut CO2 emissions. For example, our 
product-specific LCAs show that wood fiber-
based lids made from formed fiber have a carbon 
footprint that is approximately 75% lower than lids 
made from alternative product materials, such as 
plastic or bagasse. Read more on page 58. 

External recognition and partnerships 
to combat climate change
In February 2020, Stora Enso was top-ranked in 
greenhouse gas management for the third time 
in a row. The Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) 
is an asset owner-led initiative supported by the 
Grantham Research Institute and London School 
of Economics. It evaluates and tracks the quality 
of a company’s management of greenhouse gas 

emissions and of risks and opportunities related 
to the low-carbon transition. It also evaluates how 
a company’s future carbon performance would 
compare to the international targets and national 
pledges made under the Paris Agreement. In 
its assessment of how 18 of the largest paper 
producers globally are preparing for the transition 
to a low-carbon economy, TPI top-ranked 
Stora Enso in both management quality and 
carbon performance. 

Stora Enso endorses the Corporate Leaders 

Group (CLG) policy statement on net-zero 
strategies. The CLG brings together European 
business leaders to accelerate progress towards 
a low-carbon, sustainable economy. In 2020, 
Stora Enso’s CEO signed an open letter urging EU 
heads of state and the European Commission to 
support an emissions reduction target of at least 
55% by 2030.

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Stora Enso collaborated in the WBCSD Food, 

Agriculture & Forest Products TCFD Preparer 
Forum publication titled Disclosure in a time of 
system transformation: Climate-related financial 
disclosure for food, agriculture and forest 
products companies. 

Stora Enso is a member of the We Mean 
Business coalition. The coalition brings together 
non-profit organisations, businesses, and 
investors that recognise that transitioning to a 
low-carbon economy is the only way to secure 
sustainable economic growth.

As a partner of the World Green Building 
Council’s European network, we supported the 
launch of the ‘Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront’ 
report, with the vision of net zero embodied 
carbon for the construction industry.

Stora Enso is a member of the Climate 

Leadership Coalition. In 2020, we participated in 
the preparation of the pre-engagement study on 
industrial-scale Power-to-Fuel project. 

Progress

Our science-based targets
In 2020, our CO2e emissions per saleable tonne 
of board, pulp, and paper were 26% lower than 
the 2010 benchmark level (26% lower in 2019). 
The performance remained stable despite the 
Group’s lower production in 2020 compared 
to 2019. During 2020, our performance was 
positively affected by the less fossil-intensive 
electricity purchased for our mills in Finland as 
well as energy efficiency improvements and 
further reductions of fossil fuel use at several mills.
In absolute terms, our direct and indirect CO2e 

emissions were 42% lower than in 2010. Direct 
CO2e emissions were 23% lower than in 2010. The 
CO2e emissions resulting from the generation of 
purchased electricity and heat during 2020 were 
79% lower than in 2010.

The total direct and indirect CO2e emissions 

from Stora Enso’s board, pulp, and paper 
mills amounted to 2.45 million tonnes in 2020 
(2.77 million tonnes in 2019). 

In 2020, our Wood Products division signed 
a hydroelectric power contract    for our units Alytus 
in Lithuania, Imavere and Näpi in Estonia, and 
Launkalne in Latvia that will enable them to deliver 
products with close to zero carbon emissions from 
their operations. In addition to the purchase of 
renewable electricity, the mills produce their own 
heat based on renewable bioenergy. 

Stora Enso’s GHG performance1 3 and scenarios for the forest industry2 
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in relation to production 

Million tonnes

kg/tonne

7.0

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0

2°C scenario

Well below 2°C scenario

6
0
0
2

7
0
0
2

8
0
0
2

9
0
0
2

0
1
0
2

1
1
0
2

2
1
0
2

3
1
0
2

4
1
0
2

5
1
0
2

6
1
0
2

7
1
0
2

8
1
0
2

9
1
0
2

0
2
0
2

1
2
0
2

2
2
0
2

3
2
0
2

4
2
0
2

5
2
0
2

6
2
0
2

7
2
0
2

8
2
0
2

9
2
0
2

0
3
0
2

Scope 1+2, million tonnes

Target baseline

CO2e kg/tonne

SBT projectory kg/tonne

Scope 1+2

Million tonnes
kg/tonne

2006

6.5
493

2007

5.75
446

2008

4.69
395

2009

3.70
379

2010

4.22
383

2011

3.53
328

2012

3.45
322

2013

3.59
343

2014

3.46
348

2015

3.12
309

20164

3.05
295

2017

3.14
300

2018

3.27
314

2019

2.77
284

2020

2.45
283

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

Target 
2030

264

1 Covering direct and indirect emissions 
as fossil CO2 equivalents (scope 1 and 2) 
from board, pulp, paper, and corrugated 
production units. Excluding joint 
operations. Normalised figures are 
reported per unit of sales production. 
Includes trading of Guarantees of Origin 
of electricity.

2 GHG reduction pathways for 2°C 
scenario and well below 2°C 
scenario as CO2e kg/tonne, based 
on information from the Transition 
Pathway Initiative (TPI)* including 
scenarios data from the Energy 
Technology Perspectives report by 
the International Energy Agency.

3 Fossil CO2e emissions data from our 
operations (scope 1+2) have been verified 
at reasonable assurance level since 2015 
and calculated according to the GHG 
protocol. Historical figures recalculated 
due to additional data or organisation 
scope changes after the previous report. 
For more, see Reporting scope. 

4 Since 2016 our CO2e performance has been 
adversely affected by the coal-based energy 
generation at our Beihai Mill in China. 

*Asset owner-led initiative supported by Grantham 
Research Institute and London School of Economics. 

SBT = Science-based target

Stora Enso’s carbon footprint 2016–20201

Scope 1: Direct emissions from our operations.2
Scope 2: Emissions from purchased energy consumed in our operations.2
Scope 3: Emissions from other sources along our value chain.4
Total

 50
2016
2.39
0.77
7.11
10.27

Fossil CO2 equivalent (million tonnes)³

2017
2.34
0.90
7.54
10.78

2018
2.48
0.89
7.47
10.85

2019
2.38
0.49
7.07
9.94

2020
2.18
0.34
6.31
8.83

Trend
16–20
−9%
−56%
−11%
−14%

1 Covers all Stora Enso production units. Excluding joint operations. Includes the trading of Guarantees of Origin for electricity.
2 Historical figures recalculated due to additional data or organisation scope changes after the previous report. For more, see Reporting scope.
3 The CO2 factors we use for purchased energy (scope 2) largely follow the market-based methodology, which means that almost all our units apply CO2 factors provided by their energy suppliers. 
When applying currently available location-based factors our scope 2 emissions for 2020 are 0.82 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents (0.90 million tonnes in 2019).
4 Historical scope 3 emissions recalculated bi-annually against the most recent methodology in order to ensure comparability.

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Case

Fossil-free 
production  
through climate-
smart choices 

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More than 80% of the fuel used at Maxau Mill is biomass-based. A new steam turbine will further increase the potential of 
combined heat and power production at the mill. 

 At the end of 2020, 14 of Stora Enso’s mills 
used harvesting and production process residuals 
to generate renewable energy and distributed it 
to local district heating systems (approximately 
90%) and industrial partners (approximately 
10%). In most cases, the heat supplied from our 
production units directly reduces the local use of 
oil and other fossil fuels. In 2020, a total of 0.9 TWh 
of heat (0.9 TWh in 2019) was sold to these district 
heating systems serving 12 (13) communities. 
Using this amount of renewable energy instead 
of, for example, light fuel oil for heating resulted 
in estimated emission reduction savings of 0.23 
million tonnes of fossil CO2 (0.23 million tonnes). 

Investing in a low-carbon future 
We strive to increase the proportion of biomass 
in our internal energy generation. In line with our 
policy to give preference to energy from low-

fossil carbon sources, Stora Enso has invested 
EUR 25 million to boost green energy generation 
at Maxau Mill in Germany. The project was 
completed during 2020 and is expected to save 
50 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. In 2020, 
we announced that the excess heat from the 
Maxau Mill will also be used to provide renewable, 
biomass-based district heating for the city of 
Karlsruhe in south-west Germany. 

Our Oulu Mill produces energy for its own use, 
for other operations located in the plant area and 
for the district heating network of the City of Oulu. 
Following the conversion, which was completed 
in January 2021, the plant will have the technical 
capability to produce all energy without fossil 
fuels. The share of peat in the fuel mix will also 
decrease from the current level. Switching to 
renewable fuels will significantly reduce the mill’s 
fossil CO2 emissions.

Following decades of continuous 

sustainability work, our Fors Mill in Sweden 
has been fossil-carbon emission free in 
its electricity and steam production since 
2017. This has been achieved by moving 
from fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, 
to biofuels. Today, the journey continues 
towards becoming the world’s most resource 
efficient mill. 

“We’ve come a long way, and today, 
sustainable production is at the core of our 
operations,” says Gunnar Sjöblom, acting 
Mill Director at Fors Mill. “But the journey will 
not stop here. We must constantly look at 
what we can do to be part of the solution to 
climate change.”

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Another important part of our work is our 

We estimate that 71% (71%) of the emissions 

central energy efficiency investment fund. 
For more information, see page 40. 

Investigating non-fossil fuel 
alternatives for Beihai Mill 
At our Beihai Mill in Guangxi province, China, 
coal is currently the main energy source as there 
are inadequate sustainable supply chains for 
non-fossil fuels in the region at present. The mill 
has started to gradually move away from coal to 
biomass and other non-fossil fuels as its power 
boiler is technically able to use a variety of fuel 
mixes. In 2020, modest amounts of wastewater 
sludge, bark, and forest residuals were used in the 
boiler. Our midterm target is to increase the share 
of bio and waste-based fuels in the mill’s energy 
generation to 50% of fuel energy. 

Carbon neutral emissions 
Carbon neutral CO2 emissions are fossil-free 
emissions generated during the combustion of 
biomass-based fuels sourced from sustainably 
managed forests1. These emissions are carbon 
neutral as the forests are regenerated and the 
new generation of trees absorbs CO2 as it grows. 
When forests are sustainably managed, this cycle 
can continue indefinitely. Stora Enso’s operations 
utilise renewable biomass fuels from forest 
and process residuals to a large extent, which 
means that the proportion of carbon neutral CO2 
emissions in our total emissions is high. In 2020, 
82% (82%) of the total direct and indirect CO2 
emissions from our own operations were carbon 
neutral, originating from biomass fuels.

Our carbon footprint 
Direct emissions from our operations account for 
25% (24% in 2019) of our carbon footprint, while 
emissions related to the electricity and heat that 
we purchase for use in our operations account for 
4% (5%) of our total carbon emissions. 

In 2020, 82% 
of the total CO2 
emissions from our 
own operations were 
carbon neutral.

in our carbon footprint are generated elsewhere 
along our value chain. The majority of our 
emissions are generated in the sourcing and 
manufacturing of our raw materials and services 
(27% of our total carbon footprint); in the further 
processing of our products by customers (28%); 
and in the transportation of raw materials to our 
mills and our final products to our customers 
(16%). To identify potential for further reducing 
our emissions in Scopes 1, 2, and 3, we have 
strengthened our internal steering processes 
in accordance with the actions agreed in our 
science-based targets. 

Value chain emissions 
The CO2 emissions generated during the 
transportation of our raw materials and products, 
which is the most significant environmental impact 
associated with our logistical operations, are 
mainly produced by external service providers. 
Transportation accounts for 23% of all our Scope 3 
CO2 emissions. 

Sea transport accounts for approximately 
89% of all our product transportation by weight 
and distance, while road and rail transportation 
account for 9% and 2% respectively. 

Our commitment to science-based targets 

includes engagement targets for Scope 3. To 
reduce emissions in the value chain, Stora Enso 
commits to having 70% of its non-fiber raw 
material suppliers and downstream transportation 
suppliers in terms of spend set their own reduction 
targets by 2025, towards the aim of adopting 
science-based GHG reduction targets by 2030. 

We use sustainability criteria in the tendering 

phase of our sourcing process and when 
collecting data on supplier performance. Since 
2018, suppliers have been asked to respond to 
a set of questions about their CO2 emissions. 
These criteria are part of every tender, regardless 
of previous contracts with the same supplier. 
For more information on how we work with our 
suppliers, see pages 60–63. 

In addition, our target was to educate 100% 
of our customer-facing staff on the advantages of 
setting science-based targets by 2020. By the end 
of the year, 90% of our employees in the scope 
had completed the training, which will continue 
in 2021.

1 Recommendations on Biomass Carbon Neutrality, 
WBCSD 2015.

Stora Enso’s carbon footprint1

Indirect emissions 
along the value chain

71%

Harvesting

Production of fuels

Transportation of purchased 
raw materials and fuels

Production of purchased materials 
and services: pulp, recycled paper 
and board, pigments, fillers

Processing of products by our customers

Transportation and distribution of 
our products to customers globally

Our direct emissions

On-site electricity and heat production

25%

Indirect emissions

4%

Electricity and heat 
purchased for our operations

Scope 1: Direct emissions from our operations.
Scope 2: Emissions from purchased energy consumed in our operations.
Scope 3: Emissions from other sources along our value chain.

1 Covers all Stora Enso production units, a total of 8.83 million tonnes of fossil CO2 equivalent 
(9.94 million tonnes in 2019). Excluding joint operations.

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Forests, plantations, and land use

Sustainable forest 
management safeguards 
biodiversity and helps 
combat climate change.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

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Opportunities and challenges 

Combatting climate 
change with forests 
Forests and plantations are an increasingly 
important part of the wider global sustainable 
development agenda, particularly in relation 
to combatting climate change. As a renewable 
natural resource, wood represents a favourable 
alternative to fossil-based and other non-
renewable materials. Growing trees absorb 
carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, and 
together with wood-based products act as carbon 
storage. The carbon remains in the fibers when 
trees are turned into products, and even through 
recycling. Sustainable forest management 
ensures that new generations of trees replace 
those that are harvested. 

The role of forests in combatting climate 

change has been broadly recognised. The 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 
(IPCC) issued the Climate Change and Land 
report in 2019 that emphasised sustainable 
land management. The role of sustainable 
forest management is further emphasised 
in the EU Biodiversity strategy adopted in 
May 2020. It is also highlighted in the EU 
Forest Strategy Roadmap consultation from 
November 2020 that the forthcoming strategy 
will aim to ensure the sustainable management 
of all EU forests, maximising the provision 
of their multiple functions while enhancing 
their productive capacity. For Stora Enso, it is 
essential that any regional or national policy fully 
utilises the potential of sustainable renewable 
materials and supports the transition towards a 
circular economy. 

Climate change entails physical challenges 
and opportunities for forests and plantations but 
also people, which highlights the importance 
of sustainable forestry as one of the solutions 
to climate change. Changing patterns of 
temperature, wind, and rainfall impact our 
operational environment. Well-managed forests 
and plantations can make ecosystems more 
resilient to negative impacts, and even benefit 
from the positive effects. Growing trees absorb 
CO2. Forest health and growth must be ensured 
by managing forests sustainably throughout the 
forest life cycle. 

Using forests or land for tree plantations may 
impact the human rights of forestry workers and 
local communities. Maintaining a good dialogue 

Forest certification 
coverage for lands owned 
or managed by us

98%

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

with local communities helps to ensure that their 
rights to, for example, property, self-determination, 
and cultural activities, are respected. 

Global challenges such as population growth, 

the increasing demand for agricultural land, 
and the widening gap between the supply and 
demand for wood, require us to use natural 
resources even more efficiently, and to produce 
more raw materials from less land. 

Our policies 

Committed to sustainable 
wood and fiber sourcing 
Stora Enso’s policy on Wood and Fiber Sourcing, 
and Land Management covers the entire cycle 
of forest and tree plantation management. The 
policy requires sustainable forest management 
through responsible sourcing and land use – to 
safeguard the health and ecological functions of 
ecosystems and to help conserve biodiversity, 
soil, and water resources. To achieve this, we 
maintain an open dialogue with our stakeholders. 

Other relevant policies that promote 

sustainable forestry include our: 
•  Environmental Guidelines – a more 

comprehensive overview of our policy 
objectives and how we work to achieve them. 
•  The Stora Enso Code – our code of conduct. 
•  Supplier Code of Conduct – our requirements 

for suppliers. 

How we work 

Ensuring the sustainability of fiber 
Stora Enso’s approach to responsible forest and 
tree plantation management is based on the 
economic, social, and environmental aspects 
of sustainability. Compliance with national 
legislation and regulatory obligations is only the 
starting point for our work. We actively support 
and implement voluntary forest conservation and 
restoration measures on lands owned, leased, 
and managed by Stora Enso, and in other areas 
where we purchase wood. 

Stora Enso continued its cooperation with the 

World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) in several 
countries in 2020. Initiatives included the New 
Generation Plantations (NGP) platform, which 
focuses on the institutional and technological 
aspects of responsible plantation management. 
We are active members in numerous local 

and global forestry associations, networks, 

Veracel is the first tree plantation company in Brazil to receive FSC recognition for preserving and responsibly managing 
ecosystem services.

and programmes. Stora Enso has been 
a member of the Forest Solutions Group (FSG) 
of the World Business Council for Sustainable 
Development (WBCSD) since the late 1990s and 
has co-chaired it since 2018. During 2020, we 
actively participated in the preparation of the 
Forest Sector SDG Roadmap Implementation 
Impact Report. We also continued to support 
and participate in The Forests Dialogue (TFD). 
The TFD is a 20-year-old platform for multi-
stakeholder discussion and collaboration that 
has worked on the most pressing local and global 
issues facing forests and people for two decades. 
In 2020, Stora Enso joined the Business for 
Nature call to action in the lead-up to the United 
Nations conference on biodiversity.

Stora Enso and the Forest Stewardship 
Council (FSC) have an international partnership 
agreement to establish a long-term strategic 
collaboration to develop and promote sustainable 
forestry. During 2020, the focus was on expanding 
FSC group certification among private forest 
owners in Finland, where forest owners are 

increasingly interested in forest certification. 
Stora Enso promotes all main forest certification 
systems and is committed to the responsible 
sourcing of wood and fiber from only sustainably 
managed forests and tree plantations. 

To strengthen the development of sustainable 
forestry, Stora Enso has established a long-term 
cooperation with the Swedish University of 
Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The main goal of the 
collaboration is to jointly pursue research projects 
to develop new knowledge within sustainable 
forestry. The activities focus on research projects 
formulated in four integrated collaboration 
areas: forest management for increased growth, 
forest management for increased biodiversity, 
remote sensing technology, and life cycle 
analysis. The collaboration will further strengthen 
the information exchange and competence 
development of Stora Enso and SLU staff. 

Strategic approach to forests 
To cover all aspects of sustainability in our forest 
and plantation management, we apply the same 

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Growing forests
sequester CO2.

comprehensive wood procurement process in 
all our operating regions. Our own forests and 
long-term lease agreements secure a sustainable 
and transparent wood supply. 

The Forest division’s wood supply operations 
in Finland, Sweden, Baltics, and Russia cover the 
entire management cycle in forests – from planning 
to harvesting, logistics, and forest regeneration. 
The flexible utilisation of different wood sources 
is key in an efficient and reliable wood supply. 
We always make sure a new generation of trees 
replaces those that are harvested. 

We use long-term planning to ensure our 
forest operations are preparing and adapting 
to the changing climate conditions. Stora Enso 
evaluates the risks and opportunities related 
to climate change and forest and land use 
through the annual Enterprise Risk Management 
(ERM) process, which forms an integral part of 
the Group’s management approach (for more 
information, see Financials 2020). 

Increased ambition for forest sustainability
In 2020, Stora Enso developed a new ambitious 
Forest Sustainability Strategy, building on the 
Group sustainability agenda. The strategy focuses 
on four areas: Carbon, Biodiversity, Land use, 
and Communities. 

In Carbon, the strategic focus is on enabling 

the provision of superior climate benefits for 
Stora Enso’s end-customers. The primary 
development areas are forest carbon sequestration 
potential and the reduction of value chain 
emissions in forestry operations. As growing 
forests absorb CO2, our focus is on the positive 
substitution effect enabled by our products rather 
than maximising the carbon sink in productive 
forests. Stora Enso has carried out extensive 
research with SLU on the carbon balance in the 
value chain from forest to end-products.

In Biodiversity, our long-term strategic focus 
is to measure biodiversity holistically to be able 
to optimise wood production and biodiversity in 
our forests and tree plantations. We collaborate 
with SLU to develop indicators for measuring 
and monitoring the biodiversity impacts of our 
operations and create new methods to enhance 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Precision forestry using drone monitoring and artificial intelligence offers new opportunities to monitor forests and to 
increase their value for forest owners.

selected aspects of biodiversity in our forest 
management and wood procurement operations. 

In Land-use, the strategic focus is on 

safeguarding ecosystem functions and optimising 
societal benefits. Stora Enso forest operations 
have a significant socio-economic contribution 
to rural communities. We aim to strengthen 
cooperation with local stakeholders and explore 
different land use options, such as wind farms and 
the use of forests for recreation. 

In Communities, the strategic focus is on 
maintaining the prosperity and resilience of 
communities close to Stora Enso’s operations – 
now and for future generations. Read more about 
our work with communities on pages 23–27.

Responsible forestry 
Stora Enso’s wood comes from three sources: 
company-owned forests, company-owned tree 
plantations, and third-party suppliers. In 2020, 
87% (87%) of Stora Enso’s wood came from 
managed semi-natural forests in Europe, most 
of which are privately owned. We work together 
with forest owners to identify sensitive forest 

areas in need of protection. Our experts are 
trained to identify such areas and we regularly 
consult the authorities on these matters. Forest 
planning involves finding ways to optimise wood 
production and conservation.

In 2020, 13% of Stora Enso’s wood came 
from tree plantations (13%). When establishing 
new plantations, we use internationally approved 
principles and forest certification standards. 
Our commercial plantations are also certified to 
ensure that all aspects of sustainability are taken 
into consideration. Stora Enso never establishes 
plantations in natural forests, protected areas, 
or water-sensitive locations. We only use land 
with low biodiversity value, such as former 
pastureland. Stora Enso’s employees and forestry 
contractors are given on-the-job training in 
ecological management, and we regularly monitor 
the impacts of our operations on biodiversity, soil, 
and water resources. 

As we recognise that our plantations are an 
integral part of local land use, we evaluate and 
define sustainable land use practices specifically 
for each location. After determining the scope 

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of expected impacts and possible remedies, we 
decide whether or not to proceed with a proposed 
project. Stora Enso subsequently remains in 
constant dialogue with stakeholders and strives to 
ensure that land contracts are legitimate and fair. 
For more information about human rights in land 
acquisition and management, see pages 12–16.

Interview

New standards 
for biodiversity

Forest regeneration 
Sustainable forest management ensures 
that a new generation of trees replaces the 
harvested ones. We ensure that forests are 
regenerated and remain healthy also in the 
future. This is normally done through active 
planting or sowing, although in some areas 
active regeneration is complemented by natural 
seed dispersal, leaving seed trees standing 
in the harvesting area, or coppicing. In 2020, 
approximately 62 million tree seedlings were 
planted by Stora Enso.

In Sweden, where Stora Enso owns 
approximately 1.4 million hectares of forest, 
seedlings for regeneration sites are delivered 
from three Stora Enso-owned nurseries in 
central Sweden. 

Protecting biodiversity 
Sustainable forest management safeguards 
forest health and productivity and protects 
biodiversity – while securing the long-term 
availability of our renewable resources. This is 
why we closely monitor the management of the 
forests and plantations from which we source 
wood. Wood harvesting is planned to suit the 
particular characteristics of each harvesting site, 
making use of appropriate harvesting methods 
and technologies. Harvesting volumes are aligned 
with the long-term carrying capacity of particular 
forests and plantations.

In northern managed semi-natural forests, 
biodiversity is maintained and enhanced in both 
wood production and set-aside areas. As trees 
take many years or decades to mature, long-term 
forestry planning is essential. This involves 
ecological landscape plans and biodiversity 
assessments to identify, conserve, and restore 
vital ecosystems and ecological features. For 
examples on how we implement biodiversity 
management practices in northern forests and 
tree plantations, see page 54.

Stora Enso also cooperates with WWF Finland 

to promote the conservation and sustainable 
use of forests. This work includes promoting 

Stora Enso wants to be a leader in 
biodiversity. “We want to set new standards 
and become thought leaders in this area. 
That takes time of course, but we want to 
invest in it. We continuously develop our 
methodology, increase our efficiency and 
make everyday considerations through 
adapted forest management,” says 
Johan Lindman, SVP Global Forestry and 
Sustainability. “This may include setting 
aside areas of the forest to stimulate 
biodiversity, and in general, always 
managing the forest with biodiversity in 
mind.” Learn more about the new forest 
sustainability strategy in our interview with 
Johan Lindman. 

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

alternative harvesting practices among private 
forest owners.

In fast growing tree plantations, the 
landscape typically consists of a mosaic of 
areas for both intensive wood production and 
biodiversity conservation. 

In Brazil, our joint operation Veracel goes 
beyond regeneration by conserving and restoring 
areas of natural Atlantic Rainforest. All Veracel’s 
tree plantations were established on degraded 
pasture lands, and no rainforest has been 
converted into plantations. When Veracel’s 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

plantations were established in 1991, less than 
7% of the original Atlantic rainforest was left in the 
region following extensive logging and clearing 
for cattle ranching between the 1950s and 1980s. 
Since the plantations were established, Veracel 
has worked systematically to protect and restore 
local biodiversity. 

Approximately half of Veracel’s 213 000 
hectares of land are dedicated to rainforest 
preservation and restoration. Veracel aims to 
restore approximately 400 hectares of rainforest 
habitat every year by planting native species. In 
total, 7 200 hectares of forest have been restored 
between 1994 and the end of 2020. This work 
is part of a regional restoration programme 
that helps connect the remaining areas of 
valuable natural habitat to each other with forest 
corridors that enable wildlife to move more freely 
from one area to another. Veracel’s significant 
contribution to the conservation of natural Atlantic 
rainforest and its rich biodiversity has been 
recognised by both the Brazilian authorities and 
international stakeholders. 

The Veracel Station visitor centre, established 
in an area of preserved rainforest habitat, conducts 
research, conserves native and endangered 
ecosystems, and raises environmental awareness 
among visitors. Since 2015, the visitor centre has 
also developed ecotourism, with a special focus 
on birdwatching. Veracel Station typically hosts 
4 000–6 000 visitors annually.

Veracel is the first tree plantation company in 
Brazil to receive FSC recognition for preserving 
and responsibly managing ecosystem services.

Wood procurement by region1  
35.0 million m³

Finland 10.4 (30%)
Sweden² 9.1 (26%)
Central Europe 5.3 (15%)
Russia 3.4 (10%)
Uruguay³ 2.3 (7%)
Baltic countries 2.2 (6%)
Brazil³ 1.9 (5%)
China 0.4 (1%)

1 Total amounts of wood (roundwood and chips) procured 
within these regions for delivery to our mills (million m³, 
solid under bark). Excluding internal wood chip deliveries. 
2 Including wood procured from Norway. 
3 Figures for Brazil and Uruguay include 50% of the wood 
procurement of our joint operations Veracel and Montes 
del Plata. 

Legend

Finland

Sweden²

Central Europe

Russia

Uruguay³

Baltic countries

Brazil³

China

Total

Value

10.4

9.1

5.3

3.4

2.3

2.2

1.9

0.4

35

30%

26%

15%

10%

7%

6%

5%

1%

100%

Case

Safeguarding 
biodiversity 
in Uruguay

Protecting the environment and biodiversity 
is a top priority for Montes del Plata, our 
50/50 joint operation in Uruguay. Montes 
del Plata owns 190 000 hectares and 
leases 79 000 hectares of land, of which 
approximately 65% is planted with eucalyptus 
trees. The remaining is reserved for purposes 
such as cattle grazing and the conservation of 
native forests and special ecosystems.

Some of the actions taken by Montes del 
Plata to safeguard biodiversity over the years 

include preserving local species, promoting 
beekeeping on company land, and educating 
the public at its environmental centre 
Bioparque M’Bopicuá. Bioparque M’Bopicuá 
has also released into the wild a population of 
collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), a mammal 
species extinct in the wild in Uruguay.

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

In Uruguay, our joint operation Montes del Plata 
continued its cooperation with NGO Aves Uruguay 
in 2020. For more information, see page 27.

Promoting sustainable forestry 
management through forest certification 
All roundwood, chips, sawdust, and externally 
purchased pulp supplied to our mills come from 
sustainable sources. We use a range of tools to 
ensure this, and to guarantee the sustainability 
of each part of the forest management cycle. 
These tools include forest certification and 
third-party traceability systems such as the Forest 
Stewardship Council’s (FSC) Chain of Custody/
Controlled Wood scheme, the Chain of Custody/
Due Diligence System of the Programme for 
the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), 

and the ISO 14001 environmental management 
system. In addition, our Supplier Code of Conduct 
complements these tools by imposing strict 
contractual requirements on our suppliers.
We work actively with our stakeholders 
to promote sustainable forest management 
and the wider use of certification systems. 
As certification programmes cover all three 
aspects of sustainability (environmental, social, 
and economic), they are an important indicator 
of responsible forestry. We often work beyond 
certification requirements, for example with 
larger conservation areas, significant community 
investments, and by promoting societal benefits 
from land use.

We regularly audit our suppliers and work 

together with respected local institutions to ensure 

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everything is done according to the standards set 
by certification schemes and our own policies. 

Improving forest growth
Stora Enso continuously works towards the 
long-term goal of improving the productivity and 
quality of company forests and tree plantations 
to sustainably enhance wood production per unit 
of land. Improved productivity and high-quality 
raw material help to maximise climate benefits by 
substituting fossil-based products. Tree breeding 
primarily targets increased biomass production 
(i.e. volume and density) and cellulose yield. Other 
objectives might include improved rooting or 
resistance to frost, drought, pests, or diseases, 
depending on local conditions and the species 
in question. We test and apply modern scientific 
tools for tree improvement and the management 
of genetic diversity in tree plantations. This may 
involve selecting ‘elite trees’ or conducting marker-
assisted breeding and genetic engineering. 
Our genetic engineering activities are in 
the research phase. As with traditional clone 
improvements, it will take many years to develop 
genetically engineered clones for commercial use. 
During 2020, we continued the process to establish 
field trials in areas totalling less than five hectares 
in Brazil. These trials fully comply with relevant 
national regulations. Stora Enso will not carry out 
any trials considered by the authorities to be unsafe 
or otherwise not permitted. We currently have no 
plans to plant genetically engineered trees in any of 
our commercial plantations.

Progress 

Wood from sustainable sources 
At the end of 2020, Stora Enso owned or managed 
lands covering a total area of 2.341 million hectares 
(2.35 million hectares in 2019). The majority of 
Stora Enso’s owned or managed lands are located 
in Sweden. For more details, see the tables on 
page 53. We follow our progress in responsible 
forestry with a key performance indicator (KPI) 
that measures the proportion of land in wood 
production and harvesting owned or managed by 
Stora Enso that is covered by forest certification 
schemes. Our target is to maintain the high level 
of 96%. In 2020, coverage amounted to 98%1 
(98% in 2019). 

1 Including 100% of lands managed by joint operations Veracel 
and Montes del Plata. Excluding Tornator.

 55

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The proportion of third-party certified wood in 

our total wood supply was 78% in 2020 (75% in 
2019). We know the origin of all the wood we use 
and 100% comes from sustainable sources.

In 2020, the total amount of wood (including 
roundwood, wood chips, and sawdust) delivered 
to our mills was 35.0 million m3 (solid under bark) 
(36.3 million m3 in 2019). 

In Russia, we continued to work with WWF. 
During the year, with Stora Enso’s support, WWF 
Russia organised training related to the social 
aspects of forestry. At the end of the year, the 
total area covered by group forestry certifications 
in Russia was 1.3 million hectares (1.3 million 
hectares in 2019). Our Russian subsidiaries 
have been FSC certified since 2006, and the 

lands managed by Stora Enso in Russia through 
long-term harvesting rights are included in the 
total certified area. For further details, see the 
table below. We also continued our support for 
the Boreal Forest Platform, a stakeholder forum 
organised by WWF Russia.

In Finland, Stora Enso offers FSC forest 
certification services to private forest owners. 
In 2020, the number of members in Stora Enso 
Wood Supply Finland’s FSC group grew to 415 
private forest owners (285 in 2019), corresponding 
to 79 000 hectares (over 54 000 hectares at the 
end of 2019). 

Since 2011, Veracel has promoted group 
certification among its tree farmers in Brazil. 
Aspex, an association representing certified tree 

farms, manages the certification process by using 
certificates granted by both FSC and Cerflor (PEFC). 
By the end of 2020, dual forest certificates had been 
obtained by 76 farmers (75 at the end of 2019) for 
areas totalling 38 000 hectares (38 000), including 
16 000 hectares (16 000) planted with eucalyptus.

Stakeholder concerns and dialogues 
Stora Enso recognises that the areas where we 
operate are of value to different stakeholders. We 
have therefore adopted an integrated approach 
to land use around our plantations. This includes 
applied innovative land use models in Uruguay and 
Brazil to benefit local farmers and communities as 
well as the company. For more information on these 
integrated land use practices, see pages 26–27. 

In 2020, sustainable forestry was a stakeholder 
interest as environmental NGOs were widely calling 
for increased forest protection. In our stakeholder 
communications during the year, we stressed our 
commitment to sustainable forest management, 
forest certification, wood traceability, biodiversity 
conservation, and open stakeholder dialogues, 
and that we always ensure that all the wood we 
use comes from sustainably managed sources. 
We believe that the most sustainable way to 
protect high conservation value is through national 
and regional multi-stakeholder processes. During 
the year, Stora Enso engaged in regular dialogues 
with NGOs and other stakeholders. We also 
encouraged our business partners and NGOs to 
participate in such engagements.

Forests, plantations, and land owned by Stora Enso1 as of 31 December 2020 
Unit
Swedish forest holdings

Area
1 394 000 ha, of which 1 145 000 
productive forest land

Certification coverage
PEFC and FSC for 1 394 000 ha

Wood Supply, Estonia

Montes del Plata plantations and lands, Uruguay (joint 
operation with Arauco)

140 ha, of which 120 ha productive 
forest land
190 000 ha, of which 109 000 ha planted

PEFC and FSC for 190 000 ha

Veracel plantations and lands, Bahia, Brazil (joint operation 
with Suzano)

213 000 ha, of which 82 000 ha planted 
for pulp production

CERFLOR (PEFC) for 189 000 ha; 
FSC for 189 000 ha

Details of local landscapes and protected areas
Protected areas amount to 416 000 ha and consist of productive or non-productive land which 
has been set-aside from wood production and infrastructure development either voluntarily or 
by legal requirements.
No protected areas within this area.

Protected areas amount to 11 000 ha and consist of remnants of native ecosystems, such as 
grasslands and riparian forests, within the company’s lands. Local landscape consists mainly of 
pasturelands and agricultural fields.
Protected areas amount to 107 000 ha, including a 6 000 ha Private Natural Heritage Reserve, 
and mostly consist of native forest remnants at different stages of regeneration. Local 
landscape consists of pasturelands and agricultural fields cleared from Atlantic rainforest 
between the 1950s and 1980s. 

1 Including operations where Stora Enso’s shareholding is at least 50% and size of the area exceeds 100 hectares. In addition to the forest and plantation areas listed above, Stora Enso owns 41% of Tornator, which owns 0.6 million hectares of forestland in Finland, 68 000 
hectares in Estonia, and 12 000 hectares in Romania.

Forests and plantations managed by Stora Enso1 as of 31 December 2020 
Unit
Wood Supply, Russia2

Area
370 000 ha, of which 334 000 ha 
productive forest land

Plantations and lands, Guangxi, China

81 000 ha, of which 74 000 ha planted

Montes del Plata
Veracel

79 000 ha, of which 68 000 ha planted
11 000 ha, of which 5 000 ha planted

Trial plantations, Laos

4 000 ha, of which 3 000 ha planted

Certification coverage
FSC group certificate 370 000 ha

Chinese Forest Certification Council 
certificate (PEFC) for 81 000 ha; 
FSC for 81 000 ha

PEFC and FSC for 69 000 ha
CERFLOR (PEFC) for 9 000 ha; 
FSC for 9 000 ha
FSC for 4 000 ha

Details of local landscapes and protected areas
Protected areas amount to 18 000 ha and consist of productive or non-productive land that has 
been set aside from wood production and infrastructure development either voluntarily or by 
legal requirements.
Protected areas amount to 3 000 ha and consist of buffer zones and other important areas for 
the protection of watersheds and native flora and fauna. No pristine ecosystems are found in 
the leased lands. Local mosaic landscape includes agricultural crop fields, forest plantations, 
and settlements.  
No protected areas managed by Stora Enso as they are excluded from lease agreements.
Protected areas amount to 4 000 ha and consist of native forest remnants at different stages of 
regeneration.
Protected areas amount to 600 ha and mainly consist of  traditionally protected remnants 
of native forests. The plantations are located within a mosaic of intensive shifting cultivation 
lands and protected areas. One Stora Enso's plantation area is located close to a National 
Biodiversity Conservation Area. The majority of the total area is covered by agroforestry 
production schemes.

1 Areas managed through leasing or long-term harvesting rights. Including operations where Stora Enso’s shareholding is at least 50% and the size of the area exceeds 100 hectares. 
2 Long-term harvesting right.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Protecting biodiversity
We ensure that forests grow more 
than they are harvested, and that 
biodiversity is an integral part of 
everyday forest management. 

Biodiversity management practices in Northern forests

Decaying wood
Decaying wood provides an 
important habitat for a wide 
variety of forest species.

Retention trees
Provide continuum of decaying 
wood for forest species, such as 
birds who need it for nesting.

Forest structure
Variation in forest structure 
helps to maintain species 
and habitat diversity.

High stumps
During harvesting, we make 
artificial snags to increase 
the amount of deadwood.

Protection of valuable sites
In forest management planning, 
we identify and protect ecologically 
and culturally valuable sites.

Biodiversity management practices in tree plantations

Beekeeping
improve local livelihoods, 
help protecting the 
environment and enhance 
pollination as an important 
ecosystem service.

Mosaic landscape
Plantations are designed 
to protect valuable 
ecosystems and 
established only on 
degraded lands.

Ecological corridors 
connect and provide 
habitats for native species.

Restoration 
of native ecosystems 
by preventing 
disturbance and 
planting native species.

Monitoring of 
flora and fauna 
to collect information 
on developments in 
the local habitats.

Protection of 
valuable ecosystems
such as remaining natural 
forests and wetlands.

Multiple land-use
such as cattle grazing and 
collection of non-timber 
forest products.

Reintroduction of 
native species 
in protected areas
Into their natural habitat. 

Roadbuilding and soil preparation 
Harvesting, soil preparation and road 
building are planned to minimize adverse 
impacts to soil and water. 

See the full infographic Biodiversity in tree plantations here.

Read more at 

storaenso.com/biodiversity

Controlled burning
Creates suitable habitats for many 
fire-dependent species and
enhances forest regeneration.

Soil and water protection
Harvesting, soil preparation and road 
building are planned to minimize 
adverse impacts to soil and water.

Buffer zones
Protect watercourses, connect and provide 
habitats for forest species and improve 
visual quality of the managed landscape.

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Economic agenda 

Our renewable products 
meet consumer demand 
for more eco-friendly, 
circular solutions.

  Customers  56

  Suppliers  60

  Investors  64

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
Customers

We provide our 
customers with 
renewable solutions 
and innovations 
to replace non-
renewable materials.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

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Opportunities and challenges 

Increasing demand for 
sustainable solutions 
Among the global megatrends impacting 
societies, markets, and businesses, climate 
change is one of our greatest challenges. 
Consumers, legislators, companies, and financial 
institutions are increasingly focusing on raw 
materials, CO2 emissions, circularity, and waste 
reduction. Moreover, governments around the 
world are increasingly regulating the use of fossil-
based materials, such as plastics.

The European Commission (EC) has adopted 

a Circular Economy Action Plan that will drive 
legislative reviews in the areas of sustainable 
product policy, circularity, and waste reduction. 
The EC Circular Economy Package, including 
the EU directive on single use plastics, creates a 
need for new innovations and provides business 
opportunities for Stora Enso. 

Substituting fossil based and other non-
renewable materials with wood fiber can also 
make a significant contribution1 to the EU’s 
targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Our 
massive wood elements for buildings are 
examples of solutions that store carbon and have 
a smaller carbon footprint than non-renewable 
alternatives. 

The global and European policy 
developments, such as climate policies, 
emissions reduction targets, and circular 
economy and healthy living requirements set our 
pathway to the future. In the long term, we believe 
societies will increasingly choose to replace 
fossil-based and other non-renewable materials 
with renewable solutions, such as those offered 
by Stora Enso.

Our policies 

Driven by our values
The Stora Enso Code constitutes a single set 
of values for all our employees. It explains our 
approach to ethical business practices, human 
and labour rights, and environmental values. 
These values are applied wherever we operate 
and in all customer relations. 

1 Material economics

30

of our production 
units were registered 
in Sedex

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

The pandemic has changed our buying behaviour and e-commerce is growing in specific areas, such as food.

In 2020, Stora Enso published its Circular 
Design Guidelines.  These principles will serve 
as guidance for all our units, functions, and 
divisions, whether they are planning to create 
new processes and products or to update 
existing ones. During the year, the Packaging 
Materials division published a Circular Design 
Guide for Packaging that focuses on designing 
for recyclability. 

How we work 

Value from customer engagement
Our expertise in renewable materials and 
products with high sustainability performance 
helps us meet the needs of our current and future 
customers. Our divisions have specific focus 
areas and products that cater to a broad range 
of customers. Their product portfolios include 
various boards for packaging and printing, several 
pulp grades, wood products for construction, 
biocomposites, energy pellets, paper products 
made from virgin and recycled fiber, lignin, formed 
fiber, and intelligent packaging. We foresee many 
possibilities for bio-based chemicals, bio-barriers, 

lignin, and biocomposites to meet industry and 
consumer demands for solutions that can replace 
fossil-based materials. 

Stora Enso promotes and participates in 
successful recycling schemes, particularly for 
paper and board. We also sell and reuse a variety 
of valuable by-products and residuals from our 
production processes. For more information, 
see page 36. 

We actively work with our customers to 
improve material efficiency and reduce the 
environmental impact of our products and 
related processes through, for example, circular 
programmes and life cycle analyses. 

We work with the World Green Building 
Council (WorldGBC) to help realise the global 
vision of achieving 40% less CO2 emissions 
from building materials by 2030, and no net CO2 
emissions from building materials by 2050. To 
make this possible and to enable our customers 
to assess the impact of their buildings over 
the full life cycle, we develop Environmental 
Product Declarations (EPD) for all our building 
products. Read more about our EPDs on 
page 58. Furthermore, Stora Enso is co-chair 

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of the Business Case for Circular Buildings 
project, which is a collaboration between the 
WorldGBC and the World Business Council for 
Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The project 
aims to quantitatively and, where not possible, 
qualitatively articulate the business case for 
circular solutions in buildings.

We also share our sustainability expertise with 
customers. In 2020, our Paper Division introduced 
its new “Sustainability Page and Hub“. The 
website contains information on the division’s 
sustainable offerings and a hub where customers 
and other stakeholders can log in to download 
comprehensive information, such as FSC, PEFC, 
ISO, and Ecolabel certificates, Paper Profiles, 
Carbon Footprint Fact Sheets, and REACH 
declarations. In addition, our Wood Products 
division introduced a new sustainability webpage, 
including document libraries for certifications 
and declarations.

We systematically measure customer 
satisfaction. In 2020, our Net Promoter Score, 
which measures the willingness of our customers 
to recommend our products and services to 
others, was 59% (56% in 2019).

In 2020, Stora Enso 
published its Circular 
Design Guidelines.

Safety and sustainability certifications
Ensuring the safety of all our products is essential 
in everything we do in order to safeguard the 
environment as well as the health and safety 
of our employees, customers, and end-users. 
Our in-house product safety and quality control 
systems cover product development, raw material 
sourcing, and the manufacturing and delivery of 
products. We require that our suppliers comply 
with our product safety requirements. 

Statements from the US Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC) and other medical 
institution confirm that there is currently no evidence 
to support the transmission of the Covid-19 virus 
associated with goods that are shipped over 
a period of days. Our logistics service providers 
are following local and national disease prevention 
and control guidelines in their operations.

Our products covered by specific safety 
regulations include food contact materials, 
materials for toys, packaging for pharmaceuticals, 
personal care and hygiene products, and 
construction materials. Our units producing these 
sensitive materials follow Good Manufacturing 
Practices, which are a set of widely recognised 
guidelines incorporated into EU regulations. 
In addition to following Good Manufacturing 
Practices, most Packaging Solutions Mills and 
all except two of our Packaging Materials Mills 
are certified according to recognised hygiene 
management standards. The remaining two mills 
in Packaging Material Division, Ostroleka Mill and 
Oulu Containerboard Mill, will be certified during 
the first half of 2021. Food safety compliance 
for essential raw materials is also verified with 
our suppliers prior to any purchasing decision. 
We provide our customers with information on 
product hygiene and safety aspects through 
compliance declarations.

We also follow legislation designed to protect 
human health and the environment. These include 
the EU’s regulation for chemicals (REACH), 
Biocidal Products, the Classification, Labelling, 
and Packaging Regulation, as well as relevant 
food contact legislation and demands concerning 
food safety. When producing food contact 
materials, we only use chemicals that have been 
specifically approved for this purpose, after 
evaluating their safety and legal compliance. Our 
divisions have Product Safety Networks in place, 
and all our mills work to ensure that their products 
meet the relevant safety requirements. The ISO 
22000, FSSC 22000, and FDA product safety 
certificates issued to many of our units further 
ensure that we apply a systematic approach to 
food safety issues. 

ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, and 
ISO 45001 certified systems help our units 
to identify and meet customer requirements 
and to systematically improve product quality, 
environmental, energy, and occupational safety 
management. Many of our wood products are 
also CE marked to guarantee that they comply 
with the relevant EU legislation.

Many Stora Enso products are sold as FSC 

or PEFC certified or with other verification for 
responsible chain-of-custody and due diligence. 
These tools validate that the wood used in our 
products comes from responsibly managed 
sources, and that the entire journey of the raw 
material – from forest to end-user – has been 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

verified by a third party. In 2020, our Biomaterials 
division began a collaboration with FSC and PEFC 
to include lignin in a chain-of-custody certification.
Our DuraSense® Eco PP, a biocomposite 
product that is based on renewable wood fibers, 
has numerous sustainability and safety features. 
Eco PP is available as FSC and PEFC certified 
and includes polypropylene that is based on bio-
based materials that do not compete with food 
crops and are palm oil free. The product is also 
certified according to ISCC Plus (International 
Sustainability and Carbon Certification) and is 
approved for products that are in contact with 
food (European food contact approval, US Food 
and Drug Administration pending). 

For more information about our responsible 

forestry and forest certification work, see 
pages 49–54. For unit-specific information on 
certificates, see pages 69–71.

Life cycle assessments and ecolabels 
We collect product-specific life cycle inventory 
(LCI) data, which is typically used in Life Cycle 
Assessments (LCAs) conducted by our own 
experts, our customers, or brand owners, 
often in collaboration with academia, expert 
organisations, or industry associations.

During the year, the Wood Products division 
completed a set of EPDs (Environmental Product 
Declaration), which are publicly available for its 
entire product range, from classic sawn timber to 
engineered wood products, such as CLT (Cross 
Laminated Timber) and LVL (Laminated Veneer 
Lumber). These EPDs offer transparent, third-party 
verified information about the environmental 
performance of a product throughout its life cycle 
and are in line with relevant ISO and EN standards. 
EPDs provide important information to our 
customers when assessing the life cycle impacts 
of their projects, further processed products, 
or entire buildings. We are also able to support 
our customers in their own product LCAs. EPDs 
provide an important resource for customers that 
wish to apply for building certification schemes or 
ecolabels for their products.

In 2020, our Packaging Solutions division 

published an LCA on formed fiber which is 
produced at our Hylte Mill in Sweden. The LCA 
study focused on a coffee cup lid and a food 
bowl made of formed fiber, comparing them 
to the same products made from bagasse 
pulp, polystyrene, and Recycled Polyethylene 
Terephthalate (RPET). According to the LCA, 

We drive the sustainable construction market through CO2 efficient building solutions. 

We are one of the 
founding companies 
of 4evergreen, 
a European circular 
economy platform.

formed fiber is the most low-carbon material 
choice on the market. The PureFiber™ product 
line contains no plastic or per- and polyfluoroalkyl 
substances (PFAS) and enables an approximately 
75% smaller CO2 footprint compared to 
alternative packaging materials, such as plastic 
or bagasse. In 2020, we also announced 
investments in more formed fiber capacity at Hylte 
Mill as well as our Qian’an Mill in China.

More than 90% of our Paper division’s own 
brands are covered by one or more recognised 
ecolabel, including the EU Ecolabel, the Nordic 

Ecolabel, and the German Blue Angel (Blauer 
Engel). Many of our graphical board brands are 
also available as EU Ecolabel certified. Ecolabel 
criteria cover the entire life cycle of a product, 
from the extraction of raw materials to production, 
product use, and disposal. The Blue Angel 
ecolabel criteria for graphic and recycled paper 
were revised in 2020, setting stricter requirements 
for elements such as discharges to water. 
The environmental performance of our 
paper and board products is in line with the 
voluntary Paper Profile initiative. Paper Profile 
declarations have been calculated for all our 
paper and containerboard products and all main 
paperboard products.

Progress 

Sustainability through co-creation
Customer needs play an important role when we 
develop products, services, and processes. We 
identify these needs by exchanging expertise with 
our customers on various sustainability topics. 

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We support our customers to meet consumer 

demand for sustainable products. For example, 
in 2020, we started a co-branding cooperation 
with Hakle, a German tissue products producer. 
Hakle’s packaging includes a URL that links 
to Stora Enso’s sustainable pulp website 
informing consumers about the origin of the 
pulp in these products as well as on sustainable 
forest management.

Advancing the circular bioeconomy
As the renewable materials company, Stora Enso 
operates at the heart of the circular bioeconomy. 
With our expertise, we can help customers achieve 
their circularity and renewability ambitions. 

Stora Enso has been one of the lead companies 

behind the 4evergreen alliance – a European 
circular economy platform launched in 2019 that 
focuses on fiber-based packaging. The aim is to 
drive the recycling of fiber-based packaging and 
collaboration in circular design and materials to 
enable positive change in the circular economy.

Our Packaging Materials division also works 
with the Paper Cup Alliance to actively facilitate 
the recycling of paper cups in the UK, together 
with many of our customers. We work extensively 
on communication, advocacy, and recycling with 
the beverage carton industry through national, 
regional, and global platforms. These platforms 
include the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and 
the Environment (ACE), the EXTR:ACT platform 
for increasing beverage carton recycling in 
Europe, and the GRACE alliance for advocating, 
communicating, and improving the recycling of 
beverage cartons globally.

Similarly, at European level, in the food 
service industry, we are founding members of 
EPPA (European Paper Packaging Association) 
collaborating on topics such as food safety, LCA, 
advocacy, and recycling. At national level, we 
work through networks such as Pro-S-Pack in 
Germany, Alliance Gobelets Carton in France, and 
the Paper Cup Alliance and PCRRG (The Paper 
Cup Recovery and Recycling Group) in the UK.
In 2020, Stora Enso and the Helsinki Olympic 
Stadium signed a partnership to promote circular 
economy solutions. The aim is to develop 
low-carbon, eco-friendly operations at the stadium 
by promoting the use of renewable materials and 
circular economy solutions. Stora Enso explores 
reusing products as well as recycling used materials 
to give high-quality wood fibers a second life in new 
products that will be used at the stadium.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Case

Delivering 
the necessities 
in challenging times

In a short time, Covid-19 has forced us to 
rethink many everyday things we’ve previously 
taken for granted. Working, travelling, eating, 
and shopping are suddenly not what they used 
to be. But even in the most difficult of times, 
basic needs must be met.

A key question is: what happens if there 
are disruptions in supply chains, or if goods 
cannot be delivered? Some supply chains are 
complex: a cup of coffee, for example, can 
require 29 companies to collaborate across 
18 countries. But many daily necessities are 

produced locally, close to us, requiring much 
shorter supply chains. 

Stora Enso has an important role in 
delivering these necessities: our renewable 
material, wood, enables safe and hygiene 
packaging for food and beverages; delivers 
your online orders; and becomes the pulp 
for hygiene products and tissue papers. 
Importantly, it also grows back in sustainably 
managed forests and is widely recyclable.

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

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In 2020, Stora Enso announced that, together 

with Tetra Pak, it is initiating a feasibility study 
to assess the viability of building a large-scale 
recycling line for Used Beverage Cartons (UBC) at 
Stora Enso’s Ostrołeka Mill in Poland. If realised, 
the annual capacity of the new recycling line 
would be 50 000 tonnes of UBC, which would 
significantly contribute to the recycling capacity 
for beverage cartons across Europe.

As a part of the business model for 

biocomposites, we are offering a take-back of 
products containing materials that can be used 
in our biocomposites production. The products 
can then be reprocessed at our Hylte Mill into 
new biocomposites granules and reused in new 
products. Compared with most pure recycled 
plastics, the inclusion of fibers helps the material 
maintain its qualities and be re-processed over 
more cycles. From 2021 onwards, the entire 
recycling process can be carried out in Hylte. In 
2021, a waste material platform will be introduced 
with the ambition to find more waste streams to 
be used in the production of our biocomposites. 
The wood fibers used in biocomposites are 
mostly waste that would otherwise be used for 
energy generation.

Sustainability at 
the centre of innovation
In 2020, we continued to innovate to substitute 
fossil-based materials. In our innovation work, 
we used an internal checklist to ensure that 
sustainability and circularity are considered at 
all stages of every research and development 
initiative. Stora Enso’s expenditure on innovation, 
research, and development in 2020 was 
EUR 146 million (EUR 141 million), which was 
equivalent to 1.7% (1.4%) of sales. Read more 
about our approach to innovation in Financials 
2020 and in Strategy 2020.

In 2020, we signed an agreement with 
Cordenka to jointly develop bio-based carbon 
fiber for industrial applications, such as wind 
energy rotor blades. We also announced a plan to 
build a pilot facility for producing biofoam which 
is a lightweight, fiber-based foam material for 
protective packaging and cushioning for fragile 
products such as consumer electronics. The pilot 
plant will be located at Stora Enso’s Fors Mill 
in Sweden.

In 2020, Stora Enso announced its investment 

in dispersion barrier technology at its Forshaga 
site in Sweden. The investment enables the 

development and production of paperboard 
with barrier properties that are easier to handle 
in a recycling process, have a lower carbon 
footprint, and are compostable in industrial 
facilities. The new equipment is expected to be 
taken into use during the second quarter of 2021.
In our Wood Products division, innovation work 

continued in 2020 with a focus on product and 
service development. For example, the School 
Concept was launched for designing and building 
sustainable schools. In addition, digital services for 
building designers, engineers and architects, such 
as BIM (Building Information Modelling) and sensor 
developments in wood products, were enhanced 
to develop even more sustainable, low-carbon 
and healthier wood products and buildings. 
These solutions can be applied to residential, 
office, and public buildings, such as schools and 
kindergartens. The solutions enable the design and 
maintenance of wooden buildings that draw on the 
full sustainability potential of low-carbon wooden 
buildings. This can decrease climate impact, 
promote healthier living, reduce chemicals in the 
environment, enhance the long-term durability of 
buildings, and drive a more circular approach to 
materials and carbon.

A responsible and trusted supplier
By the end of 2020, 30 (25 in 2019) of 61 
Stora Enso’s production units were registered in 
the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex). Sedex 
is a platform where we can share sustainability 
information with multiple customers in an agreed 
format and level of detail. By the end of the year, 
16 of the 30 units had been audited through Sedex 
Member Ethical Data Audits (SMETA) at least once 
since 2011. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only one 
SMETA audit was carried out in 2020.

Our containerboard business moved from 
the Packaging Solutions division to the Packaging 
Materials division in January 2020. As the 
integration was still underway in the beginning 
of 2020, not all Packaging Materials mills were 
Sedex audited during the year. Containerboard 
mills will be audited in 2021. All summary audit 
reports are made visible to customers in Sedex. 
Stora Enso is also a member of the ethical 

supplier rating system Ecovadis. Ecovadis’ 
sustainability scorecards provide detailed insight 
into environmental, social, and ethical risks in the 
supply chain. Since 2017, we have been included 
in the top 1% of industry supplier performers 
in sustainability.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Suppliers

We have strict requirements 
for all our suppliers and 
support them in becoming 
more sustainable.

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Opportunities and challenges 

Responding to new opportunities 
and requirements
As a company with over 20 000 suppliers around 
the world, Stora Enso can use its purchasing 
power to help global supply chains become more 
sustainable. However, reaching a comprehensive 
understanding of a supplier’s sustainability 
performance, including their potential impacts 
on human rights, remains a challenge, even with 
strict sourcing processes and criteria in place. 
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought on 
uncertainty for business and supply chains 
globally. Stora Enso will continue to proactively 
monitor and respond to the pandemic to ensure 
minimal impact on our ability to purchase 
materials, serve customers, and run operations. 

Stora Enso runs sourcing and logistics 
operations in various regulatory environments. 
Current developments in national and EU-level 
legislation on supply chain due diligence, for 
example, may affect the way we conduct sourcing 
and logistics activities in the future. In addition, 
we respond to stakeholder demands concerning 
topics, such as supply chain transparency and 
reducing the use of plastic. By passing on these 
types of requirements to our direct suppliers, we 
are able to drive positive change further down our 
supply chains.

As Stora Enso continues to commercialise 
its renewable innovations, we need new types of 
machines and materials for the manufacturing of 
these new products. Sourcing for the production 
of RFID tags, formed fiber, and lignin for 
lithium-ion batteries, for example, is gradually 
expanding our supplier base to cover new 
product categories. 

Our policies 

Company-wide commitment 
to responsible sourcing
The Stora Enso Supplier Code of Conduct 
(SCoC), which was updated in 2020, is the 
cornerstone of our approach to responsible 
sourcing. It is a legally binding document that 
imposes sustainability requirements on our 
suppliers concerning human and labour rights, 
occupational health and safety, the environment, 
and responsible business practices. The SCoC 
applies to all our sourcing categories globally. 

96%

of supplier spend was 
covered by our Supplier 
Code of Conduct

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Several other Stora Enso policies and 

documents also support responsible sourcing, 
including our: 
•  Stora Enso Code – our code of conduct.
•  Sourcing Policy, Logistics Policy – our 

statements on our sourcing and logistics 
framework and objectives. 

•  Sourcing Guideline, Logistics Guideline – 

define how sourcing and logistics should be 
executed, managed, and controlled. 

Through our Supplier Code of Conduct, we also 
implement several policies and guidelines, such 
as our Policy on Wood and Fiber Sourcing, and 
Land Management, Chemical Management 
Guideline, and Human Rights Policy.

How we work 

A robust process for 
on-boarding suppliers
Materials and products sourced by Stora Enso 
include wood and fiber-based materials such as 
pulp and Paper for Recycling (PfR), chemicals, 
fillers, energy, fuels, and spare parts, as well as 
maintenance, logistics, and IT services. In 2020, 
purchases of materials, goods, and services 
represented 50% of our total variable cost (49% 
in 2019) while fiber procurement accounted for 
50% (51%). 

Sourcing is a centrally led function at 

Stora Enso that provides the entire Group with a 
systematic approach to purchasing goods and 
services. Sourcing initiatives are reviewed and 
resolved by dedicated committees that meet when 
the sourcing need is specified, during the tendering 
process, and when a contract is drafted. 

All suppliers wishing to do business with 

Stora Enso must first pre-qualify during 
tendering or, at the latest, before a contract is 
drafted. To pre-qualify, suppliers must complete 
a questionnaire, submit confirmation of their 
compliance with our SCoC, and complete our 
safety management online training. 

We use sustainability criteria in the 

tendering phase of all sourcing, regardless of 
previous contracts with the same supplier. The 
criteria help us make more balanced sourcing 
decisions and create incentives for suppliers 
to invest in sustainability reporting. To fulfil 
the criteria, suppliers need to respond to a 
set of questions about their financial stability, 
occupational accident rates, and carbon dioxide 

Our process for responsible sourcing

Risk assessments and audits can be conducted prior to 
pre-qualification and at any stage of the supplier contract. 

Risk 
assessment

CAP follow­up 
and supplier 
development

Pre-qualification for new suppliers*

Audit and 
corrective action 
plan (CAP)

Specify business need

Tender

Contract

Sustainability 
criteria in tenders

* Not all pre-qualified suppliers enter our sourcing process.

(CO2) emissions. In 2020, we began to more 
systematically collect the data received through 
this process (read more in the Progress section 
of this chapter). Collecting data on our suppliers’ 
CO2 emissions helps us understand where they 
are in terms of setting reduction targets for their 
greenhouse gas emissions. This also contributes 
to Stora Enso’s science-based targets which 
include a commitment to ensure that 70% of our 
suppliers set their own reduction targets by 2025.

Supporting and monitoring our suppliers
In addition to enforcing our SCoC, we help our 
suppliers improve their sustainability performance. 
Our deep dives combine desktop reviews and 
on-site visits to help us better understand specific 
supply chains and support suppliers in improving 
their operations. In addition, when not restricted by 
external factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, 
we conduct on-site visits and commission audits 
by third-party auditors to monitor and improve 
supplier performance. Focused audits are done 
based on risk assessments or concerns raised by 
internal or external stakeholders. 

We have automated our supplier risk 
assessments by integrating our sustainability 
risk mapping tool into the company’s main 
sourcing reporting system. Based on a supplier’s 
environmental, social, and governance (ESG) 
risk profile, they may be selected for a third-party 
sustainability audit.

Breakdown of raw material 
and service costs 
% of our total variable costs

Fiber¹ 50%
Logistics and  
commissions 17%
Chemicals and fillers 14%
Energy 9%
Production services  
and materials 9%

1 Wood, Paper for Recycling, and purchased pulp

Legend

Fiber¹

Logistics and  
commissions

Chemicals and fillers

Energy

Total

Production services  

and materials

Value in %

50

17

14

9

9

9900%

50%

17%

14%

9%

9%

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Any suspected SCoC non-conformances 

identified during supplier visits or audits, or 
brought to our attention through our many 
grievance channels, are duly investigated. The 
findings are discussed, and a corrective action 
plan is devised together with the supplier in 
question. The supplier must commit to the 
plan, and our purchasers follow up on its 
implementation. If a supplier does not take the 
necessary corrective actions, new discussions 
are held to examine the reasons, and at a 
higher management level if necessary. In cases 
where a supplier is not willing to improve their 
performance, the relationship is terminated. 

Contractors 
Some of our suppliers are contractors hired for 
long-term work, such as in forest and plantation 
management, and others on a shorter-term 
basis, for example in large-scale investment 
or mill maintenance projects. Our SCoC and 
sourcing process applies to all contractors. While 
contractors are primarily responsible for their own 
employees, we strive to ensure that everyone 
working on our premises is treated fairly and 
receives adequate safety training. 

Pulp procurement 
Most of the pulp used in Stora Enso’s operations 
is produced internally at our mills. For specific 
quality and logistical reasons, a small proportion 
of the pulp is purchased from external suppliers. 
As with wood, we ensure that all this pulp is 
sustainably sourced. For more information about 
our wood procurement, see pages 49–54. 

Paper for Recycling 
Stora Enso sources paper for recycling (PfR) 
from local authorities and waste management 
companies. For more details on our PfR use, see 
pages 36 and 38.

Progress

New Supplier Code of Conduct
Stora Enso’s key performance indicator (KPI) for 
responsible sourcing measures the proportion of 
our total supplier spend covered by our SCoC, 
including all categories and regions. By the end 
of 2020, 96% of Stora Enso’s total spend on 
materials, goods, and services was covered (96% 
at the end of 2019), which exceeds our target 
to maintain the level of 95%. Joint operations, 

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Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

intellectual property rights (IPR), leasing fees, 
financial trading, government fees such as 
customs, and wood purchases from private 
individual forest owners are not included in our 
total supplier spend. 

We updated our Supplier Code of Conduct in 

2020. During the process, we engaged with our 
stakeholders through focus group discussions, 
where we introduced the planned updates and 
requested feedback from our suppliers, customers, 
and investors. We organised five focus group 
sessions with participants from 41 companies. 
The stakeholder feedback helped us consider 
more perspectives and validated our updates 
on topics, such as data privacy, climate change, 
and reasonable remuneration for employees. The 
updated code of conduct will be valid from 2021.

Due to travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 

pandemic, we were not able to conduct supply 
chain deep dives in 2020. We did, however, 
continue to monitor one supply chain in China 
and one in the USA, which both have been targets 
of previous deep dives. In China, after switching 
to a coal supplier with a significantly better 
sustainability performance than our previous 
supplier, we continued to look for more sustainable 
alternatives to coal which is currently the only 
feasible energy source for an industrial facility 
as large as Stora Enso’s Beihai Mill. In the USA, 
our demonstration plant in Raceland, Louisiana, 
converts cellulosic biomass into highly refined 
xylose sugars. For feedstock, the plant purchases 
bagasse, a residual from the sugar-making 
process, from a nearby sugar mill. We continued to 
monitor labour rights in the bagasse supply chain 
in 2020 to ensure that working hour schedules do 
not have adverse impacts on contractor health and 
safety. Our Biomaterials division announced the 
permanent closure of its US operations, along 
with the demonstration plant, in January 2021.
In 2020, we began measuring the share 
of contracted suppliers, by spend, that have 
provided the safety and/or CO2 emission data 
required by our sustainability criteria during the 

We updated our 
Supplier Code of 
Conduct in 2020.

Chemicals and fillers represented 14% of our total variable cost in 2020.

tendering phase. During the year, we were able to 
increase this share from less than 30% (at the end 
of 2019) to 77% (at the end of 2020). 

We also completed a “future proof” study that 

provides insight into how we can improve the 
sustainability of the products and services we 
procure in the long term. The goal was to identify 
categories where more sustainable solutions may 
be available now or in the near future. The study 
provided new inspiration, such as ideas for more 
sustainable chemical options both in products 
and processes, but also confirmed that we have 
been focusing on the right areas.

During the year, we also updated our 
standard payment terms to suppliers by 
extending our payment timeframe from 60 to 
90 days, recognising legal restrictions in some 
countries, but excluded small and medium-size 
suppliers from this change. This exclusion means 

that we will continue to pay our smaller suppliers 
within the previous, shorter payment timeframe 
to help them remain financially stable.

Steps to decarbonise our sea logistics 
As a Clean Cargo Working Group 
member, Stora Enso has access to supplier-
specific CO2e emissions data on sea logistics. 
In 2020, we began connecting this data with 
information about the shipping routes of our 
cargo, with the goal to identify opportunities to 
decarbonise the transport of our goods. The 
resulting real-time hourly updates on supplier CO2e 
emissions, and consequent improved visibility, 
will help us optimise the cost, service, and 
sustainability aspects of our logistics.

As an example of collaboration to reduce 
emissions in our supply chain, a carbon pact 
between Stora Enso and Maersk was brought to 

a close in 2020. The agreement, in place 2015-
2020, aimed to reduce Stora Enso’s CO2 emissions 
from ocean transportation with Maersk by 10% 
per container transported over the period. By the 
end of the agreement, a reduction of approximately 
25% was achieved, well exceeding the target.

Occasionally, people board our chartered sea 

logistics line from Central Europe to the Nordic 
countries without permission and undetected. 
In 2020, our sea logistics suppliers recorded one 
such case of three people found hiding (three 
cases and 11 people in 2019). Detailed records 
show that the people were treated with dignity and 
respect onboard and ensured a safe and humane 
return into the custody of local authorities when 
the vessel returned to Central Europe. In addition, 
five people entered a truck transporting our goods 
in Belgium and were found before the truck left the 
country. All five were released into the custody of 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Case

Renewing our 
supplier code 
with radical 
engagement

While we all want all supply chains to 
become fully sustainable overnight, it’s 
essential that suppliers can feel that 
fulfilling requirements is within their reach, 
Johanna Pirinen, SVP Sustainable Sourcing 
and Logistics at Stora Enso, writes in 
her blog post.

Stora Enso refreshed its Supplier Code 

of Conduct, which sets the company’s 
requirements for suppliers, in 2020. From 
the beginning, it was clear that we wanted 
to be radically transparent and to hear what 

others had to say. We ran several focus groups 
online, with participants representing some of 
our biggest suppliers, sustainability-oriented 
customers, and an investor. 

What was considered fully acceptable 
in business a few decades ago, might be 
completely out of the question today. To be 
a leader in doing the right thing, we need 
to stay alert in a changing world and work 
together with our suppliers and partners.

Read more 

 storaenso.com

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the local police. For more information about how 
we manage potential human trafficking, see our 
annual Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement.

Promoting supplier safety
Stora Enso’s commitment to safety also extends to 
its suppliers and contractors. In 2020, safety was 
strongly highlighted during our global Supplier Day. 
In addition, during Stora Enso’s Safety Week 2020, 
we held three webinars for suppliers to further 
communicate our expectations on sustainability 
and especially safety. One of the webinars was 
held in Chinese for the first time to better reach our 
suppliers in China.

In 2020, our Sourcing function analysed all 
accidents related to machines, such as reach 
stackers and telescopic handlers, to identify 
safety improvement needs and to suggest such 
improvements to the machine supplier.

Using a Group-wide safety reporting platform, 

we continuously monitor contractor accidents 
to recognise patterns and to identify those with 
an unacceptably high accident performance 
compared to their peers. When such behaviour is 
indicated by statistics, we take action to mitigate it 
by, for example demanding the supplier to conduct 
root cause analyses and provide corrective action 
plans. After a decreasing trend in contractor 
accidents over several years, the number of 
cases increased slightly in 2020 and tragically, 
two fatalities occurred in our Guangxi forestry 
operations in China, both involving contractor 
employees. For more information, see page 21. 

Auditing during the pandemic
Because of travel and safety restrictions 
implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we 
were not able to conduct deep dives or on-site 
sustainability audits of suppliers on our regular 
scale during 2020. To make up for this, we piloted 
online audits, where we successfully conducted 
virtual site tours and document reviews to confirm, 
for instance, that important training had been given 
to employees and performed virtual site visits. 
During 2020, a total of 22 Stora Enso suppliers 
were audited through third-party sustainability 
audits (62 in 2019), including five audits (17) 
through the HSEQ (Health, Safety, Environment, 
and Quality management) audit cluster in Finland. 
The numbers include both online and physical 
third-party audits. 

Three of the third-party supplier audits 
were online audits. Our experience is that with 

suppliers that already have a good understanding 
of sustainability, online audits can provide equally 
valuable information compared to on-site audits. 
The challenges of online auditing, on the other 
hand, include losing the first-hand feel of supplier 
premises and the opportunity to raise awareness 
of sustainability topics among those suppliers that 
are less experienced with them.  

The audits continued to focus on suppliers 
with heightened sustainability risks, as identified 
by our risk assessment. By the end of 2020, 51% 
of our identified high-risk suppliers, by spend, 
were covered by third-party sustainability audits 
(28% in 2019).

As in previous years, the audits revealed 

non-conformances particularly related to working 
hours, basic worker rights, and emergency 
preparedness. Several non-conformances were 
also related to missing documentation and 
policies. We create corrective action plans for all 
non-conformances and follow up on them. 
In addition to the broader supplier 

sustainability audits, we conducted a third-party 
supplier audit of selected contractors on how they 
have prepared for and executed the prevention of 
Covid-19 while working on the Oulu conversion 
project. For more information, see page 20. 
Suspected violations of our Supplier 

Code of Conduct are brought to our attention 
through our many channels. When a Stora Enso 
employee or a third-party working for us is 
involved, these cases are included in our 
investigation of potential non-compliance cases, 
presented on page 29. 

No supplier relationships were terminated 

in 2020 (none in 2019) based on findings or 
follow-ups resulting from third-party audits or our 
dialogue with suppliers. However, one supplier 
relationship was suspended due to the release 
of untreated wastewater directly into a nearby 
sea lagoon. The immediate risk was eliminated 
quickly by re-directing the wastewater into the 
municipal system, but we continue our dialogue 
with the supplier to encourage and help them 
to find a systematic and long-term sustainable 
solution. In another case, we transferred some 
of our order volumes from one supplier to 
another due to safety misconduct while also 
supporting the supplier to identify improvement 
opportunities through an audit and continuous 
dialogue. In addition, one supplier contract 
was not renewed due to misconduct related to 
business ethics.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Investors

We continuously keep 
investors informed of our 
sustainability progress 
and future direction.

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Opportunities and challenges 

Growing interest in 
sustainable investing
Investors are increasingly recognising the 
importance of corporate sustainability in their 
investment decision-making by exploring 
ways to integrate environmental, social, and 
governance (ESG) performance into their 
investment strategies. In addition to the growing 
interest in sustainability aspects and precautions 
taken against Covid-19, investors perceive 
sustainability as a valuable competitive advantage 
for companies. Transparent sustainability 
reporting is seen as an important tool in identifying 
investment opportunities that can generate 
long-term shareholder value. Hence, companies 
are encouraged to conduct their business more 
sustainably. Simultaneously, investors expect 
financial rewards from their investments. 

At Stora Enso, we believe that long-term 
financial success results from truly sustainable 
business. Stora Enso’s Investor Relations work is 
guided by several laws and regulations, including 
the EU’s Market Abuse Regulation (MAR), the 
Finnish Securities Markets Act, Nasdaq rules 
in Helsinki and Stockholm, and the standards 
of the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority. 
More climate-related reporting obligations are 
expected through the EU Taxonomy in the coming 
years. Stora Enso monitors the progress of the 
taxonomy and is prepared to develop its reporting 
aligned with the new framework.

Our policies 

Guiding our Investor Relations 
Company policies and guidelines related to 
Stora Enso’s Investor Relations include our: 
•  Disclosure Policy – a set of rules covering 
all our communication with investors and 
other stakeholders. It encompasses insider 
guidelines, silent periods, communications 
governance, and communications procedures. 

•  The Stora Enso Code – our code of conduct, 

applied to all our operations around the world, 
including Investor Relations.

How we work 

Sustainability as a key element 
A growing number of investors are committed to 
integrating ESG factors into their investments. 

EUR 1 506 million

total amount of Stora Enso’s 
outstanding green bonds

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

Aspects of sustainability, such as combatting 
climate change and sustainable forest 
management, are important to Stora Enso’s 
investors. Our main shareholders are long-term 
investors that place high value on sustainable 
business practices, and continuously monitor and 
evaluate our performance. Stora Enso’s investors 
see sustainability as a business opportunity for 
the company with its renewable solutions. For 
more information on how we create value through 
a sustainable business model, see Strategy 2020. 
For details of Stora Enso’s ownership distribution, 
see Financials 2020. 

Timely and transparent communication 
with investors is a top priority for Stora Enso. 
We actively maintain open dialogue with our 
investors on ESG matters through conference 
calls, seminars, roadshow meetings, webcasts 
and face-to-face meetings when possible. Due to 
Covid-19, all investor meetings were held virtually 
after mid-March 2020, without compromising our 
level of activity. We also regularly share updated 
information on our sustainability performance with 
investors in our Interim and Annual Reports, web 
updates, and investor newsletters. Furthermore, 
we participate in sustainability events of interest 
to investors. For more information about our 
investor relations, see storaenso.com/investors. 

In 2020 we started reporting against the 
standards of the Sustainability Accounting 
Standards Board (SASB). For more information 
about SASB, see Financials 2020. For our 
climate-related risks and opportunities with 
reference to the Task Force on Climate-related 
Financial Disclosures (TCFD), see Financials 2020.
During the year Stora Enso also continued 
to engage with the Prince of Wales’ Accounting 
for Sustainability Project (A4S). The A4S was 
established by The Prince of Wales in 2004, and it 
aims to inspire action by finance leaders to drive 
a fundamental shift towards resilient business 
models and a sustainable economy. Stora Enso 
joined the A4S in 2018.

In 2020, we started 
to report against 
the SASB standards.

Stora Enso’s Sustainable Finance strategy 

is an integrated part of our overall strategy. 
Stora Enso aims to have access to sufficient 
and competitively priced funding at any time to 
be able to pursue its strategy and achieve its 
targets. In order to accomplish this, our emphasis 
is on debt capital markets funding. Stora Enso’s 
long-term goal is to secure funding partners that 
have sustainability as a fundamental part of their 
agenda. We aim to influence and develop the 
financial markets to ensure that sustainability 
becomes an integral part of investment decisions 
and credit evaluation. 

Stora Enso has an undrawn EUR 600 million 

Revolving Credit Facility (RCF) loan signed 
in 2017 where part of the pricing is based on 
Stora Enso’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions per tonne of pulp, paper, and board 
produced, in accordance with the Science Based 
Targets initiative.

Stora Enso has a Green Bond Framework 

as part of its Sustainable Finance strategy. 
The ongoing ambition is to offer fixed income 
instruments that support sustainability-focused 
investors, and to report the direct environmental 
impacts of specific investments and business 
activities. The Green Bond framework is based 
on and aligned with the international Green Bond 
Principles (GBP) formulated by the International 
Capital Market Association. The framework lists 
the possibilities and limitations of the project 
categories that Stora Enso has defined as eligible 
for green funding. 

Progress 

ESG topics embedded into 
investor relations activities 
During the year, we continued our strategy to 
enhance the availability of ESG information 
to investors, and to prioritise Stora Enso’s 
participation in questionnaires and assessments 
for the ESG index and ratings schemes that are 
most material for our investors. Investors were 
especially interested in Stora Enso’s new Forest 
division and the change in the valuation method 
related to our forest assets in the Nordics, as well 
as in renewable solutions that replace fossil-based 
materials. In 2020, Stora Enso organised a Capital 
Markets Day and provided an update on our 
strategy, including our three focus areas for growth, 
market growth drivers and a review of all our 
divisions. Read more at storaenso.com/investors. 

Interview

It all starts 
in the forest

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“We create value from our forests by 
increasing long-term yield, optimising our land 
base, and securing financial flexibility,” says 
Jari Suominen, Head of Stora Enso’s Forest 
Division, in his interview. “Our own forests and 
long-term wood supply agreements secure a 
cost-efficient, stable, and secure supply for 
our mills and stabilise wood market volatility. 
With sustainable forest management and R&D, 
both the returns and the value of forest assets 
can be increased.”

Stora Enso has a strong foundation for 

future climate work because forests and 
wood-based products have a key role in 
mitigating climate change. We safeguard 
forest health and productivity, combat climate 
change, protect biodiversity, and secure 
the long-term availability of our renewable 
resources. The essential thing is that we do all 
these simultaneously.

Read the full article at 

storaenso.com

For more information about our investor 
activities during the year, see Capital Markets in 
Financials 2020.

Sustainable finance and 
green bond use of proceeds
Stora Enso issued its first green bonds in February 
2019. In April 2020, we issued a new five-year 
SEK 1.7 billion green bond and a volume increase 
to the same bond in June 2020, with the total size 
of SEK 3.4 billion. In November 2020, we issued 
our first euro green bond with a ten-year maturity 
and EUR 500 million in size. By the end of 2020, 
the total amount of Stora Enso’s outstanding 

green bonds amounted to EUR 1 506 million 
(EUR 670 million in the end of 2019). 

In 2020, the proceeds from green bonds 

were used to finance sustainable forest 
acquisition and management in Sweden, reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions at our Maxau Mill 
in Germany, and develope a production line 
for cross-laminated timber (CLT), a high-
performance low-carbon building material, 
at our Gruvön Mill in Sweden and Ždírec sawmill 
in the Czech Republic. For more information 
about our outstanding green bonds, impact 
reporting and the impacts of the proceeds, 
see storaenso.com/greenbonds. 

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ESG indices and other external recognition in 2020

Euronext Vigeo
Stora Enso is listed in the Euronext Vigeo 
Europe, and Eurozone 120 indices as one 
of the 120 most advanced companies 
in terms of environmental, social, and 
governance (ESG) performance.

MSCI
In 2020, Stora Enso maintained a rating of 
AA in the MSCI ESG Ratings assessment. 
Stora Enso is included in several of MSCI’s 
ESG indices.

ECPI Ethical Indices
Stora Enso is included in the ECPI EMU 
Ethical Equity and ECPI World ESG Equity 
indices, which covers ESG criteria. 

Solactive Europe Corporate 
Social Responsibility Index 
Represents European securities that are 
screened in the field of Corporate Social 
Responsibility. This includes the following 
aspects: human rights, human capital, 
environmental social impact, market ethics 
and corporate governance. The index 
is a successor index of the Ethibel 
Sustainability Index Excellence Europe.

OMX Sustainability Finland index
Stora Enso is included in the NASDAQ 
OMX Sustainability Finland index.

STOXX ESG indices
Stora Enso is included in several 
STOXX ESG indices. These indices rate 
leading global companies according to 
ESG criteria. 

ISS ESG
Stora Enso rated “Prime” with a rating of B- 
by the ISS ESG Corporate Rating regarding 
sustainability performance. Score by the 
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).

FTSE4Good Index
Stora Enso is included in the FTSE4Good 
Index Series. These indices measure the 
performance of companies demonstrating 
strong ESG practices.

CDP 
Stora Enso is included in CDP’s Climate 
List, which identifies the global companies 
that are taking leadership in climate action.

Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) 
In February 2020, Stora Enso was top-
ranked in greenhouse gas management 
and performance by the TPI. An asset 
owner-led and asset manager-supported 
global initiative, the TPI assesses 
companies’ preparedness for transition to 
a low carbon economy, supporting efforts 
to address climate change.

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ReportWatch/Comprend
Stora Enso’s Annual report 2019, including 
the Sustainability report, received the 
highest A+ ranking among more than 300 
reports globally.

WBCSD
Stora Enso’s Sustainability Report 2019 
was included in the top ten sustainability 
reports globally according to the 2020 
Reporting matters publication by the 
World Business Council for Sustainable 
Development (WBCSD).

Ecovadis
Stora Enso was included in the top 1% of 
the Ecovadis ethical supplier rating system, 
and achieved the highest recognition 
level (Platinum).

Most sustainable company
Stora Enso was ranked the most 
sustainable listed company in our sector 
in Sweden by Dagens Industri, Aktuell 
Hållbarhet, and Lund University School of 
Economics and Management.

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Data and assurance

We use natural 
resources with care.

  Reporting scope  68

  Data by production unit  69

  Auditor’s assurance report  72

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
68

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Reporting scope 

At Stora Enso, we regularly review the priorities in our Sustainability 
Agenda and ensure that our reporting duly addresses them. When defining 
the materiality of issues impacting our sustainable business model, we 
consider the expectations of our major internal and external stakeholders. 
For more information on our approach to materiality, see page 7.

Data boundaries 
Unless otherwise stated, the Group’s 
consolidated performance data expressed in this 
report covers the parent company, Stora Enso 
Oyj, and all companies in which we hold over 
50% of voting rights directly or indirectly. The 
consolidated figures and our reporting on 
human rights, safety, community, and forests, 
plantations, and land use also include the 
50% owned joint operations Veracel in Brazil 
and Montes del Plata in Uruguay, due to their 
materiality to the Group’s sustainability impacts 
and stakeholder interest.  

Consolidated environmental and energy 
data covers our production units. Stora Enso’s 
sawmills and converting facilities are excluded 
from water, energy, and certain CO2 indicators 
that are normalised per tonne of sales production 
unless otherwise specified in the respective 
footnotes. This is due to the lower materiality of 
sawmills and converting facilities in the Group’s 
related performance and different metrics for 
sales production (cubic metre and square metre, 
respectively), compared with board, pulp, and 
paper mills (tonnes). 

In our environmental and energy reporting, 
divestments and closures are managed according 
to the international Greenhouse Gas Protocol. 
This means that when necessary, figures 
for historical performance are recalculated 
following the removal of divested units from the 
baseline. However, closed units are included in 
the environmental and energy targets and trend 

calculation baselines, as per internationally 
accepted rules. 

Human Resources (HR) data is derived from 

separately collected statistics. Unlike in our 
financial reporting, consolidated HR data in this 
Sustainability report excludes employees of our 
50% owned joint operations Montes del Plata 
and Veracel. The HR data presented covers 
our permanent and temporary employees as 
of 31 December 2020 and are expressed as a 
headcount (rounded to the nearest 10). Certain 
administrative functions and sales offices 
are not included in the Group’s consolidated 
occupational health and safety (OHS) data due 
to availability, relatively small headcount, and 
lower occupational safety risk compared to 
production units. 

For more details, see our online appendix on 

area-specific data boundaries.

Financial figures in our sustainability reporting 

are reported in accordance with International 
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 
as applicable.

Significant changes during 2020 
During the year, Stora Enso divested a sawn 
construction timber mill at Pfarrkirchen in 
Germany and closed one standard newsprint 
paper machine at Hylte, Sweden. A new unit 
at Hylte started the production of formed 
fibre food service products, and the Oulu 
Mill in Finland was converted from paper into 
packaging production.

During 2020, our China packaging units 

started to increasingly outsource needed 
workforce to further improve operational flexibility 
with changing market situations,  having an effect 
on the Group’s reported HR figures.

For more information on the employee impacts 

of the Group’s restructuring during the year, see 
Support in restructuring situations.

For more information on the Group’s 
acquisitions and disposals, see note 4 in 
Financials 2020.

In accordance with the GRI Standards 
We also prepare our reporting in accordance 
with the GRI Sustainability Reporting 
Standards: Core option. Our reporting covers 
all the General Disclosures as well as the topic-
specific GRI Standards we deem material. Our GRI 
Content Index lists our disclosures with reference 
to the GRI Standards and refers to the locations 
where these issues are addressed in our reporting. 
The location references are complemented in the 
index with additional information, such as reasons 
for omission as necessary. 

Impacts that make sustainability topics 
relevant to us may occur outside operations 
owned by Stora Enso, or they may only be 
material for some of our operations or locations. 
When our reporting on a sustainability disclosure 
only concerns specific units, geographical regions 
or other data collection boundaries, based on 
the identified materiality, this is specified in 
connection with the respective disclosure. 

Implementation of SASB Standards
In 2020, Stora Enso also started to report in 
accordance with the standards of the Sustainability 
Accounting Standards Board (SASB), primarily 
targeted for investors. The most relevant SASB 
standards for Stora Enso are Forest Management 
and Pulp & Paper Products sector standards. For 
more background and our SASB content index, see 
the Capital Markets chapter in Financials 2020.

External assurance 
This report has been verified by an independent 
third-party assurance provider in accordance 
with the voluntary external assurance practices 
followed in sustainability reporting. The assurance 
report appears on page 72. PwC has provided 
a limited level of assurance covering the entire 
contents of this report, based on an assessment 
of materiality and risk. For the sixth year running, 
a level of reasonable assurance has been provided 
for Stora Enso’s reporting on direct and indirect 
fossil CO2e emissions (Scopes 1 and 2). 

The UN Global Compact 
Stora Enso supports the ten principles of the 
United Nations Global Compact, an initiative set 
up in 2000 to encourage businesses worldwide 
to embed responsibility into their operations. We 
respect and promote these principles throughout 
our operations and report on our progress in this 
report. We annually upload our Communication 
on Progress to the UN Global Compact website 
as a public record of our commitment.

Sustainability

Our approach 

Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

Our targets

Contributing to the SDGs

Human rights

Social agenda 

Employees and wider workforce

  Community

Business ethics

Environmental agenda 

Materials, water, and energy

Carbon dioxide

Forests, plantations, and land use

Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

Data and assurance 

Reporting scope

Data by production unit

Auditor’s assurance report

GRI Index

SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Data by production unit

This table presents unit-specific information on environmental performance, production, certificates, and numbers of employees. 

Certificates

Fossil CO2 emissions

Number of 
employeesa)

Production 
capacityb)  Products

Recovered 
fiberc)

Unit
Belgium
Langerbrugge  
China
Beihai
Dongguan  
Jiashan  
Qian´an
Wujin
Estonia
Tallinn
Finland
Anjala/Ingerois
Enocell  
Heinola Fluting  
Imatra  
Kristiinankaupunki  
Lahti 
Ouluh)
Sunila  
Varkaus 
Veitsiluoto  
Germany
Maxau  
Sachsen  
Latvia
Riga  
Lithuania
Kaunas  

1 000 t

555

470
30*
20*
25*
10*

15*

435/280
490
300
1 195
20*
130*
1 080
375
390
790

530
310

110*

20*

4

1

3

3

3

3

3

4   1
2

1

1   2
3

3

4   2
2   5
1

4

4

4   2

3

3

x

x

x
x

361

400
726
205
1 274
429

37

556
254
219
1 218
55
255
640
228
286
680

422
239

175

51

C
o
C
C
C
F
C
/
M
T
C
F
E
P

x

x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x

1
0
0
9
O
S

I

1
0
0
4
1
O
S

I

0
0
0
2
2
O
S

I

0
0
0
2
2
C
S
S
F

1
0
0
0
5
O
S

I

A
D
F

1
0
0
8
1
S
A
S
H
O

1
0
0
5
4
O
S

I

C
o
C
®
C
S
F

x

x
x
x
x

x

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x

x

x
x
x
x

x

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x

x

x

xg)

x

x

x

x

x
x
x
x

x
xi)

x

x

x

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x

x

x

x
x

x

x
x

x

x
x

x

x

x
x
x
x

x

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Process 
waste to 
landfill

Hazardous 
wasted)

SO2

e)

NOx as 
NO2

Direct  
f)
CO2

Indirect 
f)
CO2

CO2 on-site 
transportf)

Carbon neutral 
CO2. biomass 
fuelsf)

COD

AOX

Phosphorus Nitrogen

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

Process 
water 
discharges

1 000 m3

t

t

21 279

52

t

5

265

110 330

20 524

1 433

420 297

982

0.94

6.1

31.1

6 215

344
0
0
0
1

8

0
6 381
783
3 425
0
0
455
3 544
2 198
1 165

0

0

0

24
19
3
6
40

0

154
52
104
342
1
370
536
232
156
37

85
27

65

1

209

251

498 726

16 490
3 506
1 797
7 743
7 811

1 149
0
1
15
0

44 596
0
0
0
0

277
13
0
0
0

1.8
0.0
0.0

16.1
0.8
0.0

13
110
408
102

115
72
121
245

1
2

73

549

9

218
782
233
1 567

713
457
420
900

223
126

82 024
68 179
106 863
178 311
121

100 984
32 368
46 654
183 849

24 234
–312
2 780
18 809
23
291
4 345
892
4 781
7 844

83 481
131 319

140 698
19 361

2

2 175

350

128

1 243
165
138
1 461

12
1 920
489
416
238

3
608

191

46

133 889
1 297 360
192 705
1 993 574

41.5

1 532
7 472
1 032
22 165 108.0

1.7
1.9
2.4
15.6

838 517
607 845
675 557
894 657

371 709
26 056

4
5 391
5 054
1 440
8 034

19.0
32.7

30.0

1 464
552

0.3
0.5

0.0
8.9
6.4
3.9
8.6

3.0
0.3

53.9
38.6
17.5
226.0

0.3
65.0
15.5
73.3
86.0

6.3
11.8

6 875
50
4
1
1

8 491
22 310
1 507
59 727
1
25
14 841
13 998
15 251
8 501

4 862
3 136

14

2

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Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Certificates

Fossil CO2 emissions

1
0
0
9
O
S

I

1
0
0
4
1
O
S

I

0
0
0
2
2
O
S

I

0
0
0
2
2
C
S
S
F

1
0
0
0
5
O
S

I

A
D
F

1
0
0
8
1
S
A
S
H
O

1
0
0
5
4
O
S

I

C
o
C
®
C
S
F

x
x

x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x

x

x
x
x

x

x

x

x
x

x

x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x

x
x

x

x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x

x
x

x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

C
o
C
C
C
F
C
/
M
T
C
F
E
P

x
x

x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x
x

Process 
waste to 
landfill

Hazardous 
wasted)

SO2

e)

NOx as 
NO2

Direct  
f)
CO2

Indirect 
f)
CO2

CO2 on-site 
transportf)

Carbon neutral 
CO2, biomass 
fuelsf)

COD

AOX

Phosphorus Nitrogen

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

0
0

0

0
0

20
0
0

0
0
12 455
0

0
0
0
0
6 546
0
0
0

t

0
123

0

19
0

9
6
6

8 720
70
57

35
75
111
1
997
8
42
1

t

0

t

30

267

355

 1
 1

 6

6
2
2

90
118

16
457

91
443

164

431

69

812

3 108
394

303 821
3 500

2 767
4 712
2 448

407

5 560

298
9 795
–10 059

47 151
876
133
1 026

4 981

2 578
4 143
2 483

86
95
9
0
594
199
73
17
137
3
33
60

40

101

1 637
174

67
87
103

5.26
583
602
4

33

25 320
7
1 586
124
1 405
1

468 554

 852

4.1

27.5

208 279
166 282

1 776
 645

0.6
1.0

1.3
1.4

20.1
24.6

4 558
4 456

158 948
690 108

1 791
9 602

0.6
1.8

1.8
3.8

983 529

9 059

20.3

11.9

1 177 927

4 281

32.1

12.7

31.6
46.1

78.0

81.1

 11
6 675
28 372
 17
26 876

19 027
 18

70

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2
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i

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a
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a
b
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r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
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u
n
i
t

Process 
water 
discharges

1 000 m3

 1

10 201
 10

 26
 23
 15

n)

n)

n)

n)

n)

n)

n)

n)

n)

n)

4 427

1 739

23

452

4 827

40 326

16 105

457 068

58 603

12 586

2 386

8 536

2 001 394

298 136

41 418

11 350 390

83 420 289

98

951

266 096

63 029

14 324

2 408

8 988

2 006 222

338 463

57 523

11 807 459

83 420 289

98

951

266 096

Number of 
employeesa)

Production 
capacityb)  Products

Recovered 
fiberc)

1 000 t

x

x

3

3

3

1   4  
3

3

3

3

6

1

4

3

3

3

4

4   2
3

1

1

2

3

284
97

261

933
184

161
330
142

k)

526
407
23
11
169
449
545
134
713
108
413
63

135*
20*

145*

725
135*

100*
165*
100*

455
480
15
20
100*
385
485
100*
885
120
540
75*

l)

m)

Unit
Poland
Łódz
Mosina  
Ostrołeka Corrugatedj)
Ostrołeka Containerboardj)
Tychy  
Russia
Arzamas  
Balabanovo  
Lukhovitsy  
Sweden
Falu Rödfärg
Fors  
Hylte Paper
Hylte Biocomposite
Hylte Formed Fiber
Jönköping  
Kvarnsveden 
Nymölla  
Skene  
Skoghall  
Skoghall (Forshaga)
Skutskär  
Vikingstad  

Total board, pulp, paper, 
converted products
Total, wood products
Wood products unitsm)
Grand total
All units

a) Yearly average as full-time equivalents.
b) Production capacities of integrated pulp, paper, and board  mills only include paper and board 
production capacities.
c) Mills using recovered fiber as raw material (fully or partly).
d) Reported on the basis of country-specific definitions applied in national regulations.
e) Total sulphur is reported as suplhur dioxode (SO2) equilevant, but includes all sulphurous compounds.
f) All CO2 figures are calculated using the WRI/WBCSD Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Scope 2 Guidance.
g) FSSC 22000 for board production at Ingerois.

h) Paper and bleached pulp production in Oulu stopped in September 2020 for conversion 
to unbleached pulp and virgin kraftliner production starting at the beginning of 2021.
i) ISO 22000 certified only PM5.
j) Water discharges reported together from both Ostrołeka units.
k) Does not have its own personnel but hires personnel from Stora Enso AB.
l) Excluding total corrugated board capacity 1 368  million m2.
m) Production capacities for sawn timber 5 830 000 m3 and for wood pellets 495 000 t.
n) See separate table for Wood Products units.

Products: 
1  board and packaging paper 
2  market pulp 
3  converted products (e.g. cores, corrugated board, formed fiber)
4  paper 
5  lignin 
6  red paint pigment

The figure 0 (zero) in the table signifies that such discharges, emissions, or waste did 
not occur or they were below the Group’s reporting threshold. Where cells are left blank, 
this signifies that the parameter is considered as not relevant for that unit.

Certificate documents can be found at storaenso.com/certificates.

* million m2

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

Capacities

Certificates

Fossil CO2 emissions

Number of 
employeesa)

Sawn 
products

Further 
processed  CLT

Wood 
pellets

LVL 

ISO 
9001

ISO 
14001

ISO 
50001

OHSAS 
18001

FSC® 
CoC

PEFCTM 
CoC

SBP 

Process 
waste to 
landfill

Hazardous 
wasteb)

SO2

NOx as 
NO2

Direct 
CO2

c)

Indirect 
c)
CO2

CO2, on-site 
transportationc)

Unit
Wood products units 
Austria
Bad St. Leonhard  
Brand  
Ybbs  
Czech Republic
Planá 
Ždírec
Estonia
Imavere  
Näpi  
Finland
Honkalahti  
Uimaharjud)
Varkaus 
Veitsiluotoe)
Latvia
Launkalnef)
Lithuania
Alytus  
The Netherlands
Amsterdam 
Poland
Murow  
Russia
Impilahti  
Nebolchi  
Sweden
Ala  
Gruvöng)
Wood products units total

259
213
409

237
264

307
97

117
69
127
56

173

253

50

274

140
179

134
201

1 000 m3

1 000 m3

1 000 m3

1 000 t

1 000 m3

80

110

360
440
700

390
580

340
50

310
240
210
200

250

210

300

160
180

105
295
450

220
220

160
180

70

35

60

115

80

210

10
45

400
370
5 690

50
150
2 455

50
240

80

100
25

30

25
40

100
100
500

75

75

a) Yearly average as full-time equivalents.
b) Reporting is based on country-specific definitions applied in national regulations.
c) All CO2 figures are calculated using the WRI/WBCSD Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Scope 2 Guidance.
d) Uimaharju sawmill belongs to division Biomaterials
e) Veitsiluoto sawmill belongs to division Paper.
f) Launkalne pellet production ramping up.
g) Gruvön CLT production ramping up.

Certificate documents can be found at storaenso.com/certificates.

The figure 0 (zero) in the table signifies that such discharges, emissions, or waste did not occur or they 
were below the Group’s reporting threshold. Where cells are left blank, this signifies that the parameter 
is considered as not relevant for that unit.

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x

x

x

x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x

x

x

x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x

x

x

x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x

x

x

x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x

x

x

x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x

x

x

x

x
x

x
x

x

t

0
0
0

332
3 888

7
13

0
0
0
0

0

0

0

t

t

53
59
103

78
27

53
31

37
26
50
0

29

25

1

1.0
3.3

3.7
0.5

0.6

7.5

1.6

1 052

2.8

0
187

0
0

x

0
0
4 427

68
49
1 739

0.5

0.1
1.0
23

t

3
5
9

36
96

37
5

25
4

18

32

13

17

11
44

t

t

t

3
3
3

1 714
2 284

 20

11 419
3 253

1 625
288

815
2 188
3 132
463

876
416
906
473

1 305

1 071

 404

 14

1 059

3

1 351

1 364
1 153

1 270

16 105

5 697
8 252

4 037
11
40 326

7
90
452

4389

4 827

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Carbon neutral 
CO2 biomass 
fuelsc)

t

24 466
129 799

51 882
5 697

34 006
1809

33 335

26 277

18 768

26 456
28 503

76 071
457 068

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Auditor’s  
Assurance Report

To the Board of Directors and  
Management of Stora Enso Oyj

We have been engaged by the Board of Directors and the Group 
Leadership Team of Stora Enso Oyj (hereafter Stora Enso) to 
provide limited assurance on Stora Enso’s Sustainability report 
2020 as a whole, and reasonable assurance on Stora Enso’s direct 
and indirect (scopes 1+2) fossil CO2 emissions as disclosed in the 
Sustainability report.

Responsibilities of the Board and Management
The Board of Directors and Group Leadership Team of Stora Enso 
are responsible for preparing the Sustainability report in accordance 
with the Reporting Criteria as set out in the Company’s reporting 
instructions, including the Sustainability Reporting Standards of the 
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol 
for CO2 emissions. This responsibility includes the internal control 
relevant to the preparation of a Sustainability report that is free from 
material misstatements, whether due to fraud or error.

Responsibilities of the Auditor
Our responsibility is to express a conclusion on the Sustainability 
report based on the procedures we have performed and the evidence 
we have obtained. Our assignment is limited to the historical 
information that is presented and thus does not include future-
oriented information. We do not accept, or assume responsibility to 
anyone else, except to Stora Enso for our work, for this report, or for 
the conclusions that we have reached.

We conducted the assurance engagement in accordance with 
the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 
revised, “Assurance Engagements Other than Audits or Reviews of 
Historical Financial Information”, to provide limited assurance on 
the Sustainability report as a whole, and in accordance with ISAE 
3410, “Assurance Engagements on Greenhouse Gas Statements”, 
to provide reasonable assurance on direct and indirect (scopes 1+2) 
fossil CO2 emissions as disclosed in the Sustainability report. These 
standards require that we plan and perform the engagement to obtain 
the appropriate level of assurance that the information examined is 
free from material misstatement. 

A reasonable assurance engagement includes examining, 
on a test basis, evidence supporting the selected information in 
the Sustainability report. We have evaluated the effectiveness of 
internal controls and the processes for collecting and consolidating 
CO2 emissions data, and performed testing on a sample basis to 
evaluate whether the CO2 emissions are reported according to the 
Reporting Criteria.

A limited assurance engagement consists of making inquiries, 

primarily of persons responsible for the preparation of the 
Sustainability report, reviewing documentation, and applying 
analytical and other limited assurance procedures based on the 
auditor’s judgement. In addition, we have performed remote site visits 

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to Anjala (Finland), Skoghall (Sweden) and Veracel (joint operation, 
Brazil) to review compliance with reporting policies, assess the 
reliability of local reporting process, and test data collected for 
sustainability reporting purposes on a sample basis.

We believe that the evidence we have obtained is sufficient 
and appropriate to provide a basis for our conclusions below. 
The conclusion based on our limited assurance procedures does 
not comprise the same level of assurance as the conclusion of our 
reasonable assurance procedures. Since this assurance engagement 
is combined, our conclusions regarding the reasonable assurance and 
the limited assurance procedures are presented separately below.

Our independence and quality control
We have complied with the independence and other ethical 
requirements of the “Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants” 
issued by the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants, 
which is founded on fundamental principles of integrity, objectivity, 
professional competence and due care, confidentiality and 
professional behaviour.

PricewaterhouseCoopers applies International Standard on Quality 

Control (ISQC) 1 and accordingly maintains a comprehensive system 
of quality control including documented policies and procedures 
regarding compliance with ethical requirements, professional 
standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Conclusions
Based on the limited assurance procedures we have performed, 
nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that 
the Sustainability report is not prepared, in all material respects, 
in accordance with the Reporting Criteria.

In our opinion, Stora Enso’s direct and indirect (scopes 1+2) 
fossil CO2 emissions which have been subject to our reasonable 
assurance procedures have, in all material respects, been prepared 
in accordance with the Reporting Criteria.

Helsinki, 9 February 2021
PricewaterhouseCoopers 

Samuli Perälä
Authorized Public Accountant

Karin Juslin
Sustainability Reporting Specialist

Sustainability

  Our approach 

  Strategy, governance, and stakeholders

  Our targets

  Contributing to the SDGs

  Human rights

  Social agenda 

  Employees and wider workforce

  Community

  Business ethics

  Environmental agenda 

  Materials, water, and energy

  Carbon dioxide

  Forests, plantations, and land use

  Economic agenda 

  Customers

  Suppliers

Investors

  Data and assurance 

  Reporting scope

  Data by production unit

  Auditor’s assurance report

  GRI Index

  SASB Index

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report 2020

Financials includes the report 
of the Board of Directors and 
the financial statements, as 
well as Stora Enso in capital 
markets and our tax footprint.

Financials

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

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StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020Contents

The renewable 
future grows in 
the forest.

Drones can gather large amounts of data that can be 
used for planning and inventing purposes in the forests. 
Drones can also provide images for analyzing damages 
done by insects in forests, and this information can be 
used in the planning of forest management measures and 
timely felling. Some of our forest experts use the drone in 
their own work, for example in seedling inspections.

 Stora Enso in 2020 ..........................................................................2

 Report of the Board of Directors ..................................................3
 Stora Enso introduction ....................................................................3
Markets and deliveries ......................................................................3 
Operational key figures, items affecting  
comparability and other non-IFRS measures ..................................4
Financial results – Group ..................................................................4 
Financial results – Segments ............................................................6 
Investments and capital expenditure ...............................................7
Innovation, research and development ............................................7
Non-financial information .................................................................8
Environmental investments and liabilities ......................................10
Risks and risk management ...........................................................10
Climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD) ................................16
Corporate governance in Stora Enso .............................................16
Legal proceedings ..........................................................................16
Changes in organisational structure  
and Group management ................................................................. 17
Share capital ................................................................................... 17
Outlook and short-term risks .......................................................... 19
Sensitivity analysis .......................................................................... 19
Events after the balance sheet date ............................................... 19
Proposal for the distribution of dividend ........................................ 19
Annual General Meeting .................................................................19
Non-IFRS measures ....................................................................... 19
Calculation of key figures ................................................................20

Consolidated financial statements ............................................21 
Consolidated income statement ....................................................21 
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income ......................21
Consolidated statement of financial position ................................22
Consolidated cash flow statement .................................................23
Supplemental cash flow information ..............................................24 
Statement of changes in equity ......................................................25

Notes to the consolidated financial statements ......................26 
Note 1  Accounting principles.....................................................26
Note 2  Critical accounting estimates and judgement ...............28
Note 3  Segment information ......................................................30 
Note 4  Acquisitions and disposals ............................................34
Note 5  Other operating income and expense ...........................35 
Note 6  Personnel expenses .......................................................36 
Note 7  Board and executive remuneration ................................37 
Note 8  Net financial items ..........................................................39
Income taxes ..................................................................39 
Note 9 
Note 10  Depreciation, amortisation and  

impairment charges .......................................................40 

Note 11 

Intangible assets, property, plant and equipment 
and right-of-use assets ..................................................42 
Note 12  Forest assets ..................................................................44 
Note 13  Equity accounted investments .......................................47
Note 14  Equity instruments ..........................................................49 
Note 15  Other non-current assets ...............................................50
Note 16 
Inventories ......................................................................50 
Note 17  Operative receivables.....................................................50
Note 18  Shareholders’ equity ...................................................... 51
Note 19  Non-controlling interests ............................................... 51 
Note 20  Post-employment benefits .............................................52
Note 21  Employee variable compensation  

and equity incentive schemes ........................................54 
Note 22  Provisions .......................................................................55 
Note 23  Operative liabilities .........................................................56
Note 24  Financial risk management ............................................56 
Note 25  Fair values .......................................................................60 
Interest-bearing assets and liabilities ............................62
Note 26 
Note 27  Derivatives ......................................................................65 
Note 28  Cumulative translation adjustment  

and equity hedging .........................................................69 
Note 29  Commitments and contingencies ..................................70 
Note 30  Group companies ...........................................................71 
Note 31  Related party transactions .............................................73 
Note 32  Earnings per share ..........................................................73

Parent company Stora Enso Oyj financial statements ........... 74

Notes to the parent company financial statements ................76

Signatures for the financial statements ....................................85 

Auditor’s report .............................................................................86

 Stora Enso in capital markets .....................................................89 
Shares and shareholders ................................................................89 
Debt investors .................................................................................94

 Stora Enso as a taxpayer .............................................................95 

 Capacities by mill in 2021 ............................................................97

 Information for shareholders ...................................................100

  Unaudited

Limited assurance

In this report: This publication consists of both audited and unaudited contents. 
The audited parts include the consolidated financial statements, the parent 
company financial statements, and the notes to the financial statements. 
The unaudited parts – such as Stora Enso in 2020, the Report of the Board of 
Directors, Stora Enso in capital markets, and Stora Enso as a taxpayer – are 
marked with a symbol on the top of the page. The contents of Stora Enso as a 
taxpayer have been assured by an independent third-party assurance provider 
with a level of Limited Assurance. The official audited financial statements in 
Finnish and an unofficial Swedish translation can be found on the company 
website 

storaenso.com/download-centre

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceFinancials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

  Unaudited

Stora Enso in 2020

Why to invest in Stora Enso

Key figures

Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions 
in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper. Our fiber-based materials 
are renewable, recyclable and fossil free. Our solutions offer low-carbon alternatives 
to products based on finite resources and solve global sustainability challenges. We 
believe that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made 
from a tree tomorrow. This is also the foundation of our entire innovation agenda. 

Stora Enso has three strategic focus areas for growth: 1) Packaging Materials and 
Packaging Solutions driven by high demand for plastic free and eco-friendly circular 
packaging, 2) Building Solutions driven by a growing wooden buildings market, and 
3) Biomaterials innovations where we focus on carbon for energy storage, bio-binders 
and carbon fibers, and target strong growth in new applications and markets. 
Substantial forest assets, sawmills in the Wood Products division and our pulp mills are 
the foundation for our value creation and support these three key focus areas. Paper is 
the cash flow generator to fund our growth. Stora Enso’s financial targets support the 
Group’s focus on growth and value creation. 

Sales, EUR million

Operational EBITDA, EUR million

Operational EBIT, EUR million

Operational EBIT margin

Operating profit (IFRS), EUR million

Net profit for the period, EUR million

Net interest-bearing liabilities, EUR million

Operational ROCE, %

Operational ROCE excl. Forest division

EPS (basic), EUR

Net debt/last 12 months’ operational EBITDA ratio

Net debt/equity ratio

Fixed costs to sales, %

2020

8 553

1 270

650

7.6%

922

617

2 921

5.8%

7.0%

0.79

2.3

0.33

Change

-14.9%

-21.3%

-35.2%

-29.3%

-27.9%

-9.0%

-28.9%

2019

10 055

1 614

1 003

10.0%

1 305

856

3 209

10.3%

12.8%

1.12

2.0

0.43

26.7%

24.3%

Target

>13%

<2.0

<0.60

<20%

Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy (STEAV, STERV) and 
Nasdaq Stockholm AB (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the 
USA as ADRs (SEOAY). 

In 2020, Stora Enso revised its long-term financial targets. There are new Group level targets for growth (to grow >5% per 
annum excluding Paper), and return on capital employed (the target of >13% remains, but now it is excluding the Forest 
division). Also, the dividend policy was updated to distribute 50% of EPS excluding fair valuation over the cycle. Other Group-
level targets remain unchanged.

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Share price performance and volumes 
Helsinki, Stora Enso R 
Number of shares, 
million
125

Share price 
(EUR)
20

100

75

50

25

0

16

12

8

4

0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Volume
Monthly average share price

Same data as in graph 69

Sales 2020

Ownership distribution, % of shares held

Solidium Oy¹ 10.7%
FAM AB² 10.2%
Social Insurance Institution 
of Finland (KELA) 3.1%
Finnish institutions (excl. 
Solidium and KELA) 11.4%
Swedish institutions 
(excl. FAM) 6.6%
Finnish private 
shareholders 4.0%
Swedish private 
shareholders 4.2%
ADR holders 2.0%
Under nominee names 
(non-Finnish/non-Swedish 
shareholders) 47.9%

¹ Entirely owned by Finnish state. 
² As confirmed to Stora Enso.

Legend

Solidium Oy¹

FAM AB²

Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA)

Finnish institutions (excl. Solidium and KELA)

Swedish institutions 

(excl. FAM)

Finnish private shareholders

Swedish private shareholders

ADR holders

Total

Under nominee names (non-Finnish/non-Swedish shareholders)

Value in %

10.7% XX%

10.2% XX%

3.1% XX%

11.4% XX%

6.6% XX%

4.0% XX%

4.2% XX%

2.0% XX%

47.9% XX%

100.1%

Packaging Materials 36%
Packaging Solutions 7%
Biomaterials 14%
Wood Products 16%
Forest 24%
Paper 23%
Other and eliminations -21%

Operational EBIT 2020

Legend

Packaging Materials

Packaging Solutions

Biomaterials

Wood Products

Forest

Paper

Other and eliminations

Total

Legend

Packaging Materials

Packaging Solutions

Biomaterials

Wood Products

Forest

Paper

Total

Other and eliminations

36% XX%

Value in %

Packaging Materials 62%
Packaging Solutions 5%
Biomaterials 1%
Wood Products 18%
Forest 25%
Paper -6%
Other and eliminations -5%

23% XX%

24% XX%

14% XX%

16% XX%

7% XX%

-21% XX%

99%

Value in %

62% XX%

5% XX%

1% XX%

18% XX%

25% XX%

-6% XX%

-5% XX%

100%

58

59

60

61

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

  Unaudited

Report of the Board of Directors

Stora Enso introduction

Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso (the Group 
or the Company) is a leading global provider of 
renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, 
wooden construction and paper. Our customers 
include packaging manufacturers, brand owners, 
paper and board producers, publishers, retailers, 
printing houses, converters, and joinery and 
construction companies. 

Our fiber-based materials are renewable 
and recyclable. Our solutions offer low-carbon 
alternatives to products based on finite resources. 
We believe that everything that is made from 
fossil-based materials today can be made from a 
tree tomorrow.

Stora Enso had 24 455 employees on average 

during 2020. Our sales in 20 20 were EUR 8.6 
billion, with an operational EBIT of EUR 650 
million. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq 
Helsinki Oy (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq 
Stockholm AB (STE A, STE R).

Markets and deliveries

The global demand for cartonboard remained 
largely stable over the year. The pandemic 
presented challenges for a certain number of 
our end use segments but boosted demand 
in essential goods such as pharma and food. 
Demand in the Asian region was stronger than 
the more mature European and North American 
markets.

Global containerboard demand increased 
slightly despite the decline in industrial production 
caused by the pandemic. The shift in spending 
from services to goods and strong e-commerce 
growth compensated the losses in manufacturing. 
Containerboard consumption was stable in 
Europe, while it increased in the Americas and 
China but declined in other parts of Asia.

European corrugated packaging demand in 
our main markets saw a slight decrease (-2%) due 
to the pandemic. The strong decline in industrial 
production in the first half of the year was partly 
offset by strong traction in e-commerce, food 

and retail sales. There was a fast recovery in the 
manufacturing sector in second half of the year.
Global demand for chemical market pulp 
demand rose by 2.6% during 2020. Softwood 
pulp deliveries decreased by -3.4% while 
hardwood pulp deliveries increased by 8.5% 
compared to 2019. Global market pulp demand 
increased in Asia, especially in China, and North 
America while it reduced in Europe. The global 
chemical market pulp capacity increased by 
0.9% in 2020, the softwood capacity decreased 
by -1.1% while hardwood capacity saw a 1.8% 
increase. The overall shipment-capacity balance 
stood at 89%, 2 percent points down from 2019.
By the end of 2020, global pulp inventories 

came close to a balanced level after being 
elevated since 2018. During 2020, global pulp 
markets experienced low pulp prices, generally 
high inventories and a sharp demand decline from 
the Printing & Writing segment due to lockdowns 
and recession caused by the pandemic. 
Increased demand from tissue and packaging 
grades supported market pulp demand. 

The global sawnwood consumption level 
declined during 2020 from the 2019 level by 
some -2% according to market estimates. Due to 
Covid-19 suppliers cut production especially in 
the second quarter. In Europe, the market decline 
was estimated at -2.8% and in North America 
-3.1%. Low inventory levels led to positive price 
development in the latter part of the year. Building 
activity and DIY markets kept the demand 
at a high level in most countries during 2020 
regardless of lockdowns. In the US, restricted 
supply led to heavy price increases in the second 
half of 2020. In Australia, the demand was 
relatively stable during the year and the market in 
balance meaning price fluctuations were modest. 
The Japanese housing market contracted -10% 
in 2020, but reduced supplies from Europe and 
North America led to product shortages and an 
improved market balance by the year end.

The year 2020 was difficult for paper markets. 

Paper demand was hit hard by the pandemic in 
addition to continuing structural demand erosion. 
European paper demand was -18% weaker in 

Production and external deliveries

Consumer board deliveries, 1 000 tonnes
Consumer board production, 1 000 tonnes
Containerboard deliveries, 1 000 tonnes
Containerboard production, 1 000 tonnes
Corrugated packaging European deliveries, million m2
Corrugated packaging European production, million m2
Market pulp deliveries, 1 000 tonnes
Wood product deliveries, 1 000 m3
Wood deliveries, 1 000 m3
Paper deliveries, 1 000 tonnes
Paper production, 1 000 tonnes

2020
2 742
2 759
970
1 304
902
1 004
2 443
4 692
11 469
3 106
3 034

2019
2 811
2 775
943
1 303
925
1 033
2 362
4 918
11 717
4 130
4 065

Estimated consumption of board, pulp, sawn softwood, and paper in 2020 

Tonnes, million
Consumer board
Containerboard
Corrugated board (billion m2)1
Chemical market pulp
Sawn softwood (million m3)
Newsprint
Uncoated magazine paper
Coated magazine paper
Coated fine paper
Uncoated fine paper

Europe North America
9.2
31.9
n/a
7.7
93.7
1.7
0.8
1.4
2.4
5.8

10.8
33.7
10.6
16.0
94.4
4.0
2.4
3.1
3.2
6.1

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Change %  
2020–2019
-2.4%
-0.6%
2.9%
0.1%
-2.5%
-2.8%
3.4%
-4.6%
-2.1%
-24.8%
-25.4%

Asia and 
Oceania
24.5
82.9
n/a
36.5
n/a
6.7
0.1
2.1
9.0
18.4

1 European focus markets (Baltics, FI, PL, RU, SE)
Source: Afry Smart, ICCA, RISI, Numera, Euro-Graph, PPPC, EPIS, Hawkings Wright, Stora Enso, UNECE

2020 compared to the previous year. As a result 
of an unforeseen decline in demand in European 
paper markets, the supply and demand balance 
turned unfavourable for paper producers. This 
resulted in declining paper prices. In North 
America, the demand declined by -22% and in 
Asia by -13% compared to 2019. Global paper 
consumption was -17% lower in 2020 than in 
2019. However, the variation between paper 
grades was wide. The decline in the global 
demand for uncoated was -14%, whereas the 
demand for standard newsprint and coated 
mechanical declined by -25%.

The Group’s external consumer board 

deliveries totalled 2 742 000 tonnes, which was 
69 000 tonnes, or -2.4% lower compared to a year 
ago. This was due to lower volumes in Europe. 
External containerboard deliveries increased by 
27 000 tonnes, or 2.9%, from 943 000 tonnes to 
970 000 tonnes, mainly due to higher recycled 
containerboard deliveries. External corrugated 
board deliveries in Europe decreased slightly to 
902 million m2. Market pulp deliveries increased 
by 81 000 tonnes, or 3.4%, to record high 
2 443 000 tonnes, mainly due to higher market 
pulp deliveries in the Packaging Materials division. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

External wood product deliveries decreased by 
226 000 m3 or -4.6% to 4 692 000 m3, negatively 
impacted by the closure and divestment of 
Kitee and Pfarrkirchen sawmills in Finland and 
Germany. External paper deliveries totalled 
3 106 000 tonnes, down 1 024 000 tonnes, or 
-24.8%, from 2019, due to lower deliveries in 
all paper grades and disposal and closures of 
Dawang Mill in China, and paper production at 
Oulu Mill in Finland.

Operational key figures, items 
affecting comparability and 
other non-IFRS measures

The list of Stora Enso’s non-IFRS measures and 
the calculation of our key figures are presented at 
the end of the Report of the Board of Directors. 
See also the chapter Non-IFRS measures at the 
end of this report.

Financial results – Group

Sales, at EUR 8 553 (10 055) million, were 14.9% 
lower than a year earlier. Deliveries reduced in 
all divisions and the largest drop was in paper 
volumes. Sales prices were lower in all divisions, 
with the biggest negative price impacts coming 
from pulp and paper. The impact of the foreign 
exchange rate movements on sales was EUR 19 
million positive. Structural changes reduced sales 
by EUR 226 million, the biggest ones being the 
Oulu Mill conversion in Finland, the divestment of 
the Dawang paper mill in China in October 2019, 
the closure of the paper machine 6 at Imatra Mills 
in Finland in December 2019, the divestment 
of the Pfarrkirchen Mill in Austria in during the 
first quarter of 2020, and the closure of the Kitee 
sawmill in Finland during the second quarter 
of 2020. Sales excluding the paper business 
decreased by 8.7%. 

Operational EBIT, at EUR 650 (1 003) million, 

decreased by 35.2% or EUR 353 million and 
represents a margin of 7.6% (10.0%). Operational 
EBIT decreased due to lower sales prices and 
lower volumes in all divisions. The biggest 
negative impact came from the lower paper 
volumes and prices and the significantly lower 
pulp prices.

Variable costs were EUR 340 million lower, 

mainly fiber costs including wood, pulp and 
recycled paper. Fixed costs decreased EUR 117 
million due to Covid-19 and profit protection 

Sales and operational EBIT 
EUR million

14 000

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

2018

2019

2020

Sales
Operational EBIT, %

%

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Sales

Operational EBIT, %

2017

10045

10.0

2018

10486

12.6

2019

10055

10.0

2020

8 553

7.6

programme actions. The net foreign exchange 
impact increased operational EBIT by EUR 
123 million. The operational result from equity 
accounted investments was EUR 16 million 
lower, mainly due to the Bergvik Skog transaction 
in 2019. 

The IFRS operating profit includes a positive 
net effect of EUR 469 (positive 493) million from 
IAS 41 forest valuation from subsidiaries and joint 
operations. The positive impact comes mainly 
from the increase in fair valuation in Stora Enso 
owned forests in Sweden. There is also a negative 
net effect of EUR 52 (positive 32) million from 
Stora Enso’s share of net financial items, taxes 
and IAS 41 forest valuations of equity accounted 
investments.

Tangible and intangible asset impairments 
amounted to EUR 57 (78) million and impairment 
reversals amounted to EUR 0 (21) million.
The Group recorded items affecting 

62

comparability (IAC) with a negative impact of EUR 
90 (negative 192) million on its IFRS operating 
profit and a positive impact of EUR 19 (positive 
13) million on income taxes. The IACs relate 
mainly to asset restructurings in Biomaterials 
division, the Oulu Mill conversion in Finland and 
the Hylte Mill restructuring in Sweden.

The IFRS operating profit was EUR 922 (1 305) 

million.

Segment share of operational EBIT, IAC, fair valuations 
and non-operational items and operating profit/loss

EUR million
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper
Other
Total
Net financial items
Profit before Tax
Income tax expense
Net Profit

Operational EBIT

2020
403
34
9
114
164
-38
-35
650

2019
339
46
233
105
99
213
-32
1 003

Year Ended 31 December
IAC, Fair Valuations and 
Non-Operational items
2019
13
-10
-54
-13
448
-59
-23
302

2020
-12
-6
-40
-3
360
-20
-7
271

Operating Profit/Loss

2020
391
28
-31
111
524
-58
-42
922
-150
773
-156
617

2019
352
36
180
92
547
154
-56
1 305
-168
1 137
-281
856

Operational EBIT comprises the operating profit excluding items affecting comparability (IAC) and fair valuations from the segments and 
Stora Enso’s share of the operating profit of equity accounted investments (EAI), also excluding items affecting comparability and fair valuations.
IAC =Items affecting comparability are exceptional transactions that are not related to recurring business operations. The most 
common IAC are capital gains and losses, impairments or impairment reversals, disposal gains and losses relating to Group 
companies, provisions for planned restructurings, environmental provisions, changes in depreciation due to restructuring and penalties. 
Items affecting comparability are normally disclosed individually if they exceed one cent pe r share. 
Fair valuations and non-operational items include CO2 emission rights, non-operational fair valuation changes of biological assets, 
adjustments for differences between fair value and acquisition cost of forest assets upon disposal and the Group’s share of income tax 
and net financial items of EAI. From 1 January 2020 onwards, the changes in the fair valuation of biological assets are categorized in 
non-operational and operational fair value changes. Non-operational fair value changes of biological assets reflect changes made to 
valuation assumptions and parameters, usually during the annual valuation process. Operational fair value changes of biological assets 
are included in Operational EBITDA and contain all other fair value changes, mainly due to inflation and differences in actual harvesting 
levels compared to the harvesting plan. The previous periods have been restated.

Items affecting comparability, fair valuations and non-operational items

Year Ended 31 December

EUR million
Impairments and impairment reversals
Restructuring costs excluding impairments
Acquisitions and disposals
Other
Items affecting comparability
Fair valuations and non-operational items
Total

2020
-72
-23
6
0
-90
362
271

2019
-62
-52
-59
-19
-192
494
302

Segment share of operative assets, operative liabilities and operating capital

EUR million
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper
Other and eliminations
Total

Operative Assets

Year Ended 31 December
Operative Liabilities

Operating Capital

2020
3 675
372
2 459
766
6 566
1 193
433
15 464

2019
3 516
372
2 748
868
4 436
1 484
554
13 978

2020
721
132
214
218
372
700
115
2 471

2019
692
131
252
221
298
827
94
2 516

2020
2 954
240
2 245
548
6 194
493
318
12 993

2019
2 824
241
2 496
647
4 138
657
460
11 462

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Key figures

Sales, EUR million
Operational EBIT, EUR million
Operational EBIT margin
Operating profit (IFRS), EUR million
Operating margin (IFRS)
Return on equity (ROE)
Operational ROCE
Operational ROCE excl. Forest division
Debt/equity ratio
EPS (basic), EUR
EPS excluding FV2, EUR
Dividend and distribution per share1, EUR
Payout ratio, excluding FV2
Payout ratio (IFRS)
Dividend and distribution yield, (R share)
Price/earnings (R share), excluding FV2
Equity per share, EUR
Market capitalisation 31 Dec, EUR million
Closing price 31 Dec, A/R share, EUR
Average price, A/R share, EUR
Number of shares 31 Dec (thousands)
Trading volume A shares (thousands)
% of total number of A shares
Trading volume R shares (thousands)
% of total number of R shares
Average number of shares, basic (thousands)
Average number of shares, diluted (thousands)

2020
8 553
650
7.6%
922
10.8%
7.6%
5.8%
7.0%
0.33
0.79
0.45
0,30
66.7%
38.0%
1.9%
34.78
11.17
12 383
15.90/15.65
12.06/11.52
788 620
4 662
2.6%
605 233
98.8%
788 620
789 182

2019
10 055
1 003
10.0%
1 305
13.0%
12.1%
10.3%
12.8%
0.43
1.12
0.61
0.30
49.2%
26.8%
2.3%
21.23
9.42
10 328
13.55/12.97
12.88/11.05
788 620
1 299
0.7%
679 475
111.0%
788 620
789 533

2018
10 486
1 352
12.9%
1 390
13.3%
15.5%
15.8%
18.9%
0.31
1.28
1.26
0.50
39.7%
39.1%
5.0%
8.01
8.51
8 123
11.05/10.09
16.36/14.61
788 620
3 068
1.7%
610 300
99.7%
788 620
789 883

Comparative figures for 2018 and 2019 have been restated
1 See the Board of Directors’ proposal for dividend distribution.
2 Earnings per share (EPS) excl. FV, Payout ratio, excluding FV and Price/earnings (R share), excluding FV were added to the list of 
non-IFRS measures during 2020 replacing the key figures of EPS excl. IAC, Payout ratio, excluding IAC and Price/earnings (R share), 
excluding IAC. Comparatives are recalculated.

Net financial expenses at EUR 150 (168) million 
were EUR 18 million lower than a year ago. Net 
interest expenses, at EUR 132 million, decreased 
by EUR 15 million, mainly as a result of the lower 
average interest expense rate on borrowings. 
Other net financial expenses, at EUR 10 million, 
were EUR 5 million lower than a year ago. The 
net foreign exchange impact in respect of cash 
equivalents, interest-bearing assets and liabilities 
and related foreign-currency hedges amounted 
to a loss of EUR 8 (loss of EUR 6) million, mainly 
due to revaluation of foreign currency net debt in 
subsidiaries and joint operations located in China, 
Brazil, Poland and Russia.

The net tax charge totalled EUR 156 (281) 

million, equivalent to an effective tax rate of 

20.1% (24.7%), as described in more detail 
in Note 9 Income taxes, of the Consolidated 
Financial Statements.

The loss attributable to non-controlling 
interests was EUR 9 (24) million, leaving a profit 
of EUR 626 (880) million attributable to Company 
shareholders.

Earnings per share excluding fair valuations 

were EUR 0.45 (0.61). Operational return on 
capital employed was 5.8% (10.3%).

The Group capital employed was EUR 

11 714 million on 31 December 2020, an 
increase of EUR 1 082, mainly due to the 
increase of fair valuation of forest assets in 
Sweden resulting from valuation and accounting 
principles changes.

Breakdown of Capital Employed change

EUR million
31 December 2019
Capital expenditure excluding 
investments in biological assets less 
depreciation
Investments in biological assets less 
depletion of capitalised silviculture 
costs
Impairments and reversal of 
impairments
Fair valuation of forest assets
Unlisted securities (mainly PVO)
Equity accounted investments
Net liabilities in defined benefit plans
Operative working capital and other 
interest-free items, net
Net tax liabilities
Translation difference
Other changes
31 December 2020

Capital 
Employed
10 632

60

19

-57
1 973
-125
-22
-11

-172
-411
-171
-1
11 714

Financing
Cash flow from operations was EUR 1 344 (1 991) 
million and cash flow after investing activities 
was EUR 680 (1 386) million. Working capital 
decreased by EUR 195 (240) million, inventories 
decreased by EUR 179 million and short-term 
receivables by EUR 178 million having a positive 
impact on working capital. Payments related to 
the previously announced provisions were EUR 
24 million.

Operative cash flow

EUR million
Operational EBITDA
IAC on operational EBITDA
Other adjustments
Change in working capital
Cash Flow from Operations
Cash spent on fixed and 
biological assets
Acquisitions of equity 
accounted investments
Cash Flow after Investing 
Activities

2020
1 270
-25
-97
195
1 344

2019
1 614
-128
265
240
1 991

-661

-598

-2

-7

680

1 386

Comparative 2019 figures have been restated.

At the end of the year, Group net interest-bearing 
liabilities were EUR 2921 (3 209) million. The 

decrease in net interest-bearing liabilities was 
mainly driven by a solid cash flow from operations 
after investments and dividend payments. Cash 
and cash equivalents net of bank overdrafts 
increased to EUR 1 655 (863) million mainly 
as a result of the new Green bond financing 
issued during the year and solid cash flow from 
operations after investments and dividend 
payments. The Group increased cash liquidity 
and available committed credit lines during the 
year due to the increased uncertainty caused 
by Covid-19. The net debt/equity ratio at 31 
December 2020 decreased to 0.33 (0.43) mainly 
as a result of the market transaction based forest 
assets fair valuation change implemented during 
the fourth quarter. The ratio of net debt to the 
last 12 months' operational EBITDA increased 
to 2.3, compared to the ratio of 2.0 at the end of 
the previous year. The average interest rate on 
borrowings for the full year 2020 decreased to 
3.2% (3.5%) with a run-rate of 3.0% as per the 
end of the fourth quarter.

In April 2020 Stora Enso successfully issued 
a SEK 1 700 million green bond under its EMTN 
(Euro Medium Term Note) programme and 
Stora Enso’s Green Bond Framework. The bond 
matures in April 2025. In June 2020, Stora Enso 
successfully tapped the above mentioned 2025 
SEK Green Bond issued in April 2020 with an 
additional nominal of SEK 1 400 million. The bond 
consist of fixed and floating tranches and pays a 
floating coupon of STIBOR +2.20% and a fixed 
coupon of 2.375%.

In November 2020 Stora Enso successfully 
issued a new EUR 500 million green bond under 
its EMTN programme and Stora Enso's Green 
Bond framework. The bond matures in December 
2030 and pays a fixed coupon of 0.625%.

Stora Enso has a EUR 600 million committed 
revolving credit facility that was fully undrawn at 
the year-end. In addition, Stora Enso has undrawn 
committed bilateral credit facility arrangements 
with commercial banks up to EUR 250 million. 
The original tenor of these bilateral arrangements 
varies from 18 to 24 months and they mature in 
2021 and 2022. Stora Enso also has an undrawn 
committed EUR 150 million loan signed with 
European Investment Bank during the fourth 
quarter that can be drawn latest in 2022 for a 
five-year maturity. Additionally, Stora Enso has 
access to to statutory pension premium loans in 
Finland up to up to EUR 950 (950) million.

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Debt/equity ratio 

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0

2018

2019

2020

Debt/equity ratio
Target <0.6

Packaging Materials division
The Packaging Materials division is a global 
leader in the circular economy with our premium 
renewable and recyclable packaging materials 
based on both virgin and recycled fiber. 
Addressing the needs of today's eco-conscious 
consumers, we help customers replace fossil-
based materials with low-carbon, renewable and 
recyclable alternatives for their food and drink, 
pharmaceutical or transport packaging. A wide 
selection of barrier coatings enables design 
optimisation for various demanding packaging 
end-uses.

2019

2018

2017

Debt/equity ratio

The market transaction based forest assets 
fair valuation change implemented during the 
fourth-quarter increased the Group’s other 
comprehensive income in equity by EUR 
1 195 million. Conversely, the fair valuation of 
Legend
cash flow hedges and equity investments fair 
valued through other comprehensive income in 
accordance with IFRS 9 decreased equity by EUR 
91 (increased by EUR 95) million mainly due to 
lower fair valuation of the Group’s shareholding in 
Pohjolan Voima Oy (PVO) partly offset by net fair 
valuation gains from outstanding cash flow hedge 
derivatives recorded in other comprehensive 
income.

Target <0.6

0.38

0.31

0.43

0.6

0.6

0.6

2020

0.33

At the end of the year, the ratings for 
Stora Enso’s rated bonds were as follows:

Rating agency
Fitch Ratings

Moody’s

Long/short-
term rating
BBB- (stable)
Baa3 (stable) 
/ P-3

Valid from
8 August 2018
1 November 
2018

Financial results – Segments

As of 1 January 2020, Stora Enso merged its 
containerboard business with the Consumer 
 64
Board division, creating a new Packaging 
Materials division. The remaining business in 
Packaging Solutions, together with the recently 
created Formed Fiber unit, constitute a more 
focused Packaging Solutions division. The Group 
also established a new Forest division as of 1 
January. Certain historical figures for Packaging 
Materials, Packaging Solutions, Forest, Segment 
Other and the Group have been restated as 
described in the release from 19 March 2020.

EUR million
Sales

Sales (Consumer board)
Sales (Containerboard)

Operational EBITDA

Leave this row blank

Operational EBITDA 
(Consumer board)
Operational EBITDA 
(Containerboard)

0.6

Operational EBITDA margin
Operational EBIT
Operational EBIT margin
Operational ROOC
Cash flow from operations
Cash flow after investing activities
Board deliveries, 1 000 tonnes

Deliveries (Consumer board)
Deliveries (Containerboard)
Board production, 1 000 tonnes

Production (Consumer board)
Production (Containerboard)

2020
3 115
2 523
602
641

2019
3 254
2 564
690
574

578

434

63

403

139
20.6% 17.6%
339
12.9% 10.4%
13.9% 12.4%
632
401
4 111
2 812
1 299
4 078
2 775
1 303

694
301
4 043
2 752
1 291
4 063
2 759
1 304

Comparative 2019 figures have been restated.

Packaging Materials division sales at EUR 3 115 
(3 254) million decreased by 4.3% mainly due to 
lower prices and volumes for containerboards. 
The closure of paper machine 6 closure at Imatra 
Mills in Finland in December 2019 impacted 
consumer board sales. 

Operational EBIT at EUR 403 (339) million 
increased by 18.8%, mainly due to lower variable 
costs. Lower pulp prices had the biggest positive 
impact on variable costs. The Oulu Mill conversion 
costs had a negative impact of EUR 29 million.

Packaging Solutions division
The Packaging Solutions division develops 
and sells premium fiber-based packaging 

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products and services. Our high-end eco-friendly 
packaging products are used by leading brands 
across multiple market sectors, including store 
retail, e-commerce and industrials. The portfolio 
includes corrugated and other converting, 
design services, automation solutions, and 
scalable innovations such as formed fiber and 
biocomposites.

EUR million
Sales
Operational EBITDA
Operational EBITDA margin
Operational EBIT
Operational EBIT margin
Operational ROOC
Cash flow from operations
Cash flow after investing activities
Corrugated packaging European 
deliveries, million m2
Corrugated packaging European 
production, million m2

2020
594
61

2019
698
71
10.3% 10.2%
46
5.7% 6.6%
14.1% 18.9%
93
58

51
28

34

999

1 026

1 004

1 033

Comparative 2019 figures have been restated.

Packaging Solutions division sales were EUR 594 
(698) million, down 15% due to lower volumes 
and sales prices. Foreign exchange had a EUR 20 
million negative impact on sales.

Operational EBIT at EUR 34 (46) million 
decreased 27% mainly due to lower volumes 
and investments into new businesses like formed 
fiber and biocomposites. Variable costs were 
lower mainly due to lower containerboard prices. 
Fixed costs were lower due to Covid-19 and profit 
protection programme actions.

Biomaterials division
The Biomaterials division meets the growing 
demand for the replacement of products made 
from fossil-based and hazardous materials 
with bio-based solutions. We use all fractions 
of biomass, like lignin and sugars, to develop 
new solutions. We work to replace fossil-based 
materials with new applications such as carbon 
for energy storage, bio-based binders, and 
bio-based carbon fiber. The division’s offering 
includes a wide variety of pulp grades to meet 
the demands of paper, board, tissue, textile and 
hygiene product producers as well as materials 
from side streams of our processes, such as tall 
oil and turpentine from biomass. 

EUR million
Sales
Operational EBITDA
Operational EBITDA margin
Operational EBIT
Operational EBIT margin
Operational ROOC
Cash flow from operations
Cash flow after investing activities
Pulp deliveries, 1 000 tonnes

9

2020
1 193
128

2019
1 464
356
10.7% 24.3%
233
0.8% 15.9%
0.4% 9.4%
423
266
2 520

96
0
2 427

Biomaterials division sales were EUR 1 193 
(1 464) million, down 19% due to significantly 
lower pulp sales prices in all grades. Delivery 
volumes were also lower. 

Operational EBIT, at EUR 9 (233) million 
decreased 96%, due to significantly lower sales 
prices in all grades and to some extent higher 
maintenance costs. Operational EBIT was 
positively impacted by lower variable costs, 
mainly logistics. Foreign exchange rates had a 
positive impact on operational EBIT. 

Wood Products division
The Wood Products division is the largest sawn 
wood producer in Europe and a leading provider 
of sustainable wood-based solutions for the 
construction industry. Our growing Building 
Solutions business offers building concepts to 
support low-carbon construction and eco-friendly 
designs. We develop digital tools to simplify the 
designing of building projects with wood. We 
also offer applications for windows, doors and for 
packaging industries, and our pellets provide a 
sustainable heating solution.

EUR million
Sales
Operational EBITDA
Operational EBITDA margin
Operational EBIT
Operational EBIT margin
Operational ROOC
Cash flow from operations
Cash flow after investing activities
Wood products deliveries, 1 000 m3

114

2020
1 386
160

2019
1 569
153
11.6% 9.8%
105
8.3% 6.7%
19.1% 16.6%
183
135
4 753

211
181
4 407

Wood Products division sales were EUR 1 386 
(1 569) million, down 11.7%, due to structural 
changes, lower sales prices mainly in classic sawn 
and lower volumes. Pfarrkirchen mill in Germany 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

was divested in Q1 2020, Uimaharju sawmill in 
Finland was transferred to Biomaterials division 
in the beginning of 2020, Kitee sawmill in Finland 
was closed and production was stopped in Q4 
2019, Biocomposites business was transferred to 
Packaging Solutions division in Q3 2020. Structural 
changes decreased sales by EUR 80 million.

Operational EBIT at EUR 114 (105) million 
increased by 9% due to lower raw material and 
fixed costs.

Forest division
The Forest division creates value with sustainable 
forest management, competitive wood supply 
and innovation, which are the foundation for 
Stora Enso’s renewable offerings. The division 
manages Stora Enso's forest assets in Sweden 
and the 41% share of Tornator, the majority of 
whose forest assets are located in Finland. The 
division is also responsible for wood sourcing 
for Stora Enso’s Nordic, Baltic and Russian 
operations and B2B customers. Stora Enso is one 
of the biggest private forest owners in the world.

EUR million
Sales
Operational EBITDA
Operational EBITDA margin
Operational EBIT
Operational EBIT margin
Operational ROCE
Cash flow from operations
Cash flow after investing activities
Wood deliveries, 1 000 m3
Operational fair value change of 
biological assets

164

2020
2 046
217

2019
2 321
145
10.6% 6.2%
99
8.0% 4.3%
3.9% 3.7%
370
333
37 369 38 775

203
166

70

50

Comparative 2019 figures have been restated.

Forest division sales were EUR 2 046 (2 321) million, 
down 12% due to lower prices and volumes.
Operational EBIT at EUR 164 (99) million 
increased by 65% due to improved operational 
efficiency in Wood supply units including Group’s 
own forest holdings in Sweden.

Paper division
Stora Enso is the second largest paper producer 
in Europe, with an established customer base 
and a wide product portfolio for print and office 
use. Customers benefit from Stora Enso's broad 
selection of paper products made from recycled 
and virgin fiber, our technical expertise and our 

sustainability know-how as well as our mill and 
customer service centre network.

Investments and  
capital expenditure

EUR million
Sales
Operational EBITDA
Operational EBITDA margin
Operational EBIT
Operational EBIT margin
Operational ROOC
Cash flow from operations
Cash flow after investing activities
Cash flow after investing activities 
to sales
Paper deliveries, 1 000 tonnes
Paper production, 1 000 tonnes

2020
1 979
66

2019
2 856
318
3.3% 11.1%
213
-1.9% 7.4%
-6.7% 29.3%
344
264

105
31

-38

1.6% 9.3%
4 130
3 106
4 065
3 034

Paper division sales were EUR 1 979 (2 856) 
million, down 30.7% due to significantly lower 
volumes resulted from accelerated market 
demand decrease due to Covid-19. There is 
overcapacity in the market and sales price 
decreases had a negative impact to sales as well. 
Oulu paper mill Covid-19 and conversion impact 
to sales was negative EUR 281 million.

Operational EBIT at EUR -38 (213) million 
declined by 118.1% due to lower volumes and 
prices. Cost savings had a positive EBIT impact. 
Oulu paper mill Covid-19 and conversion impact 
was negative EUR 46 million.

Full year cash flow was positive EUR 30 million 

due to excellent working capital management.

Other
The segment Other includes Stora Enso’s 
shareholding in the energy company Pohjolan 
Voima (PVO), and the Group’s shared services and 
administration. 

EUR million
Sales
Operational EBITDA
Operational EBITDA margin
Operational EBIT
Operational EBIT margin
Cash flow from operations
Cash flow after investing activities

2020
928
-3

2019
1 076
-4
-0.3% -0.3%
-32
-3.8% -3.0%
-55
-71

-17
-27

-35

Sales of the segment Other at EUR 928 (1 076) 
million reduced from previous year mainly due to 
lower internal sales of energy and logistics services. 

Additions to fixed and biological assets including 
internal costs capitalised in 2020 totalled EUR 687 
(656) million. The total amount includes additions 
in biological assets of EUR 79 (88) million.
During the second quarter of 2020, the 

formed fiber production line commissioning was 
completed at Hylte Mill. The brand PureFiber™ by 
Stora Enso was launched and production started. 
The EUR 22 million investment at Skoghall Mill 
in Sweden in an expansion of the existing water 
treatment plant was taken in operation in April.

During the third quarter of 2020, the investment 

of EUR 25 million in the steam turbine in Maxau 
Mill, Germany was taken in operation. The 
investment improves the cost-competitiveness of 
the mill and reduces CO2 emissions.

In August 2020, Stora Enso announced 

investment in building a pilot facility for producing 
a lightweight, fiber-based foam material, for 
protective packaging and cushioning. The pilot 
plant is built at Stora Enso’s Fors Mill in Sweden. 
It is estimated that the plant will be ready in 
the fourth quarter of 2021. Decisions about 
commercialisation will follow, after evaluating the 
results of the pilot-scale production.

In September 2020, Stora Enso announced 
an investment of approximately EUR 79 million 
in a new production line for cross laminated 
timber (CLT) at its Ždírec sawmill in the Czech 
Republic. The investment will further enhance 
Stora Enso’s position as a global provider of 
high-quality engineered wooden elements and as 
a market leader in CLT. Production is scheduled 
to begin during the third quarter of 2022. The 
estimated annual production capacity will be 
approximately 120 000 m³ after ramp-up. Also in 
September, Stora Enso announced an investment 
in dispersion barrier technology at its Forshaga 
site in Sweden as a step in its innovation agenda. 
The investment of approximately EUR 10 million 
enables the development and production of 
paperboard with barrier properties that are 
easier to handle in a recycling process, have a 
lower carbon footprint and can be compostable 
in industrial facilities. The new equipment is 
expected to come into use during the second 
quarter of 2021.

In November 2020, Stora Enso commenced 

a feasibility study and environmental permit 
application process on enhancing and expanding 

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the pulp- and board-making capabilities at its 
Skoghall Mill in Sweden. The feasibility study 
evaluates a possible upgrade and expansion 
of existing integrated pulp capacity from 370 
000 tonnes to 780 000 tonnes annually and a 
possible increase of 120 000 tonnes in board 
capacity. After the investment, the mill would 
be integrated close to 100%, with an additional 
220 000 tonnes of softwood market pulp. If the 
investment is approved following the feasibility 
study and environmental permit application 
process, the capital expenditure for the upgrade 
and expansion is estimated to be approximately 
EUR 800–850 million. The feasibility study is 
expected to be completed by the end of 2021. 
Production would start earliest during the fourth 
quarter of 2023. 

In December 2020, Stora Enso announced 

an investment of EUR 14 million to build 
a granulation and packing plant for lignin. 
According to Stora Enso’s strategy, lignin is one 
of the key innovation areas for delivering growth 
on new applications, such as energy storage, 
binders and carbon fiber. The granulation plant 
will be located at Stora Enso’s Sunila Mill in 
Finland. Also in December, Stora Enso announced 
an investment in centralising and modernising 
the wood handling capacity at its Imatra Mills in 
Finland. The investment of EUR 80 million will 
enhance Stora Enso’s production capabilities 
for premium packaging board. The investment is 
planned to start in Q1 2021 and to be completed 
in Q3 2022.

The other main projects ongoing at the end 
of 2020 were the EUR 350 million conversion of 
the Oulu paper mill into kraftliner production in 
Finland and the EUR 10 million pilot facility at 
Sunila Mill in Finland for producing bio-based 
carbon materials from lignin.

Innovation, research  
and development

Stora Enso’s expenditure on innovation, research 
and development in 2020 was EUR 146 (141) 
million, which was equivalent to 1.7% (1.4%) 
of sales. 

Stora Enso is recognised as the renewable 
materials company. We believe that everything 
made with fossil-based materials today can be 
made from a tree tomorrow. Work for replacing 
fossil-based products with new bio-based 
applications continues.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

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Scale-up of DuraSenseTM by Stora Enso 
biocomposites production at Hylte Mill, and 
PureFiberTM by Stora Enso formed fiber products, 
both in the Packaging Solutions division, lignin 
for phenol replacement at Sunila Mill, LineoTM 
by Stora Enso in the Biomaterials division and 
ECO TAGTM, as well as the New Retail Solution in 
Intelligent Packaging all continued in 2020. The 
speed of commercialisation varies but gradually 
more real customer applications are brought 
into use.

The Packaging Materials division continued to 
develop the generation 1 micro-fibrillated cellulose 
(MFC) films at Imatra Mills. Some adjustments 
will still be required to the paper machine 7 at 
Imatra Mills to enable Proof of Concept #2. The 
first trial orders were shipped during the year. The 
generation 2 dewatering development continues 
with collaboration partners. 

The formed fiber project, the implementation 
of which started in February 2019, has developed 
very quickly and smoothly. The installation of 
the first two presses, related pulp handling and 
infrastructure were commissioned and products 
qualified with customers. Following the good 
success an expansion investment was launched 
in the autumn adding more capacity to the 
operations at Hylte Mill and establishing a first 
plant in China for the food service customers. 
The Group focuses on the development 

of sustainable packaging applications to 
replace plastics, bio-based barriers solutions 
for packaging and biomaterial innovations 
around the lignin platform. Additionally, focus 
on digitalisation has increased with focus areas 
Robotic Process Automation (RPA), machine 
learning, smart operations, transparent supply 
chain, digital customer experience, and 
Intelligent Packaging.

and new wood products. Stora Enso was once 
again recognised as the most start-up friendly 
corporation in Finland in 2020, as also in 2018.
To trigger innovation processes, we are 
more active in searching for collaborations with, 
customers, suppliers, institutes and academia. 
We have a high activity in ideation by our own 
employees. WeNovate, our group-wide tool for 
collecting and evaluating ideas from the divisions 
and functions, has supported the internal 
innovation culture development. In 2020, we ran 
19 campaigns and had 16 open idea channels 
operating. In total almost 508 ideas were collected, 
compared to 1 200 in 2019. The most suitable 
ideas enter a state-gate based innovation process.
Stora Enso has established funds to be used 
in an agile manner for capital expenditure in novel 
projects, which have potential business cases. 
The Innovation Fund is an allocation for new pilot 
scale opportunities and new business models. 
The Digitalisation Fund is an allocation for piloting 
new digital tools and models. Applications for 
these resources are approved in the company’s 
Investment Working Group. We have allocated 
an agility reserve to cover operational expenses 
related to cross-divisional projects in 2020.

Stora Enso defines innovation as the process 

of translating ideas into new value. Research 
and development work is a basic element in the 
process. The company employed about to 400 
people in the following R&D centres:

• Research Centre and Pulp Competence 

Centre in Imatra (Finland)

• Research Centre and Pulp Competence 

Centre in Karlstad (Sweden)

• The Innovation Centre for biomaterials in 

Sickla, Stockholm (Sweden)

• The Innovation Centre for packaging in 

Strong consumer demand to replace 

Helsinki (Finland)

fossil-based plastics has positively impacted the 
attractiveness of new fiber-based solutions to our 
customers. These applications include materials 
for new packaging board grades, especially those 
aiming to replace single-use plastics and plastic 
packaging. For long-term success, Stora Enso 
collaborates with academia and research 
institutes; for fast results, we work together with 
startups. During the year, the cooperation with the 
Combient Foundry Venture Client Program has 
expanded. A first cycle was run in China in spring 
2020 and in the autumn the first materials cycle 
was launched targeting innovative food packaging 

• Biocomposite Competence Centre in Hylte 

(Sweden)

• Intelligent Packaging Centre in Tampere 

(Finland)

• Virdia demonstration plant in Louisiana and 
Research Centre in Virginia (United States)

Supporting Stora Enso’s innovation strategy, we 
have several co-operation projects with research 
organisations and academic institutions. The 
aim is to build a clearer understanding of how 
our needs and the universities’ capabilities can 
meet, first and foremost in the research sphere 

surrounding Stora Enso research priorities and 
the long-term scientific challenges for R&D in 
the divisions. The second target is to widen 
the contact network. Thirdly, we aim to identify 
topics where we have special interest regarding 
the universities’ bachelor, master and PhD 
programmes, also for recruiting talents to mills 
and research/innovation centres. 

Our collaboration partners include Aalto 
University in Finland, Chalmers University of 
Technology and the Royal Institute of Technology 
in Sweden, VTT Technical Research Centre of 
Finland, SweTree Technologies Ltd., Swedish 
University of Agricultural Science, Treesearch and 
Wallenberg Wood Science Center. Stora Enso 
is a member of national, European and trade 
associations focused on the bioeconomy 
and forest agendas including Confederation 
of European Paper Industries (CEPI), Forest 
Technology Platform (FTP), and the Swedish and 
Finnish Forest Industry Federations. Stora Enso 
is also a member in the EU’s Biobased Industries 
Consortium (BIC) and the Bio-Based Industries 
Initiative Joint Undertaking, a partnership within 
the EU Horizon 2020 research programme.

Intellectual property (IP) is an increasingly 

important tool to support Stora Enso’s 
transformation. In this context, IP rights relate to 
areas such as patents, utility models, designs, 
trademarks, domain names, know-how and trade 
secrets. IP landscape as well as FTO (Freedom 
to Operate) investigations are of equally high 
importance. During 2020, Stora Enso continued 
to strengthen its patent portfolio, with priority 
founding patent applications filed. Over 440 
patents were granted worldwide during the 
year. The Group Intellectual Property (IP) has 
the responsibility for handling IP matters. The 
Group IP strategy has been approved by the CEO 
supported by the Group IP Steering Team.

Non-financial information 

Requirements of non-financial information 
reporting according to the Finnish Accounting Act 
are reported below. The scope of the reporting 
includes those non-financial topics that relate to 
the Group’s key risks.

Risks and policy principles related to these 
topics are additionally described on pages 10–16, 
including Stora Enso’s reporting according to Task 
Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures 
(TCFD) recommendations.

Business model
Replacing the use of fossil-based resources with 
renewable raw materials is the foundation for a 
sustainable bioeconomy. Stora Enso’s products 
contribute to a low-carbon circular economy, in 
which materials are reused and recycled, while 
waste is minimised, to maximise environmental, 
social, and financial added value. As a leading 
renewable materials company with access to 
carbon-neutral biomass, Stora Enso is in a unique 
position to combat climate change. Stora Enso’s 
business model description is in the beginning of 
the Report of Board of Directors and value creation 
model is presented in Strategy 2020 on page 12.
Stora Enso acknowledges the importance 
of the United Nations Sustainable Development 
Goals as part of a commonly agreed global 
ambition to end poverty, protect the planet and 
improve the lives and prospects of everyone, 
everywhere. Read more on pages 10–11 in 
Sustainability 2020.

Sustainability 
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 carries the ultimate 
responsibility for the successful implementation of 
the sustainability strategy. Work on sustainability 
is led by the Executive Vice President, 
Sustainability, who reports directly to the CEO. 
The Board of Directors’ Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee oversees the implementation of 
Stora Enso’s Sustainability Strategy and Ethics 
and Compliance Strategy. The Committee met 
four times in 2020.

Stora Enso’s Sustainability Policy describes 
our overall approach and governance model. At 
the same time, our Code of Conduct and other 
policies, guidelines, and statements on specific 
sustainability topics all further elaborate our 
approach, while also guiding our employees 
in their everyday work. These documents are 
available at storaenso.com/sustainability.

More information on Stora Enso’s approach to 
sustainability is published in Sustainability 2020. 

Covid-19 pandemic
The global pandemic has underscored the 
importance of our work on the social agenda. 
During the year, we promoted the health and 
safety of our employees and others working in 
our premises through various measures. We took 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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early action by imposing a global travel ban from 
early February. We also prohibited all physical 
meetings, strongly advising personnel to work 
remotely whenever feasible, restricting access to 
mill sites, and quarantined any affected employees. 
These practices were in place throughout most of 
the year. Our employees were advised to follow 
the rules and recommendations of national and 
local authorities both at work and in their private 
lives. We continue to closely monitor the Covid-19 
situation. Read more on our adaption to the global 
pandemic and work on social agenda on pages 
18–31 and 60–63 in Sustainability 2020. 

Environmental matters

Forests, plantations, and land use
Key policy: Wood and fiber sourcing,  
and land management policy
Progress on responsible forestry is followed with 
a key performance indicator (KPI) measuring 
the proportion of land in wood production and 
harvesting owned and managed by Stora Enso 
that is covered by forest certification schemes. 
Our target is to maintain the high level of 96%. In 
2020, coverage amounted to 98% (98% in 2019). 
At year-end Stora Enso owned or managed lands 
with a total area of 2.34 million hectares.

In 2020, the total amount of wood (including 

roundwood and wood chips) delivered to our 
mills was 35.0 million m3 (solid under bark) (36.3 
million m3 in 2019). The proportion of third-party 
certified wood in the Group's total wood supply 
was 78% (75%).

Carbon dioxide
Key policy: Energy and carbon policy
Stora Enso’s science-based target (KPI) is to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our 
operations by 31% per tonne of pulp, paper and 
board produced by 2030 compared with the 
2010 base-year. In 2020, our CO2e emissions per 
saleable tonne of board, pulp, and paper were 
26% lower than the 2010 benchmark level (26%1 
lower in 2019). The performance remained stable 
despite the Group’s lower production in 2020 
compared to 2019. During 2020, our performance 
was positively affected by the less fossil-intensive 
electricity purchased for our mills in Finland as 
well as energy efficiency improvements and 
further reductions of fossil fuel use at several mills.

1 Recalculated due to additional data or organisational scope 
changes after previous report.

Water use
Key policy: Stora Enso’s Environmental 
Guidelines
The objective of the Group’s KPIs on total water 
withdrawal and process water discharges 
is to drive a downward trend from our 2016 
baselines of 57 m3 and 27 m3 per saleable tonne 
of product, respectively. In 2020, our total water 
withdrawal was 65 m3 per saleable tonne (61 
m3 in 2019) and our process water discharges 
amounted to 31 m3 per saleable tonne (29 m3 
in 2019). The normalised performance as per 
tonne was partly affected by lower production 
levels. The water needed at our board, pulp and 
paper mills is not in direct relation to production 
volumes, and especially waste-water treatment 
at our mills require a regular flow of water to 
function properly.

Social and employee matters

Employees and wider workforce 
Key policies: Minimum HR requirements,  
Health and Safety policy
On 31 December 2020, there were 23 189 (25 141) 
employees in the Group. The average number of 
employees in 2020 was 24 455, which 1 640 less 
than the average number in 2019. The numbers 
include 50% of the employees at Veracel in Brazil 
and Montes del Plata in Uruguay.

Personnel expenses totalled EUR 1 270 (1 331) 

million or 14.8% of sales. Wages and salaries 
were EUR 966 (1 004) million, pension costs 
EUR 152 (166) million and other employer costs 
amounted to EUR 151 (157) million.

At the end of 2020, the Group's top four 
countries in respect to the number of employees 
were Finland, Sweden, China, and Poland. 24% 
(26%) of employees were women.

Personnel turnover in 2020 was 12.7% 
(16.3%, restated). Illness-related absenteeism 
amounted to 3.6% (3.4%, restated) of total 
theoretical working hours.

In 2020, our Total Recordable Incident (TRI) 
rate decreased to 6.1 (7.0). The milestone for 2020 
was 4.7. Tragically, during the year, two fatalities 
occurred at our Guangxi forestry operations in 
China, both involving contractor employees. We 
have investigated the incidents and their root 
causes together with the contractor and local 
authorities. The learnings from these tragic events 
will be acted upon at Stora Enso to prevent such 
accidents from recurring. 

Stora Enso’s KPI for leadership, the Leadership 

Index, measures employee perceptions of their 
managers. The index is calculated based on our 
annual employee survey. Our target is to achieve an 
index of 85/100 by 2022. In 2020, the Leadership 
Index improved to 84 (83). 

Remuneration to the Board of Directors and 

key management is described in Note 7 of the 
Consolidated financial statements.

Suppliers
Key policy: Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC)
Stora Enso’s key performance indicator (KPI) for 
responsible sourcing measures the proportion of 
our total supplier spend covered by our SCoC, 
including all categories and regions. By the end 
of 2020, 96% of Stora Enso’s total spend on 
materials, goods, and services was duly covered 
(96% at the end of 2019), which exceeds our 
target to maintain the high level of 95%. 

Community
Key policies: Human Rights Policy, Guidelines 
for Social Responsibility

Guangxi, China 
Stora Enso leases 81 000 hectares of land in 
Guangxi province China, of which 53 600 hectares 
is leased from state-owned forest farms. The 
remaining 27 400 hectares, or 34% of the total 
area, is social land leased from village collectives, 
individual households, and local forest farms.
Parts of the land leased by Stora Enso 
have been occupied for up to ten years for 
the purpose of growing crops and trees on a 
small scale. In some cases, the occupiers are 
claiming rights to the land based historical 
land ownership documents that have been 
superseded by state ownership in successive 
land reform processes. 

At the end of the year, 5 350 hectares of 
productive land leased by Stora Enso was 
occupied, including 4 870 hectares of state-
owned land and 480 hectares of social land. 
Approximately 4 000 people were growing crops 
and trees on the occupied land. In 2020, the 
Guangxi government’s recent efforts to recover 
occupied land in the province reached areas 
where Stora Enso leases land from state-owned 
forest farms. Stora Enso is carefully monitoring 
the land recovery process and, for example, 
reserves the right to stop the proceedings at 
any point. We have also trained our local staff 

to identify causes for concern, to promote our 
grievance channel, and to engage with the 
occupiers to ensure that they are informed and do 
not feel threatened.

Bahia, Brazil
In Bahia, Brazil, work continued on a Sustainable 
Settlement Initiative launched in 2012 to 
provide farming land and educational support 
for local families in the landless people’s social 
movements. In 2018, Veracel signed a new 
agreement with the social landless movements 
to complement the earlier agreed Sustainable 
Settlement Initiative. 

Since 2012, Veracel has voluntarily approved 

the transfer of approximately 20 000 hectares 
of land to benefit landless people. By the end 
of 2020, 215 hectares or 0.3% of productive 
land owned by Veracel remained occupied by 
movements not involved in the agreements. 
Veracel will continue to seek repossessions 
of the remaining occupied areas through legal 
processes. 

At the end of 2020, the total land area owned 
by Veracel was 213 000 hectares, of which 82 000 
hectares are planted with eucalyptus for pulp 
production. 

Respect for human rights

Key policy: Human Rights policy
Stora Enso’s commitment to respect human 
rights covers all our operations, including 
our employees, contractors, suppliers, and 
neighbouring communities. In addition to our 
commitment to the UN Guiding Principles on 
Business and Human Rights, Stora Enso’s annual 
Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement is 
available at storaenso.com/sustainability. Human 
rights are integrated into our Sustainability 
Agenda, which is aligned with the ten principles of 
the UN Global Compact.

While we respect and consider all human 
rights important, our highest priority human rights 
remain the primary focus of our work: 
•  Health and safety
•  Fair labour (fair employment conditions, 

forced labour, freedom of association, non-
discrimination and non-harassment)

•  Land and natural resource rights acquisition 

and management

•  Grievance mechanisms
•  Children’s rights (relevant to the forest sector).

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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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 in 2019. 

Anti-corruption and bribery matters

Key policies: Business practice policy,  
the Stora Enso Code (Code of Conduct)
As to Business Ethics, in 2020, a total of 86 
reports received through Stora Enso’s various 
grievance channels were identified as potential 
non-compliance cases (57 in 2019). A total of 76 
investigations of potential non-compliance cases 
were completed in 2020 (40 in 2019), also including 
open cases from previous years. Proven cases 
leading to disciplinary action, legal action and/or 
process improvements were identified in 28 (26) 
of the investigations. Based on our assessments, 
10 of the proven cases can be considered to 
relate to corruption and/or fraud (9 in 2019). All 
these cases resulted in employee dismissal or 
disciplinary process. Two of the cases resulted in 
the termination of business relationships. 

The company’s code of conduct index 

monitors and evaluates employees’ perceptions 
of Stora Enso’s work on topics covered by 
the Stora Enso Code and it is based on the 
annual employee survey results. In 2020, the 
index increased to 86 in 2020 (84 in 2019). Our 
objective is to maintain the positive trend by 
increasing our efforts in communications and 
training during 2021.

Environmental  
investments and liabilities 

In 2020 Stora Enso’s environmental investments 
amounted to EUR 91 (54) million. These 
investments were mainly to improve the quality of 
air and water, to enhance resource efficiency and 
energy self-sufficiency, and to minimise the risk of 
accidental spills.

Stora Enso’s environmental costs in 2020 
excluding interest and including depreciation 
totalled EUR 195 (172) million. These costs 
include taxes, fees, refunds, permit-related costs, 
and repair and maintenance costs, as well as 
waste water treatment chemicals and certain 
other materials.

Provisions for environmental remediation 
amounted to EUR 91 (97) million at 31 December 

2020, details of which are in Note 22, Other 
Provisions, of the Consolidated financial 
statements. There are currently no active or 
pending legal claims concerning environmental 
issues that could have a material adverse effect 
on Stora Enso’s financial position. Payments 
related to environmental remediation measures 
amounted to EUR 18 (12) million.

Risks and risk management

Our approach to risk management
Risk is an integral element of business and 
corporate governance, and it is characterised by 
both threats and opportunities, which may have 
an impact on future performance and the financial 
results of Stora Enso, as well as on its ability to 
meet certain social and environmental objectives. 
Stora Enso is committed to ensuring that 
systematic, holistic and proactive management of 
risks and opportunities is among its organisational 
core capabilities, and that a culture is fostered 
where both are carefully considered in all business 
decisions. Through consistent application of 
dynamic risk analysis and scenario planning, we 
enhance opportunities and manage risk in order 
to reduce threats which may prevent us from 
reaching our business goals.

Risk governance
Stora Enso defines risk as the effect of uncertainty 
on our ability to meet organisational values, 
objectives and goals. The Group Risk and 
Internal Control Policy, which is approved by the 
Board of Directors, sets out the overall approach 
to governance and the management of risks 
in accordance with the COSO (Committee of 
Sponsoring Organizations) framework and in 
line with the ISO 31000 standard. The Board 
retains the ultimate responsibility for the overall 
risk management process and for determining 
predominantly through Group policies the 
appropriate and acceptable level of risk. 
The Board has established a Financial and 
Audit Committee to provide support to the 
Board in monitoring the adequacy of the risk 
management process within Stora Enso, and 
specifically regarding the management and 
reporting of financial risks. This oversight scope 
includes also monitoring of the cybersecurity 
risk. The Sustainability and Ethics Committee 
is responsible for overseeing the company’s 
sustainability and ethical business conduct, its 

Risk management process

Monitor and 
Review

Establish the Context

Risk Assessment

Identify Risks

Analyse Risks

Evaluate Risks

Treat Risks

Communicate 
and Consult

strive to be a responsible corporate citizen, and its 
contribution to sustainable development. 

The head of Enterprise Risk Management, 
reporting to the CFO, is responsible for the design, 
development and monitoring of the top-down 
implementation of the Group risk management 
framework. Each division and Group function 
head, together with their respective management 
teams, are responsible for process execution and 
cascading the framework and guidelines further 
down in the organisation. The Internal Audit unit 
evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of the 
Stora Enso risk management process. 

During 2020, the dedicated Group level 
coordination team continued its’ work related 
to the implementation of the TCFD (Task Force 
on Climate-related Financial Disclosures) 
recommendations. Also, collaboration between 
different risk and assurance functions was 
strengthened with more systematic cross-
functional cooperation.

Risk management process
Risk management is embedded in all decision-
making processes, with holistic risk assessments 
conducted also as part of all significant 
investment decisions. In connection with the 
annual strategy process, business divisions and 

group service and support functions conduct a 
holistic baseline risk assessment, linked to their 
key objectives. Specific guidance regarding 
the risk management process is outlined in the 
enterprise risk management instructions.

Business entities and functions identify the 

sources of risk events including changes in 
circumstances and their causes and potential 
consequences. Stora Enso’s risk model outlines 
the overall risk universe which is used to support 
holistic risk identification and risk consolidation, 
while also providing taxonomy as well as 
consistency in risk terminology.

Risk analysis involves developing an 

understanding of the risk to provide an input for 
risk evaluation. The purpose of risk evaluation 
is to determine the risk priorities and to support 
decision making to determine which risks require 
treatment/actions. Risks are assessed in terms 
of their impact and likelihood of occurrence, 
often based on specific risk scenarios. The 
effectiveness of existing risk reduction is factored 
in to define the residual risk level. Pre-defined 
impact scales consider financial, safety and 
reputational impacts, on both a quantitative and 
qualitative basis. 

Risk treatment involves selecting one or more 

risk management option, such as avoidance, 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Main risk factors

Risk map

Very high

High

Medium

Low

Very low

5

4

3

2

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ON

6

3

20

16

12

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4

25

20

15

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A Macroeconomy, geopolitics, and currency rates  S/F

B Global warming – physical impacts

C Regulatory changes

Moderate impact – very high likelihood

S

S/C

D

Personal safety – employees and wider workforce O

Moderate  impact – high likelihood

Information technology, security and digitalisation O

E

F

Sourcing

Key risks in 2020

Risk

Major impact – high likelihood

Risk 
classification

Time  
span*

Change  
vs 2019

Level of possible 
management influence

Incidental

Minor

Moderate

Major

Extreme

Impact – annualised Group EBITDA impact / share price impact / reputational impact

Major impact – medium likelihood

G

H

Ethics and compliance

People and capabilities

Moderate  impact – medium likelihood

I

J

K

L

Competition and market demand

Physical assets

Product safety and compliance

Strategic investments

M Communities and human rights

Minor impact – low likelihood

N

Forest and land use

O Mergers, acquisitions and divestments

ST

LT

MT

ST

MT

MT

MT

MT

MT

ST/LT

MT

MT

MT

MT

MT

S/O

C

O

S

O

O/C

C

O/C

O/C

O/C

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* The most relevant timeframe when underlying risk factors are expected to manifest themselves 

Symbols
S  =  Strategic 
O  =  Operational 
C  =  Compliance 
F  =  Financial market and reporting 
ST  =  Short-term (next 12 months) 
MT  =  Medium term (1–5 years)
LT  =  Long-term (upto 25–30 years)

Change vs 2019
Increased 
Decreased 
Stable   

Level of possible 
management influence

Low         High

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
reduction, sharing or retention. Additional risk 
mitigation actions are determined for risks which 
exceed the perceived risk tolerance incorporating 
the assignment of responsibility, schedule and 
timetable of the risk response actions. 

resilience, and subdued growth over the medium 
term are still notable. Consequently, the overall 
macroeconomic risk is considered to have 
increased on relative basis, compared to the 
conditions at end of 2019.

Following the annual baseline assessment, 

Stora Enso is exposed to several financial 

Financials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

prioritised and emerging risks, as well as the 
corresponding risk mitigation and business 
continuity plans related to those risks, are 
reviewed in divisional business review meetings 
on a semi-annual basis. 

Despite the measures taken to manage risks 
and mitigate the impact of risks, and while some 
of the risks remain beyond the direct control of the 
management, there can be no absolute assurance 
that risks, if they occur, will not have a materially 
adverse effect on Stora Enso’s business, financial 
condition, operating profit or ability to meet 
financial obligations.

Strategic risks

Macroeconomy, geopolitics,  
and currency rates
Stora Enso operates in more than 30 countries 
and is affected by the global economy. Changes 
in broad economic conditions, sharp market 
corrections, increasing volatility in foreign 
exchange rates and chronic fiscal imbalances 
could have negative and material impact on the 
Group’s profit, cash flows and financial position. 
A prolonged global recession may materially 
and adversely affect Stora Enso’s performance 
and financial condition. A recession may also 
materially affect the Group’s customers, suppliers 
and other parties with whom it does business. 
Exchange rate fluctuations may have a material 
impact on the reported results through transaction 
and translation risk impact.

A significant and sustained economic 
downturn or economic shock, such as the 
one triggered by Covid-19 during 2020, may 
involve materially adverse impact on the 
Group’s operational performance and financial 
condition. While the global economic outlook has 
brightened towards the end of 2020, our baseline 
assumptions show a weaker rebound in 2021 than 
anticipated earlier. Recent positive vaccine news 
have shifted the balance of risks substantially 
and opened the door to a more rapid relaxation 
of restrictions. However, further downside risks, 
including rising risk aversion among households, 
businesses and investors, fragility of systemic 

market risks that the Group is responsible 
for managing under policies approved by the 
Board of Directors. The objective is to achieve 
cost-effective funding in Group companies and 
manage financial risks using financial instruments 
to reduce earnings volatility. The main exposures 
for the Group besides currency risk are interest 
rate risk, funding risk, commodity price risk and 
credit risk.

Financial risks are discussed in detail in 
Note 24, Financial risk management, of the 
Consolidated financial statements.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
The Group has a diversified portfolio of 
businesses which mitigates exposure to any 
one country or product segment. We monitor 
the external environment continuously and our 
planning assumptions and dynamic scenario 
modelling take account of important near- to 
medium-term and long-term drivers and risks 
related to key macro-economic factors. We 
closely monitor the Board-approved risk appetite 
compliance for specific financial metrics and 
actively manage cash flow and liquidity. We 
hedge 50% of the highly probable 12-month net 
foreign exchange flows in main currency pairs. 
Currency translation risk is reduced by funding 
assets, whenever economically possible, in 
the same currency as the asset. The divisions 
regularly monitor their order flows and other 
leading indicators, where available, so that 
they may respond quickly to deterioration in 
trading conditions. In the event of a significant 
deterioration in general economic condition 
and in main leading economic indicators, the 
Group identifies and implements cost reduction 
measures to offset the impact on margins from 
deterioration in sales.

Global warming – physical impacts
Physical risks related to climate change are 
assessed based on stress scenario on long-term 
(25-30 years) basis. Changes in precipitation 
patterns, periods of drought, typhoons and 
severe frost periods in the subtropics could 
cause damage to operations and tree plantations. 
Increases in average temperatures could lead 
to changes in the tree species composition of 
forests. Drought periods together with high 
temperatures increase the risk of forest fires and 
insect outbreaks, potentially affecting forests and 
regional wood prices. Milder winters will impact 
harvesting and transport of wood in northern 
regions and the related costs. Water stress to 
our production units is not seen as a material 
risk given geographical location. The increase in 
risk level vs 2019 is driven by the lack of political 
decisions and multilateral coordination to mitigate 
the climate change, increasing the probability 
of physical impacts. See also “Competition and 
market demand”, “Regulatory changes” and 
“Sourcing”.

Policy principles and mitigation measures 
Physical risks are to great extent subject to risk 
transfer and thereby within the cover of our 
property and business interruption insurance 
programs. With regards to forest and plantation 
assets, making roughly 35% of the Group's 
balance sheet, Stora Enso benefits from strong 
strategic resilience through geographical 
diversification within the asset portfolio. Moreover, 
risks related to insect damages such as bark 
beetle infestation in Nordic forest assets is limited 
by better inherent endurance of Nordic forest 
compared for instance to Central-European 
forests. Diligent plantation planning is ensured to 
avoid frost sensitive areas and non-controversial 
tree breeding and R&D programmes are applied 
to increase tolerance of extreme temperatures. 
Stora Enso maintains a diversity of forest types 
and structures and enforces diversification in wood 
sourcing. Wood harvesting in soft soils involves the 
implementation of best practices guidelines. 

Related opportunities
• A diverse business portfolio and geographical 
presence, competitive strength and resilient 
balance sheet reduce the Group’s risk 
exposures

• Strategic opportunities in changing currency 

and macroeconomic environment.

Related opportunities
Nordic forests in Finland and Sweden benefit from 
increased heat summation and longer growing 
seasons, leading to acceleration in forest growth 
with direct positive impact on the value of own 
forest asset and indirect impact related to market 
wood availability and cost. 

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Competition and market demand
Continued competition and supply and demand 
imbalances in the raw material, energy and 
products market, driven by megatrends such as 
eco-awareness and climate change, may have an 
impact on profitability. The paper, pulp, packaging 
and wood products industries are mature, capital 
intensive and highly competitive. Stora Enso’s 
principal competitors include a number of 
large international forest products companies 
and numerous regional and more specialised 
competitors. Customer demand for products is 
influenced by the general economic conditions 
and inventory levels and affects product 
price levels. Product prices, which tend to be 
cyclical in this industry, are affected by capacity 
utilisation, which decreases in times of economic 
slowdowns. Changes in prices differ between 
products and geographic regions.

The following table shows the operating profit 

sensitivity to a +/- 10% change in either price or 
volume for different segments based on figures 
for 2020.

Operating profit: Impact of  
changes +/- 10%, EUR million
Segments
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper

Price
296
58
109
135
201
180

Volume
118
20
32
44
15
50

Furthermore, as a global warming-related 
risk, extreme weather events may disrupt the 
operations of our customers, and consequently 
result in increased volatility on product demand. 

Policy principles and mitigation measures
The ability to respond to changes in product 
demand and consumer preferences and to develop 
new products on a competitive and economic 
basis calls for innovation, continuous capacity 
management and structural development. 
The risks related to factors such as demand, 
price, competition and customers are regularly 
monitored by each division and unit as a routine 
part of business management. These risks are also 
continuously monitored and evaluated on a Group 
level to gain a perspective of the Group’s total asset 
portfolio and overall long-term profitability potential.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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Related opportunities
Stora Enso, as one of the biggest private forest 
owners in the world, benefits from a strategic 
renewable resource base. Our expertise in 
wood and wood based renewable materials is 
focused on responding to changing customer 
and consumer preferences, driven by the climate 
change. Products based on renewable materials 
with a low carbon footprint help customers and 
society at large to reduce CO2 emissions by 
providing an alternative to solutions based on 
fossil fuels or other non-renewable materials. 

Operational risks

Personal safety – employees  
and wider workforce
Failure to maintain high levels of safety 
management can result in harm to the Group’s 
employees and contractors, and also to 
communities near our operations and the 
environment. Impacts in addition to physical injury, 
health effects and environmental damage could 
include liability to employees or third parties, 
impairment of the Group’s reputation, or inability to 
attract and retain skilled employees. Government 
authorities could additionally enforce the closure of 
our operations on a temporary basis.

Personnel safety and security can never be 
compromised and thus Stora Enso must be aware 
of potential safety risks and provide adequate 
guidelines to people for managing risks related 
to, for example, travelling, working and living 
in countries with security or crime concerns. 
Focusing on the security of key personnel is also 
important from a business continuity perspective.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Stora Enso’s goal is to provide an accident-free 
workplace. Encouraging a company-wide safety 
culture means that everyone is responsible for 
making every workday healthy and safe - from our 
top management and throughout the company. 
Safety management at Stora Enso is based on 
international standards such as OHSAS 18001 
and ISO 45001, but our processes go beyond 
these requirements. 

Stora Enso’s approach to safety extends to 
contractors, suppliers, and on-site visitors. We 
encourage everyone to give feedback and provide 
ideas on how to further improve safety. Additionally, 
we promote safety among our contractors and 
suppliers through a dedicated e-learning - Safety 

Trail. We also emphasise the importance of safety 
by asking suppliers for information on their safety 
performance in our tendering process.

Stora Enso’s Health and Safety Policy defines 
the objectives for our safety management as well 
as our governance model on how we manage 
health and safety topics in practice and how we 
integrate them into annual planning and reporting. 
Other key documents applied in our people 

and safety management include our: 
•  Stora Enso Code - our code of conduct 
•  Supplier Code of Conduct 
•  Minimum Human Resources Requirements - 

Labour Conditions 

•  Global Framework Agreement 
•  Diversity Policy

For more information please see Sustainability 
2020: Employees and wider workforce.

Related opportunities
•  Leading health and safety performance 
strengthens the brand as an employer.
Improved engagement, efficiency and 
productivity.

• 

Information technology,  
security, and digitalisation
The Group is dependent on IT systems for both 
internal and external communications and for 
the day-to-day management of its operations. 
The Group’s information systems, personnel and 
facilities are subject to cyber security risk. Other 
operational IT related risks relate to the potential 
unavailability of IT services due to human error 
in operations, damaged hardware in data rooms 
and data centres, network connection issues 
and the failure of suppliers to follow service level 
agreements.

Accidental disclosure of confidential 

information due to a failure to follow information 
handling guidelines or due to an accident or 
criminal act may result in financial damage, 
penalties, disrupted or delayed launch of new 
lines of business or ventures, loss of customer 
and market confidence, loss of research secrets 
and other business critical information. Further 
risks involve the loss of backup media and 
violation of data privacy regulations.

The digital transformation of businesses 

continues to alter the ways in which organisations 
operate. Digital capabilities penetrate all aspects 
of business and operating models, reshaping how 

companies and functions generate value. Therefore, 
digitalisation also involves potentially disruptive 
forces. Moreover, customers, regulators and other 
stakeholders expect companies to understand what 
data they have or could have, what risks it poses, 
and to have plans to manage it well.

Business process erosion, failure to take 
advantage of the upside that technology offers 
or inability to harvest related synergies could 
significantly impair Stora Enso’s competitiveness 
in the market place.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
The management of risks is actively pursued 
in the Information Risk Management System 
and best practice change management and 
project methodologies are applied. A number 
of security controls have been implemented 
to strengthen the protection of confidential 
information and to facilitate compliance with 
international regulations. Specific measures 
include a thorough RfP process in supplier 
selection for business-critical services, supplier 
audits, annual controls and audit, data centres 
located in low-risk areas, backup connections for 
critical services, disaster recovery plans, targeted 
scanning and investigation activities, encryption 
of communication, information and devices, 
remote management of security on devices and 
information security awareness training.

Stora Enso has an extensive digitalisation 
programme with the aim to develop a competitive 
advantage by making full use of the opportunities 
to drive revenue growth and internal efficiency. 
Moreover, Stora Enso has established a 
programme with external partners to search for 
technological development initiatives with a clear 
business purpose. With experimental and fast 
prototyping, these projects will help to identify 
and further develop initiatives that will speed up 
Stora Enso’s digital agenda by exploring new 
technologies and capabilities.

Related opportunities
•  Efficient operations, performance 

optimisation, innovative product offerings, and 
new customer services through digitisation 
and sophisticated IT systems.

•  New technologies offer significant potential 
for higher level of process optimisation and 
automatisation, generating new business and 
enhanced value propositions for customers 
and consumers.

Sourcing
Violation of Supplier Code of Conduct could 
result in contractual, financial and reputational 
damages and loss of sales, if Stora Enso were 
to be blacklisted by customers. Similarly, 
poor occupational safety performance of 
subcontractors can be a risk to our reputation. 
Increasing input costs or availability of materials, 
goods and services may adversely affect 
Stora Enso’s profitability. Securing access 
to reliable low-cost supplies and proactively 
managing costs and productivity are of key 
importance. Reliance on outside suppliers 
for natural gas, oil and coal, and nearly half of 
the electricity consumed, leaves the Group 
susceptible to changes in energy market prices 
and disturbances in the supply chain. As a 
global warming-related physical risk, potential 
acute availability shocks or chronic shortage of 
water may in the long term impact the Group’s 
operations through our supply chains. There is 
also an increased risk for disturbances in the 
supply chain due to cyber incidents, pandemic 
related lockdown measures, political instability 
and other drivers related to global trade.

The following table shows Stora Enso’s major 
cost items.

Composition of costs in 2020

Operative costs
Logistics and 
commissions

% of costs % of sales

11%

10%

Manufacturing costs
Fiber
Chemicals and fillers
Energy
Material
Personnel
Other
Depreciation
Total costs and sales
Total operative costs 
and sales in EUR 
million

Equity accounted 
investments (EAI), 
operational
Operational EBIT 
(EUR million)

32%
9%
6%
6%
16%
13%
7%
100%

30%
9%
5%
5%
15%
12%
7%
93%

7 954

8 553

51

650

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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In many areas Stora Enso is dependent on suppliers 
and their ability to deliver a product or a service 
at the right time and of the right quality. The most 
important products are fiber, chemicals and energy, 
and machinery and equipment in capital investment 
projects. Increased demand for carbon neutral 
primary and secondary biomass fuels may increase 
energy costs. Drought periods and changing 
precipitation patterns may affect hydropower 
generation and electricity prices for units in 
Europe. Sea level rise will in long term impact the 
accessibility to ports and salt water intrusion may 
cause disruption in inbound and outbound supply 
chain operations. The most important services are 
transport and various outsourced business support 
services. For some of these inputs, the limited 
number of suppliers is a risk. 

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Input cost volatility is closely monitored on the 
business unit, divisional and Group level. The 
Group applies consistent long-term energy risk 
management. The price and supply risks are 
mitigated through increased own generation, 
shareholding in competitive power assets such 
as PVO/TVO, physical long-term contracts and 
financial derivatives. The Group hedges price 
risks in raw material and end-product markets 
and supports the development of financial 
hedging markets. The Group uses a wide range of 
suppliers and monitors them to avoid situations 
that might jeopardise continued production, 
business transactions or development projects.
Suppliers and subcontractors must also 

comply with Stora Enso’s sustainability 
requirements as they are part of Stora Enso’s 
value chain, and their weak sustainability 
performance could harm Stora Enso and 
its reputation. Stora Enso’s sustainability 
requirements for suppliers and audit schemes 
cover its raw materials, and other goods and 
services procured. Suppliers are assessed for 
risks related to their environmental, social and 
business practices through self-assessment 
questionnaires and supplier audits. Findings from 
such assessments are continuously followed 
up and progressive blacklisting procedures are 
applied as necessary.

Related opportunities
•  Add value and bring innovation to our business 
globally by building strong and measurable 
relationships with the best suppliers.

•  Enforce harmonised sourcing processes to 

increase capabilities, increase tender quality 
to reduce cost, and develop sustainable 
suppliers to reduce risk.

People and capabilities
Recruiting, retaining and developing a 
competent workforce and managing key talent 
throughout Stora Enso’s global organisation are 
crucial to success. Competition for personnel 
is intense and the Group may not be successful 
in attracting or retaining qualified personnel. 
A significant portion of Stora Enso employees 
are members of labour unions and there is a 
risk that the Group may face labour market 
disruptions especially in times of restructuring 
and redundancies due to divestments and mill 
closures or during labour market negotiations.
Moreover, in Finland, the Forest Industry 
Association has imposed fundamental changes 
to central agreements and hence Stora Enso 
will move into a collective bargaining model 
gradually from 2022. This change and the 
implementation of adopted process involves 
increased uncertainty related to labour relations. 
The loss of key employees, the Group’s inability 
to attract new or adequately trained employees, 
or a delay in hiring key personnel could seriously 
harm the Group’s business and impede the 
Group and its business divisions from reaching 
their strategic objectives. Labour market 
disruptions and strikes could have adverse 
material effects on the business, financial 
conditions and profitability.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Stora Enso manages the risks and loss of key 
talents through a combination of different 
actions. Some of the activities aim at providing 
a better overview of the workforce of the whole 
Group, making the Stora Enso employer brand 
better known both internally and externally, 
globalising some of the remuneration 
practices and intensifying the efforts to 
identify and develop talents. Finally, the Group 
actively focuses on talent and management 
assessments, including succession planning 
for key positions. The majority of employees 
are represented by labour unions under several 
collective agreements in different countries 
where Stora Enso operates, thus relations with 
unions are of high importance to manage labour 
disruption risks.

Related opportunities
•  Skilled and dedicated employees are essential 

Related opportunities
•  Optimised maintenance and well controlled 

for success.

•  Engaged high performing people enable the 

implementation of transformation strategy and 
commercial success.

Physical assets
The physical assets that comprise the installed 
capacity of the production facilities have 
inherent risks or the potential for failure, and also 
involve risks for off-specification operation that 
could result in poor product quality, unplanned 
production downtime and lower output or 
increased production costs. In addition to the 
inherent risks of material process failure, the 
management must also consider the relative 
importance, e.g. criticality, of each asset on the 
plant’s ability to meet delivery commitments and 
the business plan. In some instances, the risks 
are the result of inherent design deficiencies, 
failures in mode of operation or operating 
practices. In Stora Enso the significant asset risks 
lie predominantly in integrated (but also non-
integrated) pulp and related energy production. 
The risks related to physical assets have slightly 
increased compared to end of 2019, driven by 
some delays in maintenance debt reduction, 
partly because of Covid-19 restrictions. 

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Protecting production assets and business results 
is a high priority for Stora Enso to achieve the target 
of avoiding any unplanned production stoppages. 
This is achieved through structured methods of 
identifying, measuring and controlling different 
types of process risk and exposure. Divisional risk 
specialists manage this process together with 
insurance companies and other loss prevention 
specialists. Each year a number of technical risk 
inspections are carried out at production units. 
Risk improvement programmes and cost-benefit 
analyses of proposed investments are managed 
via internal reporting and risk assessment tools. 
Internal and external property loss prevention 
guidelines, fire loss control assessments, key 
machinery risk assessments and specific loss 
prevention programmes are also utilised. Planned 
stoppages for maintenance and other work 
are important to keep machinery in good order. 
Preventive maintenance programmes and spare 
part criticality analyses are utilized to secure the 
high availability and efficiency of key machinery. 

loss prevention programmes.

•  Potential for competitive advantage through 
improved productivity and overall efficiency.

Product safety and compliance
Some of our products are used for package 
liquids and food consumer products, so any 
defects could affect health or packaging functions 
and result in costly product recalls. Wood 
products are incorporated into buildings, and 
this may involve product liability resulting from 
failures in structural design, product selection 
or installation. Failure to ensure product safety 
could result in product recalls involving significant 
costs including compensation for indirect costs of 
customers, and reputational damage.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
The mills producing food and drink contact 
products have established certified hygiene 
management systems based on risk and hazard 
analysis. To ensure the safety of its products, 
Stora Enso actively participates in CEPI 
(Confederation of European Paper Industry) 
working groups on chemical and product safety. 
In addition, all Stora Enso mills have certified 
ISO quality management systems. Furthermore, 
contractual liability limitation and insurance 
protection are used to limit the risk exposure to 
Stora Enso.

Related opportunities
•  Differentiation and value creation through 

superior product quality and the highest level 
of product conformity.

Forest and land use
Wood is our most important raw material. Failure 
to meet stakeholder expectations or to ensure 
the chain of custody and economically, socially 
and environmentally sustainable forest and land 
management practices throughout our wood 
procurement and plantation operations could 
also result in significant reputational and financial 
loss to Stora Enso. Unpredicted changes in forest 
certification schemes could limit the availability 
of certified raw materials. Furthermore, global 
challenges such as population growth, global 
warming, increasing demand for agricultural land 
and bioenergy, and the widening gap between the 
supply and demand for wood, all require us to use 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

natural resources even more efficiently. See also 
"Global warming - physical impacts", "Regulatory 
changes", and "Communities and human rights".

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Our Policy for Wood and Fiber Sourcing, and 
Land Management, robust traceability systems 
and our active promotion of forest certification 
all help to ensure that no wood or fiber from 
unacceptable sources enters our supply chain. 
In addition, when sourcing logging residues and 
other forest biomass for energy use, we follow the 
specific guidelines developed for the harvesting of 
forest energy, which include strict environmental 
considerations.

Related opportunities
As trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the 
atmosphere and – together with wood-based 
products – act as carbon sinks, wood from 
sustainably managed forests represents a carbon 
neutral, renewable alternative to many non-
renewable materials. If forests and plantations are 
managed sustainably, new generations of trees 
will replace those that are logged, sequestering 
more CO2 from the atmosphere. Well-managed 
forests can make entire ecosystems more resilient 
to negative impacts, and benefit from positive 
ones.

Mergers, acquisitions, and divestments
Failure to achieve the expected benefits from any 
acquisition or value from assets or businesses 
sold can have serious financial impacts. The 
Group could find itself liable for past acts or 
omissions of the acquired business, without 
any adequate right of redress. Failure to achieve 
expected values from the sales of assets or 
deliveries beyond the expected receipt of 
funds may also impact the Group's financial 
position. In connection with an acquisition, past 
practices with targets related to e.g. pollution, 
competition law compliance or corruption could 
result in additional costs for Stora Enso and 
cause reputational damage. Divestments may 
involve additional costs due to historical and 
unaccounted liabilities. Business restructuring 
may also involve reputational impacts.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Rigorous M&A guidelines, including due diligence 
procedures are applied to the evaluation and 
execution of all acquisitions that require the 

approval of the Board of Directors. Structured 
governance and policies such as the policy 
for responsible right-sizing, are followed when 
making restructuring decisions.

Related opportunities
A strong balance sheet and cash flow enable 
value enhancing M&A, when the timing and 
opportunity are right.

Compliance risks

Regulatory changes 
The Group’s businesses may be affected by 
political or regulatory developments in any of 
the countries and jurisdictions in which the 
Group operates, including changes to fiscal, 
tax, environmental or other regulatory regimes. 
Potential impacts include higher costs and 
capital expenditure to meet new environmental 
requirements, expropriation of assets, imposition 
of royalties or other taxes targeted at our 
industry, and requirements for local ownership or 
beneficiation.

The EU Green Deal and its climate targets for 

2030 and 2050 have resulted in proliferation of 
future legislation which will impact Stora Enso. 
The policy initiatives from European commission 
will include policies and legislation on areas such 
as EU Forest Strategy, EU ETS, Carbon Border 
Adjustment mechanism, Sustainable products 
initiative, Packaging and Packaging waste 
revision as well as EU taxonomy.

In particular, the EU energy and carbon 
policies may impact the availability and price of 
wood fiber. Concerning the EU Emissions Trading 
Scheme (ETS) 4th trading period, carbon leakage 
will remain, but the allocation of free allowances 
is expected to decline. A stress scenario over the 
next ten years and with a carbon allowance price 
at 50 EUR/t, assuming the current proposal for the 
4th ETS trading period, implies an annual financial 
impact below Group materiality threshold, even 
when factoring in increased costs from purchased 
electricity. 

Increased demand for carbon neutral primary 
and secondary biomass fuels may increase energy 
costs. General opinion and political consensus 
to limit wood harvesting, arising from the view to 
further increase forests’ function as carbon sinks 
while ignoring the net-positive climate impact 
of forest products, could limit the availability of 
wood, increase costs and reduce investment 

opportunities. Additionally, political instability 
may result in civil unrest, nullification of existing 
agreements, harvesting permits or land leases. 

Regulation as part of the EU’s Action Plan on 

sustainable finance brings new climate related 
obligations on both investors and corporates, 
in particular through the EU Taxonomy on 
sustainable activities and integration of ESG risks 
in investment processes. There is uncertainty 
as to how Stora Enso’s share will be classified 
as an investment object in light of this emerging 
regulation, but good management of financial 
climate and other sustainability related risks and 
opportunities, as well as disclosure thereof, will 
improve the likelihood of a favourable perception 
by the capital markets and thus the cost of capital. 

Stora Enso has been granted various 
investment subsidies and has given certain 
investment commitments in different countries 
e.g. Finland, China and Sweden. If committed 
planning conditions are not met, local officials 
may pursue administrative measures to reclaim 
some of the formerly granted investment 
subsidies or to impose penalties on Stora Enso, 
and the outcome of such a process could result in 
a negative financial impact on Stora Enso.
The risks related to regulatory changes 
have increased during 2020 driven by more 
protectionist policies amongst key economies 
and due to potential downside impacts related to 
key transition risks, such as the EU Green Deal 
programme.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
• Active monitoring of regulatory and political 
developments in the countries where the 
Group operates

• Participation in policy development mainly 
through industry associations and other 
partnership programmes 

Related opportunities
• Regulatory changes involve market growth 

potential for sustainable products. Resource 
efficiency, the low-carbon circular economy 
and renewability are increasingly important 
sources of competitive advantage.

Ethics and compliance
Stora Enso operates in a highly regulated 
business area and is thereby exposed to 
risks related to breach of applicable laws and 
regulations (e.g. capital markets regulation, 

company and tax laws, customs regulation and 
safety regulation) and breaches of group policies 
such as the Stora Enso Code, Supplier Code of 
Conduct and Business Practice Policy regarding 
fraud, anti-trust, corruption, conflict of interests 
and other misconduct. Stora Enso may face 
high compliance and remediation costs under 
environmental laws and regulations. See also 
Information systems, security, and digitalisation. 
Potential impacts include prosecution, fines, 
penalties, and contractual, financial and 
reputational damage.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Stora Enso’s Ethics and Compliance Programme, 
including policy setting, value promotion, 
training and knowledge sharing and grievance 
mechanisms are kept continuously up to date 
and developed. Other compliance mechanisms 
include Stora Enso Group’s internal control system 
and Internal Audit assurance, the Supplier Code 
of Conduct in supplier contracts, supplier risk 
assessments, supplier trainings, supplier audits 
and black-listing procedures. In response to capital 
markets regulations, Stora Enso’s Disclosure 
Policy emphasises the importance of transparency, 
credibility, responsibility, proactivity and interaction.
Environmental risks are minimised through 

environmental management systems and 
environmental due diligence for acquisitions and 
divestments, and indemnification agreements 
where effective and appropriate remediation 
projects are required. Special remediation 
projects related to discontinued activities 
and mill closures are executed based on risk 
assessments.

Related opportunities
• Focusing on wider ethical topics rather than 
mere compliance with regulations will lead to 
successful business, foster accountability and 
enhance corporate reputation.

Strategic investments
Stora Enso’s business strategy is to transform 
itself from a traditional paper and board 
producer to a customer-focused renewable 
materials growth company. The success of this 
transformation depends on the Group’s ability 
to understand the needs of the customer and 
find the best way to serve them with the right 
offering and with the right production asset 
portfolio. Failure to complete strategic projects in 

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

accordance with the agreed schedule, budget or 
specifications can have serious impacts on our 
financial performance. Significant, unforeseen 
changes in costs or an inability to sell the 
envisaged volumes or achieve planned price 
levels may prevent us from achieving our business 
goals. The lower risk level compared to last 
year is due to lower committed strategic capital 
expenditure and the good progress in the Oulu 
Mill conversion project. Hence the risk associated 
with the implementation is lower.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Risks are mitigated through profound and detailed 
pre-feasibility and feasibility studies which are 
prepared for each large investment. The Group's 
investment guidelines stipulate the process, 
governance, risk assessment, management and 
monitoring procedures for strategic projects, 
including climate related risk factors. The 
guidelines also require the calculation of potential 
cost and income for CO2 emissions as part of the 
investment proposal.

Environmental and Social Impact Assessments 

(ESIAs) are conducted for all new projects that 
could cause significant adverse effects in local 
communities. Post completion audits are carried 
out for all significant investments. 

Related opportunities
•  Replacing fossil-based materials by innovating 
and developing new products and services 
based on wood and other renewable materials.

Communities and human rights
Social risks may harm existing operations and 
the execution of investments, especially in 
growth markets. Failure to successfully manage 
relationships with local communities and non-
governmental organisations (NGOs) could disrupt 
our operations and adversely affect the Group’s 
reputation. The Group operates in certain countries, 
where land and resource ownership rights remain 
unclear and where related disputes may arise.

In order to transform to a renewable materials 
company, business restructuring may be required 
which in some cases can lead to site closures 
and hence have a significant impact on local 
communities. 

Potential impacts include reputational 

impacts and negative media coverage, harm to 
communities and rights holders, disruption of 
operations, and loss of the licence to operate.

Policy principles and mitigation measures
Stora Enso strives to identify and minimise risks 
related to social issues in good time, in order 
to guide decision-making in its investment 
processes, restructuring planning as well as in its 
ongoing operations. Tools such as sustainability 
risk assessment, human rights due diligence and 
Environmental and Social Impact Assessments 
(ESIA) help ensure that no unsustainable projects 
are initiated, and all related risks and opportunities 
are fully understood in all operations. These tools 
also enable project plans and operating practices 
to be adapted to suit local circumstances. 
Furthermore, dialogue with NGOs is a part of 
the Group’s stakeholder engagement. More 
information on community engagement is 
presented in Stora Enso’s Sustainability Report.

Related opportunities
•  Ensuring that the communities around our 

operations thrive economically, socially, and 
environmentally is crucial for the success and 
sustainability of Stora Enso.

•  Clear business benefits to Stora Enso through 
a strong focus on social responsibility, as 
customers, business partners, investors and 
potential employees become more and more 
attracted to socially responsible companies.

For more information, please see Sustainability 
2020: Human rights.

Climate-related financial 
disclosures (TCFD)

The Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) Task 
Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures 
(TCFD) recommends a framework for disclosing 
climate-related risks and opportunities that goes 
beyond current practices. In the online index 
table, we list our disclosures with reference to 
TCFD recommendations, and refer to those 
locations where these issues are addressed in 
our annual reporting. The location references 
are complemented in the index with additional 
information, as necessary. 

Scenario analysis in 2020 
The TCFD recommendations encourage 
companies to use scenario analysis to help ensure 
that their strategies are resilient to climate change 
in a range of possible future states. Leading 
practice shows that this is best approached by 

breaking down the full scope of scenario analysis 
into a set of smaller scopes considering asset 
type and geography, and to apply prioritisation in 
conducting the full scenario analysis. 

Stora Enso is one of the largest private forest 

owners in the world with forest assets valued 
at more than EUR 7 billion (land and biological 
assets, including Stora Enso's share of Tornator) 
in 2020, including the biological assets of EUR 6.4 
billion in Sweden and Finland. Furthermore, 65% 
of Stora Enso’s wood was sourced from Finland, 
Sweden, Norway and Northwestern part of Russia. 
Effects of climate change such as milder winters 
have already shown to have material impact on 
the harvesting and transport of wood in northern 
regions and related costs. To support our annual 
Enterprise Risk Assessment (ERM), in 2020 
Stora Enso developed a scenario analysis with 
the qualitative assessment of the physical climate 
impacts on the Nordic forests and our business 
until 2050. This work was based on the Business-
As-Usual scenario by the International Panel for 
Climate Change (RCP 8.5 scenario) that would 
deliver a temperature increase of 4–5 degrees. The 
climate change attributes considered are pests, 
diseases, droughts, wildfires, floods, periods of 
frost, water scarcity, changes to precipitation 
patterns, sea level rise and changing temperatures. 
The results show that whilst under the right 
circumstances a higher temperature increases 
the growth rate of the forest and hence positively 
affects wood availability and forest valuation, the 
other attributes assessed primarily decrease wood 
availability and increase wood prices. In 2021, we 
will continue analysing our strategic resilience using 
different climate-scenarios as part of our annual risk 
assessment. We will advance the work on physical 
impacts as well as assess the business impact from 
a global transition required to limit the temperature 
increase in line with the Paris agreement.

For more information about our disclosures 
with reference to the TCFD recommendations and 
the locations where these issues are addressed in 
our annual reporting, see the TCFD index table on 
our website.

Opportunities from substituting  
non-renewable materials 
In 2020, Stora Enso worked with the Swedish 
University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) to 
further develop the scientific methodologies for 
calculating climate impact for forest product 
companies, including the contribution achieved 

from substituting fossil based and other non-
renewable materials – for example plastics or 
concrete. According to the SLU report 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). 
Throughout 2020, Stora Enso also worked with 
the World Business Council for Sustainable 
Development on the publication of a new report 
on the circular bioeconomy, titled "The business 
opportunity contributing to a sustainable world” 
to help articulate the business case for low-
carbon and circular products from the circular 
bioeconomy.

Corporate governance  
in Stora Enso

Stora Enso complies with the Finnish Corporate 
Governance Code issued by the Securities Market 
Association (the “Code”). The Code is available 
at cgfinland.fi. Stora Enso also complies with the 
Swedish Corporate Governance Code (“Swedish 
Code”), with the exception of the deviations 
listed in Appendix 1 of the Corporate Governance 
Report. The deviations are due to differences 
between the Swedish and Finnish legislation, 
governance code rules and practices, and in 
these cases Stora Enso follows the practice in 
its domicile. The Swedish Code is issued by the 
Swedish Corporate Governance Board and is 
available at corporategovernanceboard.se.

Legal proceedings

Contingent liabilities 
Stora Enso has undertaken significant 
restructuring actions in recent years which have 
included the divestm ent of companies, sale of 
assets and mill closures. These transactions 
include a risk of possible environmental or 
other obligations the existence of which would 
be confirmed only by the occurrence or non-
occurrence of one or more uncertain future 
events not wholly within the control of the Group. 
Stora Enso is party to legal proceedings that arise 
in the ordinary course of business and which 
primarily involve claims arising out of commercial 
law. The management does not consider that 
liabilities related to such proceedings before 
insurance recoveries, if any, are likely to be 
material to the Group’s financial condition or 
results of operations. 

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Lars Völkel was appointed EVP, Head of 
Wood Products division, and member of the 
Group Leadership Team as of 1 July 2020. 

Katariina Kravi was appointed EVP, Head of 

Human Resources, and member of the Group 
Leadership Team as of 1 September 2020. The 
previous Head of HR, Malin Bendz, left her 
position at Stora Enso in January 2020.

Annette Stube was appointed EVP, Head 

of Sustainability, and member of the Group 
Leadership Team as of 1 September 2020. She 
succeeded Noel Morrin, who retired at the end 
of 2020.

Tobias Bäärnman, Chief Strategy and 
Innovation Officer, and Teemu Salmi, CIO and 
Head of IT & Digitalisation, were appointed as 
members of the Group Leadership Team as of 1 
November 2020.

Share capital

Stora Enso Oyj’s shares are divided into A and 
R shares. The A and R shares entitle holders to 
the same dividend but different voting rights. 
Each A share and each ten R shares carry one 
vote at a shareholders’ meeting. However, each 
shareholder has at least one vote.
During 2020, a total of 2 419 A shares converted 
into R shares were recorded in the Finnish Trade 
Register. On 31 December 2020, Stora Enso 
had 176 254 415 A shares and 612 365 572 R 
shares in issue. The company did not hold its own 
shares. The total number of Stora Enso shares in 
issue was 788 619 987 and the total number votes 
at least 237 490 972.

Board of Directors is authorised to decide on 
the repurchase and on the issuance of Stora Enso 
R shares. The amount of shares to be issued or 
repurchased shall not exceed a total of 2 000 000 
R shares, corresponding to approximately 0.25% 
of all shares and 0.33% of all R shares. 

Legal proceedings in Latin America 
Veracel 
On 11 July 2008, Stora Enso announced that 
a federal judge in Brazil had issued a decision 
claiming that the permits issued by the State of 
Bahia for the operations of Stora Enso’s joint 
operations company Veracel were not valid. 
The judge also ordered Veracel to take certain 
actions, including reforestation with native trees 
on part of Veracel’s plantations and a possible 
fine of, at the time of the decision, BRL 20 (EUR 
3) million. Veracel disputes the decision and 
has filed an appeal against it. Veracel operates 
in full compliance with all Brazilian laws and 
has obtained all the necessary environmental 
and operating licences for its industrial and 
forestry activities from the relevant authorities. In 
November 2008, a Federal Court suspended the 
effects of the decision. No provisions have been 
recorded in Veracel’s or Stora Enso’s accounts for 
the reforestation or the possible fine.

Changes in  
organisational structure

Stora Enso established a new Forest division and 
started reporting it separately at the beginning 
of 2020. The new division includes the Group’s 
Swedish forest assets and its 41% share of the 
equity accounted investment Tornator with the 
majority of its forest assets located in Finland. 
The Forest division also includes wood supply 
operations in Finland, Sweden, Russia and the 
Baltic countries. 

Stora Enso merged its containerboard 
business previously under the Packaging 
Solutions division with the Consumer Board 
division, creating a new Packaging Materials 
division. The remaining business in Packaging 
Solutions together with the formed fiber and 
biocomposite businesses unit, constitutes a 
more focused Packaging Solutions division. The 
change was effective as of 1 January 2020.

Changes in Group management

Jari Suominen was appointed EVP, Head of 
Forest division as of 1 January 2020. He remained 
a member of the Group Leadership Team.

David Ekberg was appointed as EVP, Head of 
Packaging Solutions division and member of the 
Group Leadership Team as of 1 April 2020.

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ownership distribution as at 31 December 2020

Solidium Oy1
FAM AB2
Social Insurance Institution of Finland 
(KELA)
Finnish institutions (excl. Solidium and 
KELA)
Swedish institutions (excl. FAM)
Finnish private shareholders
Swedish private shareholders
ADR holders
Under nominee names (non-Finnish/non-
Swedish shareholders)

1 Entirely owned by the Finnish State.
2 As confirmed to Stora Enso.

% of shares
10.7%
10.2%

% of votes
27.3%
27.3%

3.1%

11.4%
6.6%
4.0%
4.2%
2.0%

47.9%

10.1%

8.3%
5.2%
2.4%
2.7%
0.7%

16.1%

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Major shareholders as of 31 December 2020 
By voting power
1 Solidium Oy1
2 FAM AB2
3 Social Insurance Institution of Finland
4 Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company
5 Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company
6 MP-Bolagen i Vetlanda AB
7 Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company 
8 Erik Johan Ljungberg's Education Foundation
9 SEB Investment Management
10 Bergslaget's Healthcare Foundation
11 The State Pension Fund
12 Unionen (Swedish trade union)
13 Lannebo Funds
14 The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland 
15 OP-Suomi Investment Fund

Total

A shares
62 655 036
63 123 386
23 825 086
4 312 762
5 163 018
4 828 000
2 000 000
1 780 540
—
626 269
—
—
—
—
—
168 314 097

R shares
21 792 540
17 000 000
973 982
16 593 924
1 140 874
1 000 000
8 111 225
2 336 224
12 162 195
1 609 483
5 713 755
3 782 750
3 690 000
3 000 000
2 914 494
101 821 446

% of shares
10.7%
10.2%
3.1%
2.7%
0.8%
0.7%
1.3%
0.5%
1.5%
0.3%
0.7%
0.5%
0.5%
0.4%
0.4%
34.3%

% of votes
27.3%
27.3%
10.1%
2.5%
2.2%
2.1%
1.2%
0.8%
0.5%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
75.2%

Nominee-registered shares3

74 882 644

480 357 046

70.4%

51.8%

1 Entirely owned by the Finnish State.
2 As confirmed to Stora Enso.
3 According to Euroclear Finland.
The list has been compiled by the Company on the basis of shareholder information obtained from Euroclear Finland, Euroclear Sweden and a database managed by 
Citibank, N.A (Citi). This information includes only directly registered holdings, thus certain holdings (which may be substantial) of shares held in nominee or brokerage 
accounts cannot be included. The list is therefore incomplete.

Share distribution as at 31 December 2020 
By size of holding, A share
1–100
101–1 000
1 001–10 000
10 001–100 000
100 001–1 000 000
1 000 001–
Total

By size of holding, R share
1–100
101–1 000
1 001–10 000
10 001–100 000
100 001–1 000 000
1 000 001–
Total

Shareholders % of shareholders
54.50%
39.60%
5.50%
0.30%
—%
0.10%
100.00%

5 507
3 996
551
28
—
7
10 089

Shareholders % of shareholders
31.70%
51.90%
14.90%
1.20%
0.20%
0.10%
100.00%

12 641
20 727
5 924
478
78
21
39 869

Shares
234 386
1 431 560
1 271 602
601 791
—
172 715 076
176 254 415

Shares
665 866
8 568 192
15 802 281
12 712 655
22 356 613
552 259 965
612 365 572

% of shares
0.10%
0.80%
0.70%
0.30%
—%
98.00%
100.00%

% of shares
0.10%
1.40%
2.60%
2.10%
3.70%
90.10%
100.00%

According to Euroclear Finland. 
This list includes only directly registered shares in Euroclear Finland. E.g. Stora Enso's Swedish shareholders are listed under their nominee bank in this list. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

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Outlook

Stora Enso resumes an annual outlook even 
though the uncertainties due to the ongoing 
pandemic in the global economy are expected 
to remain in 2021. Provided that the vaccination 
programmes progress as planned and the virus 
is contained, there are expectations of economic 
recovery. Until then, demand for our products 
remains mixed.

Operational EBIT in 2021 is expected to be 

higher than the 2020 operational EBIT.

Stora Enso will conclude its EUR 400 million 
profit protection programme by the end of 2021. 
The expected fixed and variable cost savings for 
the year are approximately EUR 80 million. The 
Group will continue to focus on customer service 
and cash flow generation in 2021. 

Short-term risks  
and uncertainties

The global outlook has brightened. While we 
expect a weaker rebound in 2021 than anticipated 
in the end of Q3/2020, recent vaccine progress 
has shifted the balance of risks substantially and 
opened the door to a more rapid relaxation of 
restrictions. The global output is constrained by 
social distancing in the near term, before large-
scale and permanent reductions in restrictions 
might begin around mid-2021. Nevertheless, 
and despite a strong initial recovery, high 
unemployment, stagnant investments, business 
insolvencies and surging corporate and sovereign 
debt, as well as dramatic market corrections 
triggered by unconventional monetary policy 
measures may limit the revival in 2021. In addition, 
Stora Enso continues to face uncertainty in the 
short and medium term. However, compared with 
previous recessions, both the industry in general 
and Stora Enso in particular with its diversified 
business portfolio and relatively strong balance 
sheet, are considered more resilient to economic 
shock and morbid business conditions. 
Stora Enso maintains a Covid-19 risk 

assessment process to determine the potential 
near- and medium-term implications of the direct 
and indirect impacts on Stora Enso’s business 
operations. The process builds on several 
alternative scenarios, involving the identification 
and planning of business contingency and cash 
preservation measures to limit the potential 
impacts across Stora Enso’s business divisions 

and to ensure sufficient liquidity in all conditions. 
The contemplated worst-case scenarios, which 
assume faltering vaccine progress and delayed 
W-shaped recovery, would not, in Stora Enso's 
view, lead to circumstances that would 
compromise Stora Enso’s ability to continue as a 
going concern. 

The trend towards nationalist anti-globalist 

policies may grow following the Covid-19 
pandemic, with border checks on goods and 
people becoming more stringent and national 
interests being promoted. There is also a risk that 
even open economies, such as those in Western 
Europe and Asian business hubs, enact policies 
in direct opposition to globalisation. The tail risk 
related to the UK’s exit from the EU, subsequent 
to the trade deal between the two, is mainly 
limited to near-term congestion in logistics, while 
the UK market demand is not expected to suffer 
notable impacts. 

Sensitivity analysis

Energy sensitivity analysis: the direct effect 
of a 10% increase in electricity and fossil fuel 
market prices would have a negative impact of 
approximately EUR 11 million on operational EBIT 
for the next 12 months. 

Wood sensitivity analysis: the direct effect 
of a 10% increase in wood prices would have a 
negative impact of approximately EUR 177 million 
on operational EBIT for the next 12 months. 

Pulp sensitivity analysis: the direct effect of a 
10% increase in pulp market prices would have a 
positive impact of approximately EUR 105 million 
on operational EBIT for the next 12 months. 

Chemical and filler sensitivity analysis: the 
direct effect of a 10% increase in chemical and 
filler prices would have a negative impact of 
approximately EUR 32 million on operational EBIT 
for the next 12 months. 

A decrease of energy, wood, pulp or chemical 
and filler prices would have the opposite impact. 
Foreign exchange rates transaction risk 
sensitivity analysis for the next twelve months: 
the direct effect on operational EBIT of a 10% 
strengthening in the value of the US dollar, 
Swedish krona and British pound would be 
approximately positive EUR 133 million, negative 
EUR 20 million and positive EUR 22 million annual 
impact, respectively. Weakening of the currencies 
would have the opposite impact. These numbers 
are before the effect of hedges and assuming 

no changes occur other than a single currency 
exchange rate movement in an exposure 
currency. 

The Group's consolidated income statement 
on operational EBIT level is exposed to a foreign-
currency translation risk worth approximately 
EUR 120 million cost exposure in Brazilian 
real (BRL) and approximately EUR 28 million 
income exposure in Chinese Renminbi (CNY). 
These exposures are arising from the foreign 
subsidiaries and joint-operations located in Brazil 
and China, respectively. For these exposures 
a 10% strengthening in the value of a foreign 
currency would have a negative EUR 12 million 
and a positive EUR 3 million impact on operational 
EBIT, respectively. 

Events after the  
balance sheet date

On the 20 January 2021, the Court of Justice 
of the European Union has given a preliminary 
ruling (Lexel AB -case, C-484/19) which might 
have an impact on Stora Enso’s pending disputes 
concerning the deduction of interest expenses in 
Sweden.

Proposal for the  
distribution of dividend

The Board of Directors proposes to the AGM that 
a dividend of EUR 0.30 per share be distributed 
on the basis of the balance sheet adopted for the 
year 2020. The Board of Directors has assessed 
the Company’s financial situation and liquidity 
before making the proposal. There have been 
no material changes in the parent company’s 
financial position since 31 December 2020, the 
liquidity of the parent company remains good 
and the proposed dividend does not risk the 
solvency of the company. Stora Enso’s policy 
is to distribute 50% of earnings per share (EPS) 
excluding fair valuation over the cycle. In 2020, 
EPS excluding fair valuation was EUR 0.45.
The Parent Company distributable 
shareholders’ equity on 31 December 2020 
amounted to EUR 1 582 387 493.42, including 
the profit for the period of EUR 505 709 365.15. 
The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual 
General Meeting of the Company that the 
distributable funds be used as follows:

A dividend of EUR 0.30 per share from 
the distributable shareholders’ equity to be 

distributed on 788 619 987 shares, not to 
exceed EUR 236 585 996.10, which would 
leave EUR 1 345 801 497.32 in distributable 
shareholders’ equity. 

The dividend would be paid to shareholders 
who on the record date of the dividend payment, 
23 March 2021, are recorded in the shareholders’ 
register maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy or in 
the separate register of shareholders maintained 
by Euroclear Sweden AB for Euroclear Sweden 
registered shares. Dividends payable to Euroclear 
Sweden registered shares will be forwarded 
by Euroclear Sweden AB and paid in Swedish 
crowns. Dividends payable to ADR holders will be 
forwarded by Citibank N.A. and paid in US dollars. 

The Board of Directors proposes to the 
AGM that the dividend be paid on or about 
30 March 2021. 

Annual General Meeting

Stora Enso Oyj’s Annual General Meeting 
(AGM) will be held on Friday 19 March 2021. 
The Annual General Meeting 2021 will be held 
with exceptional procedures based on the 
temporary legislative act to limit the spread of 
the Covid-19 pandemic approved by the Finnish 
Parliament. This means that the shareholders 
of the Company and their proxy representatives 
may participate in the meeting and exercise their 
rights as shareholders only through voting in 
advance as well as by making counterproposals 
and presenting questions in advance. More 
information is available at storaenso.com/agm

Non-IFRS measures

The Group’s key non-IFRS performance metric 
is operational EBIT, which is used to evaluate the 
performance of its operating segments and to 
steer allocation of resources to them.Operational 
EBIT comprises the operating profit excluding 
items affecting comparability (IAC) and fair 
valuations from the segments and Stora Enso’s 
share of the operating profit of equity accounted 
investments (EAI), also excluding items affecting 
comparability and fair valuations. 

Items affecting comparability are exceptional 

transactions that are not related to recurring 
business operations. The most common IAC 
are capital gains and losses, impairments or 
impairment reversals, disposal gains and losses 
relating to Group companies, provisions for 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
List of non-IFRS measures
Operational EBITDA 
Operational EBITDA margin 
Operational EBIT 
Operational EBIT margin 
Profit before tax excl. IAC and FV 
Capital expenditure 
Capital expenditure excl. investments in biological 
assets 
Capital employed
Depreciation and impairment charges excl. IAC
Operational ROCE
Earnings per share (EPS), excl. FV
Fixed costs to sales
Operational ROOC
Net debt/last 12 months’ operational EBITDA ratio
Cash flow from operations
Cash flow after investing activities

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

planned restructurings, environmental provisions, 
changes in depreciation due to restructuring 
and penalties. Items affecting comparability are 
normally disclosed individually if they exceed one 
cent per share. 

Fair valuations and non-operational items 
include CO2 emission rights, non-operational 
fair valuation changes of biological assets, 
adjustments for differences between fair value 
and acquisition cost of forest assets upon 
disposal and the Group’s share of income tax 
and net financial items of EAI. From 1 January 
2020 onwards, the changes in the fair valuation 
of biological assets are categorized in non-
operational and operational fair value changes. 
Non-operational fair value changes of biological 
assets reflect changes made to valuation 
assumptions and parameters, usually during 
the annual valuation process. Operational fair 
value changes of biological assets are included 
in Operational EBITDA and contain all other 
fair value changes, mainly due to inflation and 
differences in actual harvesting levels compared 
to the harvesting plan. The previous periods have 
been restated.

Cash flow from operations (non-IFRS) is a 
Group specific way to present operative cash 
flow starting from operational EBITDA instead of 
operating profit. 

Cash flow after investing activities (non-IFRS) 
is calculated as follows: cash flow from operations 
(non-IFRS) excluding cash spent on intangible 
assets, property, plant and equipment, and 
biological assets and acquisitions of EAIs. 
The full list of the non-IFRS measures is 

presented at the end of this report.

Calculation of key figures
Operational return on capital employed, 
operational ROCE (%)

100  ×

Annualised operational EBIT
Capital employed1, 2

Operational return on operating capital, 
operational ROOC (%)

100  ×

Annualised operational EBIT
Operating capital 2

Return on equity, ROE (%)

100  ×

Net profit/loss for the period
Total equity 2

Net interest-bearing liabilities

Interest-bearing liabilities – interest-bearing assets

Net debt/equity ratio

Earnings per share (EPS)

Net interest-bearing liabilities
Equity3

Net profit/loss for the period3
Average number of shares

Payout ratio, excl. FV, %

100  ×

Dividend distribution / share
EPS excl. FV

Dividend and distribution yield, %

100  ×

Price/earnings ratio (P/E), excl. FV

Dividend distribution / share
Closing price of share

Closing price of share
EPS excl. FV

Operational EBIT

Operational EBITDA

Operating profit/loss excluding items affecting comparability 
(IAC) and fair valuations (FV) of the segments and Stora Enso’s 
share of operating profit/loss excluding IAC and fair valuations 
of its equity accounted investments (EAI)

Operating profit/loss excluding silviculture costs and damage 
to forests, fixed asset depreciation and impairment, IACs and 
fair valuations. The definition includes the respective items 
of subsidiaries, joint arrangements and equity accounted 
investments.

Net debt/last 12 months’ operational 
EBITDA ratio

Net interest-bearing liabilities
LTM operational EBITDA

Fixed costs

Maintenance, personnel and other administrative type of costs, 
excluding IAC and fair valuations

Last 12 months (LTM)

12 months prior to the end of reporting period

TRI rate

Total recordable incident rate = number of incidents per one 
million hours worked

1 Capital employed = Operating capital – Net tax liabilities 
2 Average for the financial period 
3 Attributable to owners of the Parent

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated financial statements

Consolidated income statement

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

EUR million
Sales

Other operating income
Changes in inventories of finished goods and work in progress
Materials and services
Freight and sales commissions
Personnel expenses
Other operating expenses
Share of results of equity accounted investments
Change in net value of biological assets
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment charges
Operating profit
Financial income
Financial expense
Profit before Tax
Income tax
Net profit for the year

Attributable to
Owners of the Parent
Non-controlling Interests
Net profit for the year

Earnings per share
Basic and diluted earnings per share, EUR

Note
3

5

6
5
13
12
10
3
8
8

9

18
19

32

Year ended 31 December

2019
10 055

EUR million
Net profit for the year

2020
8 553

147
-84
-5 043
-806
-1 270
-394
-1
428
-609
922
19
-168
773
-156
617

626
-9
617

165
-102
-5 964
-904
-1 331
-686
229
442
-597
1 305
8
-176
1 137
-281
856

880
-24
856

Other Comprehensive Income (OCI)

Items that will not be reclassified to profit and loss
Equity instruments at fair value through OCI
Actuarial gains and losses on defined benefit plans
Revaluation of forest land
Share of OCI of equity accounted investments (EAI)
Income tax relating to items that will not be reclassified

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss
Cumulative translation adjustment (CTA)
Net investment hedges and loans
Cash flow hedges and cost of hedging
Share of OCI of non-controlling interests (NCI)
Share of OCI of equity accounted investments (EAI)
Income tax relating to items that may be reclassified

Total comprehensive income

Attributable to
Owners of the Parent
Non-controlling interests
Total comprehensive income

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these Consolidated financial statements.

Note

Year ended 31 December

2020
617

2019
856

14
20
12
13
9

28
28
27
19
13
9

19

-136
20
1 504
12
-315
1 086

-143
16
54
1
0
-15
-87

109
-78
0
0
6
37

206
-9
-14
0
11
2
196

1 616

1 089

1 625
-9
1 616

1 113
-24
1 089

0.79

1.12

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated statement of financial position

EUR million

Assets

Goodwill
Other intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Right-of-use assets

Forest assets

Biological assets
Forest land
Emission rights
Equity accounted investments
Listed securities
Unlisted securities
Non-current interest-bearing receivables
Deferred tax assets
Other non-current assets
Non-current assets

Inventories
Tax receivables
Operative receivables
Interest-bearing receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Current assets

Total assets

As at 31 December

Note

2020

2019

EUR million

Equity and liabilities

As at 31 December

Note

2020

2019

O
O
O
O

O
O
O
O
O
I
O
I
T
O

O
T
O
I
I

11
11
11
11
11
12
12
12

13
14
14
25
9
15

16

17
25

281
134
5 007
452
5 874
6 256
4 250
2 005
36
456
16
401
93
117
28
13 276

1 270
14
1 145
66
1 661
4 155

302
169
5 101
508
6 080
4 136
3 627
509
37
483
12
526
72
81
37
11 463

1 391
11
1 289
23
876
3 590

Share capital
Share premium
Fair value reserve
Cumulative translation adjustment
Invested non-restricted equity fund
Retained earnings
Net profit for the year
Equity attributable to owners of the Parent
Non-controlling Interests
Total equity
Post-employment benefit obligations
Provisions
Deferred tax liabilities
Non-current interest-bearing liabilities
Other non-current operative liabilities
Non-current liabilities

Current portion of non-current debt
Interest-bearing liabilities
Bank overdrafts
Provisions
Other operative liabilities
Tax liabilities
Current liabilities

17 431

15 053

Total liabilities

18

28

19

20
22
9
26
23

26
26
26
22
23
9

O
O
T
I
O

I
I
I
O
O
T

1 342
77
1 506
-267
633
4 891
626
8 809
-16
8 793
473
102
1 332
3 822
13
5 743

472
456
6
46
1 837
78
2 895

8 637

1 342
77
397
-136
633
4 236
880
7 429
-7
7 423
458
110
875
3 232
40
4 713

376
572
13
55
1 854
48
2 917

7 630

Total equity and liabilities

17 431

15 053

Items designated "O" comprise Operating Capital, items designated "I" comprise Interest-bearing Net Liabilities, items designated "T" 
comprise Net Tax Liabilities.  
The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these Consolidated financial statements.

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated cash flow statement

EUR million
Cash flow from operating activities
Net profit for the year

Adjustments and reversal of non-cash items:

Taxes
Depreciation and impairment charges
Change in value of biological assets
Change in fair value of share awards and total return swaps
Share of results of equity accounted investments
CTA and profits and losses on sale of fixed assets and 
investments1
Net financial items
Other adjustments

Dividends received from equity accounted investments
Interest received
Interest paid
Other financial items, net
Income taxes paid
Change in net working capital, net of businesses acquired or sold
Net cash provided by operating activities

Cash flow from investing activities
Acquisition of subsidiary shares and business operations, net of 
acquired cash
Acquisition of shares in equity accounted investments
Acquisition of unlisted securities
Cash flow on disposal of subsidiary shares and business 
operations, net of disposed cash
Cash flow on disposal of unlisted securities
Cash flow on disposal of intangible assets and property, plant and 
equipment
Capital expenditure
Investment in biological assets
Proceeds from/payment of non-current receivables, net
Net cash used in investing activities

Note

9
10
12

13

5
8

13

9

4
13
14

4
14

11
3, 11
12

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

2020

617

156
609
-428
-4
1

-2
150
15
36
2
-122
-13
-82
195
1 128

0
-2
-14

-3
1

17
-582
-79
-18
-681

856

281
597
-442
0
-229

172
168
5
343
7
-150
-10
-178
240
1 660

-464
-7
0

-19
6

12
-510
-88
-18
-1 089

Year ended 31 December

Year ended 31 December

2019

EUR million

Cash flow from financing activities
Proceeds from issue of new long-term debt
Repayment of long-term debt and lease liabilities
Change in short-term borrowings
Dividends paid
Buy-out of interest in subsidiaries from non-controlling interests
Equity injections from, less dividends to, non-controlling interests
Purchase of own shares
Net cash used in financing activities

Net change in cash and cash equivalents
Translation adjustment
Net cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
Net cash and cash equivalents at year end

Cash and cash equivalents at year end2
Bank overdrafts at year end
Net cash and cash equivalents at year end

Note

26
26
26

19
19

2020

1 081
-399
-99
-223
0
0
-6
354

801
-9
863
1 655

1 661
-6
1 655

2019

870
-1 284
-33
-394
-8
-4
-3
-856

-285
19
1 128
863

876
-13
863

1 CTA = Cumulative Translation Adjustment
2 Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash-in-hand, deposits held at call with banks and other liquid investments with original maturity 
of less than three months. Bank overdrafts are included in current liabilities.
The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these Consolidated financial statements.
Comparative 2019 figures have been restated.

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated cash flow statement

Supplemental cash flow information

EUR million
Change in net working capital consists of:
Change in inventories
Change in interest-free receivables:
Current
Non-current
Change in interest-free liabilities:
Current
Non-current
Change in net working capital, net of businesses acquired or sold

Cash and cash equivalents consist of:
Cash on hand and at banks
Cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents

Non-cash investing activities
Total capital expenditure excluding right-of-use assets
Amounts paid
Non-cash part of additions to intangible assets and property, 
plant and equipment

Cash flow on acquisitions of subsidiaries and business operations
Purchase consideration on acquisitions, cash part
Cash and cash equivalents in acquired companies,  
net of bank overdraft
Net cash flow on acquisition

Cash flow on disposals of subsidiaries and business operations
Cash part of the consideration
Cash and cash equivalents in divested companies
Net cash flow from disposal

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these Consolidated financial statements.

4

4

4
4

Year ended 31 December

Note

2020

2019

101

118
0

-25
0
195

828
833
1 661

589
-582

8

0

0
0

-1
-2
-3

161

205
13

-127
-12
240

676
199
876

550
-510

40

-527

64
-464

-15
-4
-19

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

24

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Statement of changes in equity

EUR million
Balance at 1 January 2019
Net profit for the year
OCI before tax
Income tax relating to OCI
Total Comprehensive Income
Dividend
Acquisitions and disposals
Purchase of treasury shares
Share-based payments
Balance at 31 December 2019
Net profit for the year
OCI before tax
Income tax relating to OCI
Total Comprehensive Income
Dividend
Acquisitions and disposals
Purchase of treasury shares
Share-based payments
Balance at 31 December 2020

Share 
Premium 
and Reserve 
Fund
77
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
77
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
77

Share 
Capital
1 342
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1 342
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1 342

Invested 
Non-
Restricted 
Equity Fund
633
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
633
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
633

Fair Value Reserve

Step 
Acquisition 
Revaluation 
Surplus
4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
4
—
—
—
—
—
-4
—
—
—

Equity 
instruments 
through OCI
304
—
109
—
109
—
—
—
—
413
—
-136
-1
-137
—
—
—
—
277

Treasury 
Shares
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
-4
4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
-6
6
—

Cash flow 
hedges
-7
—
-14
1
-13
—
—
—
—
-20
—
54
-11
43
—
—
—
—
23

Revaluation 
reserve
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1 504
-310
1 195
—
—
—
—
1 195

OCI of 
Equity 
Accounted 
Investments
-11
—
11
—
11
—
—
—
—
—
—
12
—
12
—
—
—
—
12

CTA and Net 
Investment 
Hedges and 
Loans
-335
—
197
1
198
—
—
—
—
-136
—
-127
-4
-131
—
—
—
—
-267

Retained 
Earnings
4 706
880
-78
6
808
-394
—
—
-3
5 116
626
20
-5
642
-237
4
—
-8
5 518

Attributable 
to Owners of 
the Parent
6 714
880
225
9
1 113
-394
—
-4
—
7 429
626
1 328
-330
1 625
-237
—
-6
-3
8 809

Non-
controlling 
Interests
18
-24
—
—
-24
-1
1
—
—
-7
-9
1
—
-9
—
—
—
—
-16

Total
6 732
856
225
9
1 089
-395
1
-4
—
7 423
617
1 329
-330
1 616
-237
—
-6
-3
8 793

CTA = Cumulative Translation Adjustment, NCI = Non-controlling Interests, OCI = Other Comprehensive Income, EAI = Equity Accounted Investments 

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

26

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1

Notes to the consolidated financial statements

Note 1 Accounting principles

Principal activities
Stora Enso Oyj (“the Company”) is a Finnish 
public limited liability company organised 
under the laws of the Republic of Finland and 
with its registered address at Kanavaranta 1, 
00160 Helsinki. Its shares are currently listed on 
Nasdaq Helsinki and Stockholm. The operations 
of Stora Enso Oyj and its subsidiaries (together 
“Stora Enso” or “the Group”) are organised into 
the following reportable segments: Packaging 
Materials, Packaging Solutions, Biomaterials, 
Wood Products, Forest, Paper and segment 
Other. The Group’s main market is Europe, with an 
expanding presence in Asia and South America.
The Financial Statements were authorised for 
issue by the Board of Directors on 28 January 2021.

Basis of preparation
The Consolidated Financial Statements 
of Stora Enso Oyj have been prepared in 
accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS), as adopted by the European 
Union, including International Accounting 
Standards (IAS) and interpretations issued by 
the IFRS Interpretations Committee (IFRIC). The 
Consolidated Financial Statements of Stora Enso 
Oyj have been prepared according to the 
historical cost convention, except as disclosed in 
the accounting policies. The detailed accounting 
principles are explained in the related notes with 
a few exceptions where the accounting principles 
are presented in this note. The Consolidated 
financial statements are presented in euros, which 
is the parent company’s functional currency.
All figures in this Annual Report have been 
rounded to the nearest million, unless otherwise 
stated. Therefore, figures in this report may not add 
up precisely to the totals presented and may vary 
from previously published financial information.

New and amended standards and 
interpretations adopted in 2020
The Group has applied the following new and 
amended standards and interpretations which are 
effective from 1 January 2020:

•  Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8: Definition 
of Material. Amendments will clarify the 
definition of material and align the definition 
used in the Conceptual Framework and the 
standards themselves. The effective date for 
these amendments is 1 January 2020. The 
Group is considering an amended materiality 
definition in the Group's consolidated financial 
statements and disclosures.

•  Amendments to References to the Conceptual 

Framework in the IFRS Standards. The 
revised Conceptual Framework includes: a 
new chapter on measurement; guidance on 
reporting financial performance; improved 
definitions and guidance - in particular the 
definition of a liability; and clarifications 
in important areas, such as the roles of 
stewardship, prudence, and measurement 
uncertainty in financial reporting. The effective 
date for these amendments is 1 January 2020. 
The amendments do not have a significant 
effect on the Group.

•  Amendments to IFRS 3 Business 

combinations. The amendments will help 
companies determine whether an acquisition 
made is of a business or a group of assets. 
The amended definition emphasises that the 
output of a business is to provide goods and 
services to customers, whereas the previous 
definition focused on returns in the form of 
dividends, lower costs, or other economic 
benefits to investors and others. The effective 
date for these amendments is 1 January 2020. 
The amendments do not have significant effect 
on the Group.

•  Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39 and 

IFRS 7. The amendments are related to 
the Interest Rate Benchmark Reform 
and require qualitative and quantitative 
disclosures to enable users of financial 
statements to understand how an entity’s 
hedging relationships are affected by the 
uncertainty arising from the interest rate 
benchmark reform. The effective date for 
these amendments is 1 January 2020. The 
amendments do not have a significant effect 
on the Group.

•  Other standards, standard amendments and 

interpretations do not have a material effect on 
the Group's consolidated financial statements 
or disclosures.

Changes in accounting principles

Valuation of Nordic forest assets
Stora Enso changed the valuation method for 
its forest assets and the accounting principle 
for forest land in the Nordics at the end of 
2020. Forest assets are defined as biological 
assets (standing growing trees) and the related 
forest land. As a result of the valuation method 
change, the forest assets in Sweden are valued 
using a market approach. Due to the change in 
accounting principle, the forest land in Sweden 
and Finland are accounted for under the 
revaluation method instead of cost method.
Forest assets in Sweden are valued by 
using a market approach method based on the 
forest market transactions in those areas where 
Stora Enso’s forests are located. In Sweden 
reliable market transaction data is available and 
provides a more transparent and observable 
valuation basis. The total forest assets net cash 
flows consist of cash flows related to standing 
trees (biological assets) and separate cash flows 
regarding forest land. The standing trees valuation 
is computed based on a discounted cash flow 
(DCF) method and using a discount rate implied 
by the market transactions in accordance with 
the IAS 41 Agriculture standard. The discount 
rate is determined as the rate at which the 
market transaction prices match the total forest 
assets cash flows. For forest land, previously 
accounted at cost, the revaluation method is 
applied as defined in the IAS 16 Property, plant 
and equipment standard. Forest land is revalued 
using a DCF method based on future net cash 
flow streams related to trees to-be-planted in the 
future as well as other land related income, such 
as hunting rights, wind power leases and soil 
material sales. The discount rate is the same for 
biological assets and forest land.

For the other Nordic forest assets, owned 

mainly in Finland through the Group’s 41% 

shareholding in the equity accounted investment 
Tornator, the market approach is not considered 
to be an accurate valuation method as the reliable 
market data is not available with enough details. 
The discounted cash flow method will continue to 
be used for valuation of biological assets, where 
the discount rate applied is determined using 
the weighted average cost of capital method. 
The forest land, previously accounted at cost, 
is revalued by using a DCF method based on 
its future net cash flow streams related to trees 
to-be-planted in the future as well as other related 
income. 

For the plantation forests, there is no changes 

in accounting principles or in the valuation 
method as there is no reliable market transaction 
data available. Therefore in plantations, biological 
assets are continued to be valued using DCF 
method and related forest land is continued to be 
accounted at cost. Plantation forest assets are 
classified as a separate asset class as compared 
to Nordic forest land to reflect the different nature, 
usage and characteristics. The main difference 
is the short-term growing cycle of 6–12 years in 
plantations versus the long-term growing cycle 
of 60–100 years in Nordic forests. There are 
also differences in regeneration methods, forest 
management and use of the assets for other 
purposes.

Changes in accounting principles to Swedish 

forest assets increased the carrying amount of 
forest land from EUR 324 million to  
EUR 1 829 million, resulting in EUR 1 504 million 
increase in forest land, EUR 1 195 increase in 
Other Comprehensive Income (OCI, revaluation 
reserve) and EUR 310 million increase in the 
deferred tax liability. Accounting principle change 
related to other Nordic forest assets, owned 
mainly in Finland, is not considered to be material. 
The increase in forest land assets is recognised 
in OCI net of deferred taxes and accumulated 
in revaluation reserve in equity and does not 
have impact on the income statement. The fair 
value changes in biological assets continue to 
be recognised in the income statement. The 
comparative periods have not been restated 
and in the comparative periods forest land is 

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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measured at cost. See Note 12 Forest assets for 
more details.

The Group has also changed its forest 
land presentation principles. Previously, forest 
land assets were included in the statement of 
financial position on the line Property, plant 
and equipment, and as part of the Land and 
water asset class, as specified in Note 11. In 
accordance with new presentation principles, 
forest land assets and corresponding comparative 
figures are presented on a separate line in the 
statement of financial position. 

Changes in segment reporting
As of 1 January 2020, Stora Enso merged its 
containerboard business in Packaging Solutions 
division with the Consumer Board division, 
creating a new Packaging Materials reportable 
segment. The remaining business in Packaging 
Solutions, together with the recently created 
Formed Fiber unit, constitute Packaging Solutions 
division.

As of 1 January 2020, Stora Enso established 

new Forest division as a separately reported 
segment. Forest division includes Stora Enso’s 
Swedish forest assets and the 41% share of 
Tornator with the majority of its forest assets 
located in Finland. The segment also includes 
wood supply operations in Finland, Sweden, 
Russia and the Baltic countries. These were 
previously reported as part of the segment Other. 
The division’s key focus areas are sustainable 
forest management, competitive wood supply 
to Stora Enso’s mills and innovation. Plantations 
in Latin America and China, linked to local mills, 
continue to be reported as before under the 
Biomaterials and Packaging Materials divisions. 
After establishing the new Forest division, the 
remaining segment Other reporting includes 
Group functions, logistics, other operations and 
Stora Enso’s shareholding in the energy company 
Pohjolan Voima (PVO).

Comparative figures have been restated 
accordingly. As of 1 January 2020, the reportable 
segments are Packaging Materials, Packaging 
Solutions, Biomaterials, Wood Products, Forest, 
Paper, and the segment Other.

Consolidation principles
The Consolidated financial statements include 
the parent company, Stora Enso Oyj, and all 
companies controlled by the Group. Control is 
defined as when the Group:

•  has power over the investee,
• 

is exposed, or has rights, to variable returns 
from its involvement with the investee; and
•  has the ability to use its power to affect its 

returns.

If facts and circumstances indicate that there 
are changes to the three elements of control 
listed above the Group reassess whether or not 
it controls an investee. Acquired companies are 
accounted for under the acquisition method 
whereby they are included in the consolidated 
financial statements from the date the control over 
the subsidiary is obtained, whereas, conversely, 
disposed companies are included up to the date 
when the control is lost. The principal subsidiaries 
and joint operations are listed in Note 30 Group 
companies.

All intercompany transactions, receivables, 

liabilities and unrealised profits, as well as 
intragroup profit distributions, are eliminated. 
Accounting policies for subsidiaries, joint 
arrangements and all equity accounted 
investments are adjusted where necessary to 
ensure consistency with the policies adopted 
by Stora Enso. Non-controlling interests are 
presented as a separate component of equity.

Associated companies over which 
Stora Enso exercises significant influence 
are accounted for using the equity method, 
which involves recognising the Group’s share 
of the equity accounted investment profit or 
loss for the year less any impaired goodwill 
in the consolidated income statement. These 
companies are undertakings in which the Group 
has significant influence, but which it does not 
control. Significant influence means the power to 
participate in the financial and operating policy 
decisions of the company without control or joint 
control over those policies. The most significant 
of such companies are listed in Note 13 Equity 
accounted investments.

The Group’s interest in an associated 

company is carried in the consolidated statement 
of financial position at an amount that reflects its 
share of the net assets of the associate together 
with any remaining goodwill upon acquisition. 
When the Group share of losses exceeds the 
carrying amount of an investment, the carrying 
amount is reduced to zero and any recognition of 
further losses ceases unless the Group is obliged 
to satisfy obligations of the investee that it has 
guaranteed or which it is otherwise committed to.

Joint control is the contractually agreed 

sharing of control of the joint arrangement, which 
exists only when decisions on relevant activities 
require the unanimous consent of the parties 
sharing control.

Joint operations are joint arrangements 
whereby the partners who have joint control 
of the arrangement have rights to the assets, 
and obligations for the liabilities, relating to 
the arrangement. A joint venture is a joint 
arrangement whereby the partners who have joint 
control of the arrangement have rights to the net 
assets of the joint arrangement.

The Group has two joint operations: Veracel 
and Montes del Plata. In relation to its interest in 
joint operations, as a joint operator, the Group 
recognises its share of assets, liabilities, revenues 
and expenses of the joint operation. The share 
is determined based on rights to the assets and 
obligations for the liabilities of each joint operator.
•  Veracel is a joint owned (50%/50%) company 
of Stora Enso and Suzano located in Brazil. 
The pulp mill produces 1.2 million tonnes of 
bleached eucalyptus hard wood pulp per year 
and both owners are entitled to half of the 
mill’s output. The eucalyptus is sourced mostly 
from the company’s own forestry plantations. 
The mill commenced production in May 2005.
•  Montes del Plata is a joint owned (50%/50%) 
company of Stora Enso and Arauco located 
in Uruguay. The Montes del Plata Pulp Mill’s 
annual capacity is 1.4 million tonnes of 
bleached eucalyptus hard wood pulp and 
Stora Enso’s part, 0.7 million tonnes, is sold 
entirely as market pulp. The eucalyptus is 
sourced mostly from the company’s own 
forestry plantations. The mill commenced 
production in June 2014.

Revenue recognition
Sales comprise products, raw materials and 
services less indirect sales tax and discounts, and 
are adjusted for exchange differences on sales 
in foreign currencies. Sales are recognised after 
Stora Enso has transferred the control of goods 
and services to a customer and the Group retains 
neither a continuing right to dispose of the goods, 
nor effective control of those goods; usually, this 
means that sales are recorded upon the delivery 
of goods to customers in accordance with the 
agreed terms of delivery.

Stora Enso’s terms of delivery are based on 
Incoterms 2020, which are the official rules for 

the interpretation of trade terms as issued by the 
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The 
main categories of the terms covering Group 
sales are:
•  “D” terms, under which the group is obliged 

to deliver the goods to the buyer at the agreed 
place in the manner specified in the chosen 
rule, in which case the Point of Sale is the 
moment of delivery to the buyer.

•  “C” terms, whereby the Group arranges and 
pays for the external carriage and certain 
other costs, though the Group ceases to be 
responsible for the goods once they have been 
handed over to the carrier in accordance with 
the relevant term. The Point of Sale is thus 
the handing over of the goods to the carrier 
contracted by the seller for the carriage to the 
agreed destination.

•  “F” terms, being where the buyer arranges and 
pays for the carriage, thus the Point of Sale is 
the handing over of the goods to the carrier 
contracted by the buyer at the agreed point.

Where local rules may result in invoices being 
raised in advance of the above, the effect of 
this revenue advancement is quantified, and an 
adjustment is made accordingly.Stora Enso’s 
sales mainly comprise sales of products and 
the revenue is typically recognised at a point in 
time when Stora Enso transfers control of these 
products to a customer. Revenues from services 
are recognised over time once the service has 
been performed. More detailed information 
regarding Stora Enso's principal activities from 
which the Group generates its revenue and 
disaggregation of revenue is presented in Note 3 
Segment information.

Foreign currency transactions
Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded 
at the rate of exchange prevailing at the 
transaction date, but at the end of the month 
foreign-currency-denominated receivables and 
liabilities are translated using the month-end 
exchange rate. Foreign exchange differences for 
operating items are recorded in the appropriate 
income statement account in the operating profit, 
and, for financial assets and liabilities, they are 
entered in the financial items of the consolidated 
income statement, except when deferred in equity 
as qualifying cash flow hedges, net investment 
hedges or net investment loans. Translation 
differences on non-monetary financial assets, 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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such as equities classified at fair value through 
other comprehensive income (FVTOCI), are 
included in equity.

Foreign currency translations
The Income Statements of Group companies 
with functional and presentational currencies 
other than the euro are translated into the Group 
reporting currency using the average exchange 
rates for the year, whereas the statements of 
the financial position of these companies are 
translated using the exchange rates at the 
reporting date. The Group is exposed to currency 
risks arising from exchange rate fluctuations on 
the value of its net investment in non-euro area 
foreign entities. Exchange differences arising from 
the retranslation of net investments in foreign 
entities that are non-euro foreign subsidiaries, 
joint operations or equity accounted investments, 
and of financial instruments that are designated to 
hedge such investments, are recorded directly in 
equity as cumulative translation adjustment (CTA). 
See Note 28 Cumulative translation adjustments 
and equity hedging for more details.

Future standard changes endorsed by 
the EU but not yet effective in 2020 
•  Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39, IFRS 7, IFRS 
4 and IFRS 16 Interest Rate Benchmark 
Reform – Phase 2. The amendments relate to 
the modification of financial assets, financial 
liabilities and lease liabilities, specific hedge 
accounting requirements, and disclosure 
requirements applying IFRS 7 to accompany 
the amendments regarding modifications 
and hedge accounting. The effective date is 1 
January 2021. The amendments do not have a 
significant effect on the Group.

•  No other published standards, standard 

amendments or interpretations which would 
be expected to have a significant effect on the 
Group’s consolidated financial statements or 
disclosures.

Future standard changes not yet 
effective and not yet endorsed by the 
EU in 2020
•  Amendments to IAS 1 Presentation of 
Financial Statements: Classification of 
Liabilities as current or non-current. The 
amendments clarify how to classify debt and 
other liabilities as current or non-current. The 

effective date is 1 January 2023. The Group is 
assessing the impact of these amendments.

judgement where a different opinion could result 
in changes to reported results.

•  Amendments to IFRS 3 Business 

Combinations, IAS 16 Property, Plant and 
Equipment, IAS 37 Provisions, Contingent 
Liabilities and Contingent Assets and Annual 
Improvements 2018-2020. The amendments 
to IFRS 3 are including minor updates to 
the standard. The amendments to IAS 16 
prohibits an entity from deducting from the 
cost of an item of PPE any proceeds received 
from selling items produced while the entity is 
preparing the asset for its intended use. The 
amendment to IAS 37 clarifies that the direct 
costs of fulfilling a contract include both the 
incremental costs of fulfilling the contract and 
an allocation of other costs directly related to 
fulfilling contracts. Annual Improvements to 
IFRS Standards 2018–2020 is including minor 
amendments to IFRS 9, IFRS 16 and IAS 41 
standards. The effective date is 1 January 
2022. The Group is assessing the impact of 
these amendments.
IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts: This standard 
replaces IFRS 4, which currently permits a 
wide variety of practices in accounting for 
insurance contracts. The effective date is 1 
January 2023. The standard is not relevant to 
the Group.

• 

•  Other published standards, standard 

amendments or interpretations are not 
expected to have a significant effect on the 
Group’s consolidated financial statements or 
disclosures.

Note 2 Critical accounting 
estimates and judgements 

Use of estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial 
statements conforming to IFRS requires 
management to make estimates and assumptions 
that affect the reported amounts of assets and 
liabilities, as well as the disclosure of contingent 
assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial 
statements and the reported amounts of revenues 
and expenses during the period. The estimates 
are based on historical experience and various 
other assumptions that are believed to be 
reasonable, though actual results and timing 
could differ from the estimates. Management 
believes that the accounting policies below 
represent those matters requiring the exercise of 

Property, plant and equipment, 
intangible assets and right-of-use 
assets
The carrying amounts of property, plant and 
equipment and intangible assets and right-of-
use assets are assessed at each reporting date 
to determine whether there is any indication 
that an asset may be impaired. If an indicator 
of impairment exists, the asset's recoverable 
amount is determined and compared with its 
carrying amount. The recoverable amount of 
an asset is estimated as the higher of fair value 
less the cost of disposal and the value in use, 
with an impairment charge recognised whenever 
the carrying amount exceeds the recoverable 
amount. The value in use is calculated using 
a discounted cash flow method which is most 
sensitive to the discount rate as well as the 
expected future cash flows. The key assumptions 
used in the impairment testing, are explained 
further in Note 10 Depreciation, amortisation and 
impairment charges.

Management believes that the assigned 
values and useful lives, as well as the underlying 
assumptions, are reasonable, though different 
assumptions and assigned lives could have a 
significant impact on the reported amounts. 
For material intangible assets and property, 
plant and equipment in an acquisition, an 
external advisor makes a fair valuation of the 
acquired intangible assets and property, plant 
and equipment and assists in determining their 
remaining useful life. 

Goodwill
Goodwill is tested per Cash Generating Unit 
(CGU) or by a group of CGUs at least on an annual 
basis and recoverable amount is calculated 
using the discounted cash flow valuation method 
(value in use). Impairment charge is recognised 
if the carrying amount exceeds the recoverable 
amount. The discounted cash flow method uses 
future projections of cash flows from each of the 
reporting units in a CGU or a group of CGUs and 
includes, among other estimates, projections of 
future product pricing, production levels, product 
costs, market supply and demand, projected 
capital expenditures and an assumption of the 
weighted average cost of capital. The discount 
rates used for the net present value calculation of 

projected cash flows reflect the best estimate of 
the weighted average cost of capital.

The Group has evaluated the most sensitive 

estimates which when changed could have a 
material effect on the fair value of the assets 
or goodwill and therefore could lead to an 
impairment. These estimates are expected 
sales prices, expected operating costs and 
discount rate. The key assumptions used in 
the impairment testing are explained further 
in Note 10 Depreciation, amortisation and 
impairment charges.

Biological assets
The Group has biological assets in subsidiaries, 
joint operations and associated companies. 
Biological assets, in the form of standing trees, 
are accounted for under the IAS 41 Agriculture 
standard, which requires that the assets are 
measured at fair value less the costs to sell. Fair 
value is determined using discounted cash flows 
from continuous operations based on sustainable 
forest management plans taking into account the 
growth potential of one cycle. These discounted 
cash flows require estimates of growth, 
harvest, sales price, costs and discount rate. In 
determining the value of biological assets the 
management of subsidiaries, joint operations and 
associated companies need to make appropriate 
estimates of future price levels and trends for 
sales and costs, and to undertake regular surveys 
of the forest to establish the volumes of wood 
available for cutting and their current growth 
rates. 

See next chapter for estimates and judgement 

applied in valuation of Swedish forest assets 
and Note 12 Forest assets for more detailed 
information about Nordic and plantation forest 
assets.

Swedish forest assets
The Group has changed the accounting principles 
and valuation method for Nordic forests at 
the end of 2020. In accordance with the new 
valuation method, the fair value of forest assets in 
Sweden is determined using a market approach 
method, which is based on the forest market 
transactions in the areas where Stora Enso’s 
forests are located. Market prices between areas 
vary significantly and judgement is applied to 
define relevant areas for market transactions 
used in valuation. The valuation of the forest 
assets is based on detailed transaction data 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

and price statistics as provided by different 
market data suppliers. Market transaction data is 
adjusted to consider characteristics and nature of 
Stora Enso's forest assets and to exclude certain 
non-forest assets and transactions considered 
as outliers compared to other transactions. The 
valuation takes into account where the forest land 
is located, price levels and volume of standing 
stock. The value of the forest assets will be 
affected by changes in transaction prices and 
by how the volume of standing stock develops. 
Stora Enso is applying weighted three-year 
average market transaction prices considered 
to include a sufficient amount of transactions 
and estimated to represent market conditions at 
reporting date.

The value of the forest assets is allocated to 
biological assets (standing trees) and forest land. 
Allocation of the combined fair value of forest 
assets is based on the income approach where 
separate present values of expected net cash 
flows are calculated for both biological assets and 
forest land. The discount rate is determined as 
the rate at which the valuation based on market 
transaction prices matches the total forest assets 
combined cash flows for standing trees and forest 
land. The total net cash flows for each of the 
components include estimates in respect of future 
harvesting volumes, sales price levels, and cost 
development. See Note 12 Forest assets for more 
information.

Control assessment of  
joint operations and associates
Note 1 Accounting principles describe Veracel 
and Montes del Plata as joint operations. In both 
companies Stora Enso’s ownership is 50%. The 
interpretations as joint operations are based on 
shareholders’ agreements which give Stora Enso 
rights to a share of returns and make the Group 
liable indirectly for the liabilities, as our ability to 
pay for the pulp is used to finance debts. The 
Group recognises its share of assets, liabilities, 
revenues and expenses of the joint operation, 
based on rights and obligations.

Associate companies are accounted for 
using the equity method. Stora Enso does not 
control the companies alone or jointly with other 
parties, but has significant influence and thus 
retains its significant non-controlling interest as 
equity accounted investments. These companies 
are presented in Note 13 Equity accounted 
investments.

Fair value of financial instruments
Where the fair value of financial assets and 
liabilities cannot be derived directly from publicly 
quoted market prices, other valuation techniques, 
such as discounted cash flow models, transaction 
multiples, the Black and Scholes model and 
the Gordon model, are employed. The key 
judgements include future cash flows, credit 
risk, volatility and changes in assumptions about 
these factors which could affect the reported fair 
value of the financial instruments. Investments in 
debt and equity instruments of unlisted entities, 
such as Pohjolan Voima Oy (PVO), represent 
a significant portion of the Group’s assets and 
require significant management judgement, 
as explained in more detail in Notes 14 Equity 
instruments and 24 Financial risk management.

Income taxes
Tax assets and liabilities are reviewed on a 
periodic basis and balances are adjusted 
appropriately. The deferred tax assets, whether 
arising from temporary differences or from tax 
losses, are recognised only to the extent that 
it is probable that future taxable profits will be 
available against which the assets can be utilised. 
Management considers that adequate provision 
has been made for future tax consequences 
based on the current facts, circumstances and 
tax law. However, should any tax positions be 
challenged and not prevail, different outcomes 
could result and have a significant impact on the 
amounts reported in the consolidated financial 
statements. See Note 9 Income taxes for more 
detailed information.

Post-retirement benefits
The determination of the Group pension 
obligation and expense is subject to the selection 
of certain assumptions used by actuaries in 
calculating such amounts, including, among 
others, the discount rate, the annual rate of 
increase in future compensation levels and 
estimated lifespans. Amounts charged in the 
Income statement are determined by independent 
actuaries; however, where actual results differ 
from the initial estimates, together with the effect 
of any change in assumptions or other factors, 
these differences are recorded directly in equity, 
as disclosed in the statement of comprehensive 
income. See Note 20 Post-employment benefits 
for detailed information on the assumptions used 
in the pension obligation calculations.

Environmental provisions
The Group has made provisions for known 
environmental liabilities where legal or 
constructive obligation exist, based on the 
management’s best estimate of the remediation 
costs. There is some uncertainty regarding the 
timing and amount of these costs and therefore 
the final liability could differ significantly from the 
original estimate. See Note 22 Provisions for more 
detailed information.

Accounting implications of  
the effects of Covid-19
The Group has assessed the potential accounting 
implications of decreased economic activity as 
a result of Covid-19 pandemic. The Group has 
also assessed impact on significant accounting 
estimates and management judgement and 
identified certain items, which have been 
evaluated in more detail. The review of significant 
estimates and judgement did not result in any 
material adjustments to the carrying amounts of 
assets and liabilities or amounts recognised in 
income statement.

The IAS 36 Impairment of Assets standard 
requires non-financial assets to be tested for 
impairment whenever there is an indication that 
those assets might be impaired. The uncertainty 
in the economic environment may decrease 
the reliability of long-term forecasts used in 
the impairment testing models. See Note 10 
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 
charges for more details about impairment 
testing.

The Group has reviewed and updated its 
expected credit loss model for trade receivables 
to take into account the macro-economic 
developments. Change did not result in a 
significant increase of credit loss allowances for 
trade receivables, but the credit risk may increase 
if the current trading conditions deteriorate 
further. See Note 17 Operative Receivables for 
more details There has been minor increase in the 
valuation allowance made for old, slow moving 
and obsolete finished goods and spare parts. See 
Note 16 Inventories for more details.

The Group's units in certain countries have 
received various forms of assistance from the 
authorities intended to support employment or 
temporarily improve cash flows. The savings in 
income statement or cash flow improvements 
from the obtained relief measures were not 
significant for the Group in 2020.

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 3 Segment information 

 Accounting principles

Stora Enso’s reportable segments are Packaging Materials, Packaging Solutions, Biomaterials, 
Wood Products, Forest, and Paper and the segment Other. Operating segments reflect the Group’s 
management structure and the way financial information is regularly reviewed by Stora Enso’s President 
and CEO who is responsible for allocating resources and assessing the performance of the operating 
segments. Costs, revenues, assets and liabilities are allocated to business segments on a consistent 
basis. Transactions between operating segments are based on arm’s length terms, and they are 
eliminated on consolidation. See Note 1 Accounting principles for details related to changes in segment 
reporting. The activities of the reportable segments are:

Packaging Materials
The Packaging Materials division is a global leader in the circular economy with our premium renewable 
and recyclable packaging materials based on both virgin and recycled fiber. Addressing the needs of 
today's eco-conscious consumers, we help customers replace fossil-based materials with low-carbon, 
renewable and recyclable alternatives for their food and drink, pharmaceutical or transport packaging. A 
wide selection of barrier coatings enables design optimisation for various demanding packaging end-uses. 

Packaging Solutions
The Packaging Solutions division develops and sells premium fiber-based packaging products and 
services. Our high-end eco-friendly packaging products are used by leading brands across multiple market 
sectors, including store retail, e-commerce and industrials. The portfolio includes corrugated and other 
converting, design services, automation solutions, and scalable innovations such as formed fiber and 
biocomposites.

Biomaterials
The Biomaterials division meets the growing demand for the replacement of products made from fossil-
based and hazardous materials with bio-based solutions. We use all fractions of biomass, like lignin and 
sugars, to develop new solutions. We work to replace fossil-based materials with new applications such as 
carbon for energy storage, bio-based binders, and bio-based carbon fiber. The division’s offering includes 
a wide variety of pulp grades to meet the demands of paper, board, tissue, textile and hygiene product 
producers as well as materials from side streams of our processes, such as tall oil and turpentine from 
biomass. 

Wood Products
The Wood Products division is the largest sawn wood producer in Europe and a leading provider of 
sustainable wood-based solutions for the construction industry. Our growing Building Solutions business 
offers building concepts to support low-carbon construction and eco-friendly designs. We develop digital 
tools to simplify the designing of building projects with wood. We also offer applications for windows, doors 
and for packaging industries, and our pellets provide a sustainable heating solution.

Forest
The Forest division creates value with sustainable forest management, competitive wood supply 
and innovation, which are the foundation for Stora Enso’s renewable offerings. The division manages 
Stora Enso's forest assets in Sweden and the 41% share of Tornator, the majority of whose forest assets 
are located in Finland. The division is also responsible for wood sourcing for Stora Enso’s Nordic, Baltic and 
Russian operations and B2B customers. Stora Enso is one of the biggest private forest owners in the world.

Paper
Stora Enso is the second largest paper producer in Europe, with an established customer base and a wide 
product portfolio for print and office use. Customers benefit from Stora Enso's broad selection of paper 
products made from recycled and virgin fiber, our technical expertise and our sustainability know-how as 
well as our mill and customer service centre network.

Segment Other
The segment Other includes Stora Enso’s shareholding in the energy company Pohjolan Voima (PVO), and 
the Group’s shared services and administration. 

External

Internal
2020

Total

External

2 999
578
1 025
1 295
698
1 931
27

8 553

116
16
168
91
1 348
48
901
-2 687
0

3 115
594
1 193
1 386
2 046
1 979
928
-2 687
8 553

3 091
680
1 193
1 457
790
2 800
45

10 055

Internal
2019

163
18
271
112
1 531
56
1 031
-3 184
0

Sales by segment

EUR million
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper
Other
Elimination of internal sales
Total

Disaggregation of revenue
EUR million
Product sales
Service sales
Total

Product and service sales by segment
EUR million
Packaging Materials

Packaging Solutions

Biomaterials

Wood Products

Forest

Paper

Other

Inter-segment sales

Total

Product sales
Service sales
Product sales
Service sales
Product sales
Service sales
Product sales
Service sales
Product sales
Service sales
Product sales
Service sales
Product sales
Service sales
Product sales
Service sales

30

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t
o
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a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
c
o
n
s
o

l
i

d
a
t
e
d
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
3

Total

3 254
698
1 464
1 569
2 321
2 856
1 076
-3 184
10 055

2019
9 935
120
10 055

2019
3 240
14
696
2
1 436
27
1 550
19
2 276
45
2 842
14
183
892
-2 288
-895
10 055

2020
8 460
93
8 553

2020
3 103
11
593
1
1 164
29
1 362
24
2 019
27
1 971
8
139
789
-1 893
-795
8 553

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Segment share of operating profit/loss

Goodwill by segment

Year Ended 31 December
Operating Profit/Loss

Year Ended 31 December
Goodwill

EUR million
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper
Other
Total
Net financial items
Profit before Tax
Income tax expense
Net Profit

2020
391
28
-31
111
524
-58
-42
922
-150
773
-156
617

2019
352
36
180
92
547
154
-56
1 305
-168
1 137
-281
856

Operating Capital, depreciation, impairments and impairment reversals,  
disposal gains and losses, and capital expenditure by segment

EUR million
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper
Other
Total

Year Ended 31 December
Depreciation/Impairments/ 
Impairment reversals/ 
Disposal gains and losses
2019
193
30
144
55
18
125
31
597

2020
205
30
145
46
21
122
40
609

Operating Capital

2020
2 954
240
2 245
548
6 194
493
318
12 993

2019
2 824
241
2 496
647
4 138
657
460
11 462

Capital Expenditure

2020
378
23
80
34
20
80
13
628

2019
253
35
114
54
24
87
12
579

Operating capital (“O” items) is designated thus in the Balance Sheet and represents the sum of Intangible Asset and Property, Plant 
and Equipment, right-of-use assets, forest assets, emission rights, unlisted shares, other non-current assets, inventories, current 
operative receivables and liabilities, provisions and other non-current operative liabilities.

Capital expenditure by segment 
EUR million

Capital expenditure by location*

Packaging Materials

Packaging Solutions

Biomaterials

Wood Products

Forest

Paper

Other

Finland 57%
Sweden 20%
Other Europe 15%
Other countries 8%

0

100

200

300

400

*excluding bioasset capex

2020
2019

*excluding bioasset capex

Year

Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products

Forest

Paper

Other

2020

2019

378
23
80
34

20

80

13

253
35
114
54

24

87

12

Legend

Finland

Sweden

Other Europe

Other countries

Total

Value in %

57% XX%

20% XX%

15% XX%

8% XX%

100%

EUR million
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper
Other
Total

2020
26
6
43
112
0
95
0
281

In 2020 or 2019, the goodwill testing did not result in any impairment. See Note 10 Depreciation, 
amortisation and impairment charges for more details related to impairment testing.

Average personnel

Segment
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper
Other
Total

Location
Austria
Baltic States
Belgium
Czech Republic
Finland
Germany
Poland
Russia
Sweden
Other Europe
Total Europe
Brazil
China (incl. Hong Kong)
USA
Uruguay
Other countries
Total

Year-End Personnel

Year Ended 31 December

2020
5 557
5 094
1 822
4 026
1 520
4 356
2 080
24 455

Year Ended 31 December

2020
1 014
1 410
527
992
6 317
882
2 074
1 130
5 139
262
19 747
423
3 729
94
313
148
24 455

As at 31 December

2020
23 189

31

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a
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n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
c
o
n
s
o

l
i

d
a
t
e
d
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
3

2019
31
6
49
117
0
100
0
302

2019
5 631
6 115
1 752
4 106
1 565
4 861
2 066
26 096

2019
999
1 362
529
941
6 615
975
2 136
1 125
5 215
277
20 175
418
4 890
95
314
204
26 096

2019
25 141

 71

 72

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
External sales by destination and origin

Sales by Destination

Sales by Origin

Balance of Trade

EUR million
Austria
Baltic States
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Poland
Russia
Spain
Sweden
UK
Other Europe
Total Europe
Australia / New Zealand
Brazil
China (incl. Hong Kong)
Japan
Middle East
Uruguay
USA
Other countries
Total

2020
292
232
87
153
90
510
357
1 053
339
210
419
248
195
912
331
738
6 166
129
53
860
242
220
27
252
606
8 553

2019
276
256
120
159
105
580
460
1 317
418
276
504
305
239
956
458
876
7 308
168
70
904
290
241
25
281
768
10 055

2020
348
262
201
231
15
2 650
30
298
0
0
444
211
0
2 763
-16
88
7 525
25
223
441
0
0
304
34
1
8 553

2019
393
274
256
241
19
3 357
15
439
0
0
510
230
0
2 987
16
99
8 835
36
300
483
0
0
371
27
3
10 055

2020
56
30
114
78
-75
2 140
-327
-755
-339
-210
25
-37
-195
1 851
-347
-650
1 359
-104
170
-419
-242
-220
277
-218
-605
0

2019
117
18
136
82
-86
2 776
-445
-878
-418
-276
6
-75
-239
2 030
-442
-777
1 527
-132
230
-421
-290
-241
346
-254
-765
0

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

32

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:

F

i

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a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
c
o
n
s
o

l
i

d
a
t
e
d
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
3

Major markets

Top 5 countries, sales by origin 2020 
EUR million

Finland

Sweden

Poland

China

Germany

0

500

1 000

1 500

2 000

2 500

3 000

Top 5 countries, sales by destination 2020 
EUR million

Germany
Year

Sweden

Finland
Sweden
Poland
China
Germany

China

Finland

Poland

Year

Germany
Sweden
China
Finland
Poland

2020

2650
2763
444
441
348

0

500

1 000

1 500

2 000

2 500

3 000

2020

1053
912
860
510
419

 87

 88

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total assets and capital employed by location

EUR million
Austria
Baltic States
Belgium
Czech Republic
Finland
Germany
Poland
Russia
Sweden
Other Europe
Total Europe
Brazil
China (incl. Hong Kong)
Uruguay
USA
Other countries
Total

Total Assets
2020
170
139
203
148
5 176
322
491
159
7 225
168
14 201
280
1 265
1 550
89
46
17 431

As at 31 December

Capital Employed

2019
174
136
223
151
4 378
337
573
192
5 129
98
11 390
387
1 359
1 735
109
73
15 053

2020
108
109
117
115
2 708
1
392
91
5 116
69
8 827
260
1 107
1 464
39
17
11 714

Total capital employed represents operating capital less net tax liabilities.

Reconciliation of operating capital to total asset

EUR million
Operating Capital
Operative liabilities
Interest-bearing receivables
Tax receivables
Total Assets

As at 31 December

2020
12 993
2 471
1 834
131
17 431

2019
102
113
130
126
2 715
-15
436
126
3 546
51
7 330
357
1 212
1 624
62
48
10 632

2019
11 462
2 516
982
92
15 053

Operating Capital, depreciation, impairments and impairment reversals, disposal gains and losses, 
and capital expenditure by location

EUR million
Austria
Baltic States
Belgium
Czech Republic
Finland
Germany
Poland
Russia
Sweden
Other Europe
Total Europe
Brazil
China (incl. Hong Kong)
Uruguay
USA
Other countries
Total

Year Ended 31 December
Depreciation/Impairments/ 
Impairment reversals/ 
Disposal gains and losses
2019
8
7
27
6
179
27
31
8
120
0
414
19
70
44
47
3
597

2020
8
9
27
5
205
22
23
7
130
3
440
15
60
43
49
3
609

Operating Capital

2020
111
110
133
120
2 647
4
404
89
6 447
66
10 130
254
1 104
1 485
3
16
12 993

2019
106
113
150
130
2 658
-12
450
123
4 378
52
8 147
359
1 210
1 638
62
47
11 462

Capital Expenditure

2020
7
15
15
8
360
22
20
10
124
0
580
15
10
19
3
1
628

2019
9
24
8
4
278
25
25
13
136
0
523
11
15
27
3
0
579

33

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–
N
o
t
e
s
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o
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h
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c
o
n
s
o

l
i

d
a
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e
d
fi
n
a
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c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
3

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 4 Acquisitions and disposals 

 Accounting principles

Acquired companies are accounted for under the acquisition method whereby they are included in the 
Consolidated financial statements from the date the control over the subsidiary is obtained, whereas, 
conversely, disposals are included up to the date when the control is lost.

Acquisition of Group companies
EUR million
Net assets acquired
Cash and cash equivalents
Property, plant and equipment and Intangible assets
Biological assets
Working capital
Tax assets and liabilities
Interest-bearing assets and liabilities
Fair value of net assets acquired

Purchase consideration, cash part
Purchase consideration, non-cash
Total purchase consideration

Fair value of net assets acquired
Goodwill

Cash outflow with purchase consideration on acquisitions
Cash and cash equivalents of acquired subsidiaries
Cash flow on acquisition, net of acquired cash

2020

0
3
22
0
-5
0
20

0
0
0

-20
-20

0
0
0

2019

64
332
2 598
-28
-598
-793
1 575

527
1 106
1 633

-1 575
57

-527
64
-464

Stora Enso has not acquired any companies or business operations in 2020. Amounts presented in 2020 
are related to Bergvik Skog AB restructuring measurement period adjustments in 2020.

Acquisitions – Bergvik Skog AB restructuring in 2019
On 31 May 2019, Bergvik Väst AB, a subsidiary of Bergvik Skog AB, was distributed as dividends to the 
shareholders of Bergvik Skog AB. On the same date the Group acquired an additional 20% of shares 
in Bergvik Väst AB from other shareholders resulting in a total holding in Bergvik Väst AB of 69.8%. 
Simultaneously, Bergvik Väst AB was demerged and Stora Enso became the 100% owner of a new 
subsidiary holding around 69.8% of the former Bergvik Väst AB assets and liabilities. The acquisition date 
of the new subsidiary was 31 May 2019. As a result of the transaction, Stora Enso’s direct forest holdings in 
Sweden are 1.4 million hectares, of which 1.15 million hectares is productive forest land. Acquired entity is 
part of the Forest division.

The fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities based on final acquisition accounting (including 

measurement period adjustments) are presented in the following table:

34

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–
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o
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c
o
n
s
o

l
i

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a
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e
d
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a
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c
a

i

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a
t
e
m
e
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t
s
–
N
o
t
e
4

EUR million
Cash and cash equivalents
Land
Other property, plant and equipment
Biological assets
Working capital
Tax liabilities
Interest-bearing liabilities
Fair value of net assets acquired

Purchase consideration on acquisition, cash part
Fair value of 49.8% of shares in Bergvik Väst AB, non-cash
Total purchase consideration
Fair value of net assets acquired
Goodwill

Cash out flow with purchase consideration on acquisitions
Cash and cash equivalents of acquired subsidiaries
Cash flow on acquisition, net of acquired cash

Acquisition of 69.8% 
of Bergvik Väst AB
64
308
8
2 620
-35
-603
-793
1 569

500
1 106
1 605
-1 569
36

-500
64
-436

The fair value of the shares received as dividends was determined based on the acquired net assets value 
of Bergvik Väst AB, whereby the fair values of the biological assets and land were estimated through a 
discounted cash flow model. A deferred tax liability was also included in the acquisition balances. 

The post combination review was completed during the first of half of 2020 and therefore acquisition 
accounting is considered to be final.The fair values of the acquired assets, liabilities and goodwill in the 
table above are representing final acquisition accounting. Measurement period adjustments in 2020 
included biological assets increase of EUR 22 million, land increase of EUR 3 million and goodwill decrease 
of EUR 20 million. Also deferred tax liabilities increased EUR 5 million. Measurement period adjustments 
in 2019 included increase of EUR 75 million in biological assets, increase of EUR 8 million in tax liabilities, 
decrease of EUR 21 million in goodwill, increase of EUR 48 million in non-cash consideration and decrease 
of EUR 1 million in cash consideration. The measurement period adjustments were mainly related to 
updates in biological asset valuation to better reflect the conditions existing at acquisition date.

The goodwill represents the value of securing a competitive raw material supply for the long term in 
Sweden. With direct ownership, Stora Enso will have better visibility of its wood supply and the acquisition 
provides better opportunities to further develop sustainable forest management and strengthening of 
the Group's competitiveness. The goodwill has been allocated to those Divisions benefiting from the 
acquisition.

Almost all the revenues of the acquired entity are internal from Stora Enso Group point of view. The 
acquired entity's net profit has been reported for the first five months of 2019 in the Group result as part of 
the Share of results of the equity accounted investments. Therefore, even if the acquisition had taken place 
from 1 January 2019, it would not have had a significant impact on the Group sales and net profit for 2019. 
Related transaction costs during 2019 amounted to EUR 3 million and were recorded to Other operating 
expenses. In 2019 and in connection to the restructuring, a cumulative translation adjustment (CTA) of EUR 
-171 million was released from equity through profit and loss. In addition, a net gain of EUR 129 million on 
the transaction was presented in Share of results of equity accounted investments.

The Group owns 49.8% of shares in Bergvik Skog AB which continue to be reported as an equity 

accounted investment. See Note 13 Equity accounted investments for more details.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Acquisitions - Other in 2019
In September 2019, Stora Enso bought out non-controlling interests in Stora Enso China Packaging. 
Stora Enso previously owned 90% of the parent company of the China Packaging Group and with the 
purchase, the Group's ownership increased to 100%. China Packaging is included in the Packaging 
Solutions division. The transaction did not have a material impact on the Group.

In May 2019, and separately from Bergvik Skog AB restructuring, Stora Enso also acquired 100% of 
the nursery business Bergvik Skog Plantor AB from Bergvik Skog AB, three wind turbine projects, and a 
real estate company. These acquired entities are included in the Forest division. These transactions did not 
have a material impact on the Group.

Disposal of Group companies

EUR million
Net Assets Sold
Cash and cash equivalents
Property, plant and equipment and Intangible assets
Working capital
Interest-bearing assets and liabilities
Non-controlling interest
Net assets in disposed companies

Total disposal consideration
CTA release
Transaction costs
Total net gain/loss

Attributable to the owners of the parent
Attributable to the non-controlling interest

Year Ended 31 December

2020

2019

2
3
2
-5
0
1

-1
0
0
-2

-2
0

4
8
3
-43
11
-16

-15
3
0
4

4
0

In March 2020, Stora Enso divested 100% of shares of its subsidiary consisting of sawn construction 
timber mill at Pfarrkirchen in Germany, to the fund LEO II. – VV1 GmbH. The sold company was part of the 
Wood Products division. The transaction did not have a material impact on the Group.

On 25 July 2019, Stora Enso signed an agreement to divest its 60% shareholding in the Dawang Mill 

in China, to its joint venture partner, Shandong Huatai Paper. Stora Enso Huatai (Shandong) Paper Co 
Ltd operated the Dawang paper mill in China and started operation in 2008. The disposal was completed 
in October 2019. During the third quarter of 2019 the Group recorded an impairment in fixed assets 
amounting to EUR 5 million in order to reduce the value of the net assets disposed to the recoverable value. 
The final consideration paid by Stora Enso for the divestment of the shares was EUR 17 million. In addition, 
a cumulative translation adjustment (CTA) gain of EUR 3 million was released from equity through profit and 
loss at closing. Stora Enso Huatai Paper was part of the Paper division.

In October 2019, Stora Enso divested 100% of shares of its Swedish subsidiary Skaftåsen Vindkraft 
AB. The company was acquired in May 2019 in connection to Bergvik Skog AB restructuring. Skaftåsen 
Vindkraft AB was part of the Forest division. The transaction did not have a material impact on the Group.

35

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Note 5 Other operating income and expense 

 Accounting principles

Research and development
Research costs are expensed as incurred in other operating expenses in the consolidated income 
statement. Development costs are also expensed as incurred unless they meet the criteria to be 
recognised as intangible assets in accordance with IAS 38, in which case they are capitalised as 
intangible assets and depreciated over their expected useful lives.

Government grants
Government grants relating to the purchase of property, plant and equipment are deducted from the 
carrying value of the asset, while the net cost is capitalised. Other government grants are recognised as 
income on a systematic basis over the periods necessary to match them with the related costs which 
they were intended to compensate.

Emission rights and trading
The Group’s participation in the European Emissions Trading Scheme, in which it has been allocated 
allowances to emit a fixed tonnage of carbon dioxide over a fixed period of time, gives rise to an intangible 
asset for allowances, a government grant and a liability for the obligation to deliver allowances equal 
to those emissions that have been made during the compliance period. Emission allowances recorded 
as intangible assets are recognised when the Group is able to exercise control and are measured at 
level 1 fair value at the date of initial recognition. If the market value for the emission allowances falls 
significantly below the carrying amount, the decrease is considered permanent and impaired to market 
price. At that point an impairment charge is booked for allowances which the Group will not use internally. 
The liability to deliver allowances is recognised based on actual emissions. This liability will be settled 
using allowances on hand and measured at the carrying amount of those allowances, with any excess 
emissions measured at the market value of the allowances at the period end.

In the consolidated income statement, the Group will expense emissions made at the fair value of 
the rights at their grant date, under materials and services, together with purchased emission rights at 
their purchase price. Such costs will be offset under other operating income by the income from the 
original grant of the rights used at their fair value at the grant date, together with income from the release 
or sale of surplus rights. The consolidated income statement will thus be neutral in respect of all the 
rights consumed that were within the original grant. Any net effect represents the costs of purchasing 
additional rights to cover excess emissions, or the sale of unused rights in case that the realised 
emissions are below the allowances received free of charge or the impairment of allowances that are not 
required for internal use.

Green certificates
Stora Enso is part of the local green energy production system which entitles selected mills in Sweden, 
Belgium and Poland to receive green certificates based on megawatt hours of green energy produced. 
Green certificates represent the environmental value of renewable energy generated. The certificates can 
be traded separately from the energy produced. Several countries use green certificates as a means to 
bring green electricity generation closer to a market economy instead of more bureaucratic investment 
support and feed-in tariffs. The certificates are typically received free of charge and they can be traded 
in the local market to offset part of the production costs. Green certificates are often sold to electricity 
distributors which have a quota obligation to buy a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable 
sources. Green certificates validate that the electricity has been produced from renewable sources.

All certificates received are recognized at grant date market value only in the Balance Sheet. Certificates 

are posted to prepaid costs and accrued income, and a corresponding liability is entered into accrued 
liabilities and deferred income. As such, fluctuation in market prices does not have an impact on the 
Income statement. The income is recognised only when the certificate is sold. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Other operating income and expense

EUR million
Other operating income
Emission rights granted and disposal gains
Sale of green certificates
Capital gains on sale of intangible assets and property, plant and 
equipment
Dividend and gain on sale of unlisted shares
Insurance compensation
Rent and other
Government grants
Total

Other operating expenses include
Lease expenses
Research and development
Credit losses, net of reversals
CTA release

Materials and services include
Emissions rights to be delivered and disposal losses

Year Ended 31 December

2020

2019

Personnel expenses

Note 6 Personnel expenses 

49
24

3
1
5
42
22
147

39
100
4
0

31

50
26

2
2
7
68
9
165

34
100
9
185

33

EUR million
Wages and salaries
Pensions (see below)
Share-based remuneration (Note 21)
Other statutory employer costs
Other voluntary costs
Total

Pensions

EUR million
Defined benefit plans
Defined contribution plans
Total

Year Ended 31 December

2020
966
152
1
134
17
1 270

Year Ended 31 December

2020
16
136
152

2019
1 004
166
3
136
21
1 331

2019
10
156
166

The average number of employees in 2020 amounted to 24 455 compared with 26 096 in 2019. Pension 
costs are discussed further in Note 20 Post-employment benefits. 

In 2020, the expense of the share-based remuneration was EUR 1 (EUR 3) million. Share-based 
remuneration comprising of share awards and related hedges are described in more detail in Note 21 
Employee variable compensation and equity incentive schemes. Remuneration of the Group Leadership 
Team and Board are described in Note 7 Board and executive remuneration.

36

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The Group has recorded an other operating income of EUR 49 (EUR 50) million related to emissions. Under 
materials and services an expense of EUR 31 (EUR 33) million has been booked related to the cost of CO2 
emissions from production. Actual realised profits amounted to EUR 16 (EUR 17) million on the disposal of 
surplus rights and EUR 5 (EUR 4) million is the value of excess emission rights held at the year end.

The Group also generates income from its renewable power generation in Belgium, Sweden and Poland. 
Based on this, the Group is entitled to green certificates related to our investments in green energy production 
in these countries. Green certificates are sold onwards to electricity retailers for fulfilling their renewable quota 
obligations. The income from the sale of green certificates amounted to EUR 24 (EUR 26) million.

Lease expenses include expenses relating to short-term leases of EUR 10 ( EUR 13) million, low-value 
assets of EUR 22 (EUR 19) million and variable lease payments not included in the measurement of lease 
liabilities of EUR 3 (EUR 3) million. Lease expenses also include service payments included in lease 
contracts, which are not included in the measurement of lease liabilities. More details regarding CTA are 
presented in Note 4 Acquisition and disposals.

Auditor's fees and services

EUR million
Audit fees
Audit-related
Tax fees
Other fees
Total

Year Ended 31 December

2020
4
0
0
0
4

2019
4
0
0
0
4

Aggregate fees for professional services rendered to the Group principal auditor PwC amounted to EUR 
4 (EUR 4) million. Audit fees relate to the auditing of the annual financial statements or ancillary services 
normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings. Audit-related fees are incurred for 
assurance and associated services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or for the 
review of financial statements.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

37

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7

Note 7 Board and executive remuneration 

The following Board members also served in 2020

Board and committee remuneration

Year Ended 31 December

Göran Sandberg

Shares held when Board 
membership ended
6 792

Effective date of Board 
membership ending
4 June 2020

EUR thousand (before taxes)
Board members at 31 December 2020

Jorma Eloranta, Chair
Hans Stråberg, Vice Chair
Håkan Buskhe
Elisabeth Fleuriot
Hock Goh
Mikko Helander
Christiane Kuehne
Antti Mäkinen
Richard Nilsson
Former Board members
Göran Sandberg (until 4 June, 2020)
Total remuneration as Directors1

2020
Value of 
shares1

Cash

2019

Total4

Total Committee memberships

144
74
52
60
60
52
56
52
67

0
617

79
45
30
30
30
30
30
30
30

0
336

222
118
82
91
91
82
87
82
97

0
953

 Remuneration, Nomination2,3, 
Financial and Audit 
217
115  Remuneration, Nomination2,3
Sustainability and Ethics
Financial and Audit
Financial and Audit
Sustainability and Ethics
Sustainability and Ethics
Remuneration
Financial and Audit

88
80
74
84
80
95

80
913

1 40% of the Board remuneration, excluding Committee remuneration, in 2020 was paid in Stora Enso R shares purchased from 
the market and distributed as follows: to Chair 7 209 R shares, Vice Chair 4 098 R shares, and members 2 781 R shares each. The 
Company has no formal policy requirements for the Board members to retain shares received as remuneration.
2 Stora Enso’s Shareholders’ Nomination Board has been appointed by the AGM in 2016 to exist until otherwise decided. The 
Shareholders’ Nomination Board according to its Charter as approved by the AGM comprises of four members: the Chair and Vice 
Chair of the Board of Directors, as well as two members appointed by the two largest shareholders (one each) as of 31 August each 
year. No separate remuneration is paid to members of the Nomination Board.
3 Marcus Wallenberg, appointed by FAM AB, is Chair of the Nomination Board. Harri Sailas is the member of the Shareholders’ 
Nomination Board appointed by Solidium Oy. Jorma Eloranta and Hans Stråberg were appointed as members of the Shareholders’ 
Nomination Board in their roles as Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.
4 The Company additionally pays the transfer tax for share purchases for each member, in line with AGM decision, which amount is 
considered also taxable income for each member.

Shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) have established a Shareholders’ Nomination Board 
to exist until otherwise decided and to annually prepare proposals for the AGM's approval concerning the 
number of members of the Board of Directors, the Chair, Vice Chair and other members of the Board, as 
well as the remuneration for the Chair, Vice Chair and members of the Board and its committees.

Board share interests at 31 December 2020

Board members at 31 December 2020
Jorma Eloranta, Chair
Hans Stråberg, Vice Chair
Håkan Buskhe
Elisabeth Fleuriot
Hock Goh
Mikko Helander
Christiane Kuehne
Antti Mäkinen
Richard Nilsson
Total shares held

1 Board members’ related persons hold no Stora Enso shares.

Shares held1

A

1 150

1 150

R

34 285
45 389
2 781
26 512
31 265
7 079
11 073
7 498
23 615
189 497

Group Leadership Team (GLT) remuneration and share interests
The table below includes the remuneration earned by GLT members during the year, including those 
shares with performance conditions that have ended and are due to vest in the coming year. The company 
recommends and expects the CEO and GLT members to hold Stora Enso shares at a value corresponding 
to at least one annual base salary. Stora Enso shares received as remuneration are therefore recommended 
not to be sold until this level has been reached.

The aggregate cost of earned remuneration for GLT in 2020 amounted to EUR 9.0 (EUR 11.4) million. 

The total number of GLT members was fifteen (eleven) at the year end in 2020. 

In accordance with their respective pension arrangements, GLT members may retire at sixty-five years 

of age with pensions consistent with local practices in their respective home countries. Contracts of 
employment provide for six months’ notice prior to termination with severance compensation of twelve 
months basic salary if the termination is at the Company’s request.

The outcome of the financial targets relating to the Short term incentive programmes for the performance 
year 2020, and Long term incentive programmes for the performance years 2018 to 2020 were reviewed and 
confirmed by the Remuneration Committee, and approved by the Board of Directors in January 2021.

Note 21 Employee variable compensation and equity incentive schemes includes details of incentive 

schemes and share opportunity programmes for the management and staff of Stora Enso.

Group Leadership Team remuneration

EUR thousand
Remuneration1,7
Annual salary
Local housing (actual costs)
Other benefits
Termination benefits
Short term incentive programme6
Long term incentive programme6

Pension Costs
Mandatory plans
Stora Enso voluntary plans5

Total Compensation

Year Ended 31 December

2020

2019 1

CEO Others3 GLT Total

CEO2

Former 
CEO4

Others GLT Total

894
0
29
0
171
189
1 283

284
0
284
1 567

3 667
0
393
0
710
1 212
5 982

904
590
1 494
7 476

4 561
0
422
0
881
1 401
7 265

1 188
590
1 778
9 043

75
0
2
0
14
363
454

23
0
23
477

887
0
19
0
86
0
992

62
464
526
1 518

3 756
0
373
0
428
2 948
7 505

1 396
539
1 935
9 440

4 717
0
394
0
529
3 311
8 951

1 481
1 003
2 484
11 435

1 Due to changes in the Finnish Corporate Governance code requiring companies to report remuneration that is paid or due, the 2019 
amounts have been restated from amounts paid in 2019 to amounts earned in 2019. The figures are in accordance with the Remuneration 
report disclosed separately. Due to this the figures presented in the above table do not directly reconcile with the amounts recognised as 
personnel expenses in the Income statement as presented in the below table Group Leadership Team remuneration in Income statement.
2 For the CEO, short term incentives for the financial year 2019 have been prorated for time as CEO. 
3 Amounts include earnings related to the new GLT members David Ekberg from 1 April, Lars Völkel from 1 July, Annette Stube and 
Katariina Kravi from 1 September, Tobias Bäärnman and Teemu Salmi from 1 November. Amounts include earnings related to Malin 
Bendz until January 15 and Noel Morrin until August 31.
4 For the former CEO, short term incentives for the financial year 2019 have been prorated for time as GLT. The former CEO did not 
receive any other termination benefits such as severance pay.
5 The former CEO participates in the Swedish Executive Pension Plan where pension accruals are unfunded for all participants, the liability 
is calculated and insured in accordance with Swedish legislation. The liability for the former CEO amounts to EUR 3 052 thousand.
6 Amounts relate to amounts due at year end, which will be paid in 2021. LTI value is calculated using the December 30, 2020 closing 
price of EUR 15.65. The final value of the vested shares will depend on the share price on vesting date March 1, 2021.
7 Remuneration for executives is disclosed only for the period during which they were GLT members.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

38

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Group Leadership Team remuneration in Income statement

EUR thousand
Salaries and other short-term 
employee benefits
Long Term Incentive programme1
Post-employment benefits
Total recognised in Income statement

Year ended 31 December

2020

2019

CEO

Others GLT Total

CEO

Former 
CEO

Others GLT Total

1 094
58
284
1 436

4 770
237
1 494
6 501

5 864
294
1 778
7 936

91
164
23
278

992
-259
526
1 259

4 557
455
1 935
6 947

5 640
360
2 484
8 484

1 The costs of long-term incentive (LTI) programmes are recognised as costs over the three year vesting period based on the share price 
at grant date and estimate of equity instruments that will eventually vest.

Executives other than CEO

Short term incentive (STI) programmes for management
In 2020, GLT members have STI programmes with up to a maximum of 50% or 60% of their annual fixed 
salary, payable the year after the performance period. 70% of the STI for 2020 was based on financial 
measures and 30% Group Cash Flow and safety targets.

Long term incentive (LTI) programmes for management
Since 2018, the LTI programmes have had three-year targets and vest in one portion only after three years, 
and the absolute maximum vesting level is 100% of the number of shares granted. The opportunity under 
the programmes is in Performance Shares, where the shares are vested in accordance with performance 
criteria proposed by the Remuneration Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. 

During the year the 2020 programme was launched, in which the GLT members (in GLT at year end) can 
potentially receive a value corresponding to 294 390 shares before taxes, assuming the maximum vesting level 
during the three-year vesting period (2020–2022) is achieved. The total number of shares actually transferred will 
be lower because a portion of shares corresponding to the tax obligation will be withheld to cover income tax.
The fair value of employee services received in exchange for share-based compensation payments is 

accounted for in a manner that is consistent with the method of settlement and is either cash or equity settled as 
described in more detail in Note 21. For the equity settled part, it is possible that the actual cash cost does not 
agree with the accounting charges because the share price is not updated at the time of the vesting. The figures 
in the Group Leadership Team Remuneration table refer to individuals who were executives at year end.

At the end of the year, the performance period for the 2018 programme ended, and will vest in one 
portion after three years in March 2021, dependent on Economic Value Added (EVA) for the Stora Enso 
Group and Earnings Per Share (EPS) for the Stora Enso Group. The number of shares due for executives 
(GLT members at year end) from Performance Share programmes that ended during 2020 amounted to 
77 484 with a cash value of EUR 1 212 237 before taxes, based on the share close price of EUR 15.65 on 30 
December 2020. The total number of shares actually transferred will be lower because a portion of shares 
corresponding to the tax obligation will be withheld to cover income tax.

President & Chief Executive Officer – Annica Bresky
The CEO has been employed by Stora Enso since 1 May 2017 and assumed the position as CEO on 1 
December 2019. She has a notice period of six months with a severance payment of twelve months salary 
on termination by the company but with no contractual payments on any change of control. The CEO’s 
benefits include pension provisions. The CEO’s pension plan has contributions equal to the collectively 
agreed pension plan in Sweden (ITP1), with a pensionable salary consisting of annual base salary, vacation 
pay, and actual paid STI. The retirement age is sixty-five years.

Short term incentive (STI) programme for CEO
In 2020, the CEO is entitled to an STI programme decided by the Board each year giving a maximum of 
75% of the annual fixed salary. The STI for 2020 was 70% based on financial measures, and 30% based on 
Group Cash Flow and safety targets.

Long term incentive (LTI) programmes for CEO
The CEO participates in 2018, 2019 and 2020 share based LTI programmes. The programmes have 
three-year targets and vest in only one portion after three years. The 2018 programme is related to 
performance periods 2018–2020, the 2019 programme is related to performance periods 2019–2021 and 
the 2020 programme is related to performance periods 2020–2022. The opportunity in the programmes 
is in performance shares, where shares vest in accordance with performance criteria proposed by the 
Remuneration Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. 

During the year the 2020 LTI programme was launched in which the CEO has the potential to receive a 
value corresponding to a maximum of 75 080 shares before taxes. The grant value of EUR 861 430 is based 
on the share price at the grant date, assuming a maximum vesting level during the three-year vesting period 
(2020-2022) is achieved. The total number of shares actually transferred will be lower because a portion of 
shares corresponding to the tax obligation will be withheld to cover income tax. 

At the end of the year, the performance period for the 2018 programme ended and will vest in one portion 

after three years in March 2021, dependent on Economic Value Added (EVA) and Earnings Per Share (EPS) 
for the Stora Enso Group. The number of shares due for the CEO from Performance Share programmes that 
ended during 2020 amounted to 12 066 with a cash value of EUR 188 773 before taxes, based on the share 
close price of EUR 15.65 on 30 December 2020. The total number of shares actually transferred will be lower 
because a portion of shares corresponding to the tax obligation will be withheld to cover income tax.

Group Leadership Team share interests

Executives in office at the 
year end
Annica Bresky
Seppo Parvi
Tobias Bäärnman
David Ekberg
Johanna Hagelberg
Kati ter Horst
Hannu Kasurinen
Katariina Kravi
Ulrika Lilja
Per Lyrvall3
Markus Mannström
Teemu Salmi
Annette Stube
Jari Suominen
Lars Völkel
Total, serving officers4

R shares held1
14 511
46 401
—
625
24 795
56 467
35 486
—
20 067
69 199
25 251
6 620
—
49 002
—
348 424

Shares due 20212
12 066
9 936
2 807
—
7 794
12 146
3 742
—
6 778
9 731
9 783
5 614
—
9 153
—
89 550

Performance 
share opportunity 
2022–20235
102 240
49 190
9 158
21 968
34 690
67 040
37 043
21 500
30 760
43 740
43 540
14 798
20 000
48 910
28 000
572 577

Restricted
share opportunity 
2022–20235
—
—
3 052
1 442
—
—
2 467
—
—
—
—
4 932
—
—
—
11 893

1 None of the GLT members holds A shares.
2 Shares due to GLT member are gross of taxes for the LTI programmes with performance periods that ended in 2020 and are due to be 
paid 2021. 
3 Spouse holds 1 257 of the shares.
4 The Company recommends and expects GLT members to hold Stora Enso shares at a value corresponding to at least one annual 
base salary. Stora Enso shares received as remuneration are therefore recommended not to be sold until this level has been reached.
5 Potential shares to GLT members are gross of taxes for LTI programmes with performance periods that end in 2021–2022 and are due 
to be paid 2023–2024.

The following Executive 
Officers also served in 
2020
Malin Bendz
Noel Morrin

R shares held when 
GLT membership 
ended
19 162
45 165

Performance Share 
Awards when GLT 
Membership Ended
31159 1
33110 2

Restricted Share 
Awards When GLT 
Membership Ended
—
—

Effective date of 
GLT membership 
ending
15 January 2020
31 August 2020

1 These shares are forfeited at end of employment.
2 These shares are forfeited at end of employment, except for the LTI 2018 shares which have been earned at the time employment 
ended and vest at the normal vesting date in March 2021.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 8 Net financial items 

Note 9 Income taxes 

 Accounting principles

 Accounting principles

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

Net financial items comprise net interest expenses, foreign exchange gains and losses and other 
financial income and expenses mainly arising from interest-bearing assets and liabilities.

Financial income and expense

EUR million
Net financial expense in the income statement
Financial income
Financial expense
Total

Represented by
Interest expense

Interest expense from borrowings measured at amortised cost
Net interest from interest rate derivatives measured at fair value 
through OCI
Interest expense on leases
Interest capitalised

Interest income on loans and receivables measured at amortised cost
Net interest expense

Foreign exchange gains and losses

Currency derivatives
Borrowings, cash equivalents and lease liabilities

Net foreign exchange gains and losses

Other financial income
Other financial expense
Net interest on net defined benefit liabilities
Net other financial expense

Year Ended 31 December

2020

19
-168
-150

-106

-14
-19
5
2
-132

14
-22
-8

3
-8
-5
-10

2019

8
-176
-168

-121

-13
-20
0
7
-147

0
-6
-6

0
-8
-7
-15

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Total

-150

-168

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Gains and losses on derivative financial instruments are shown in Note 27 Derivatives.

In 2020, the net interest expense decreased mainly as a result of lower average interest expense rate 
on borrowings. The amount of interest costs capitalised during the year amounted to EUR 5 million 
(EUR 0), which were related to Oulu mill conversion project in Finland. The average interest rate used 
for capitalisation was 3.3% (-). Costs on long-term debt issues capitalised as part of non-current debt 
amounted to EUR 11 (EUR 12) million in the statement of financial position. During the year, EUR 4 (EUR 5) 
million was amortised through interest expense by using the effective interest rate method.

Exchange gains and losses for currency derivatives mainly relate to non-hedge accounted instruments 

fair valued in the income statement. The amount reported as other financial income mainly consists of 
fair valuation gains, while other financial expense in the table above mainly relates to net financial fees for 
unused committed credit facilities, guarantees and rating agencies.

The Group income tax expense/benefit includes taxes of group companies based on taxable profit/loss 
for the period, together with tax adjustments for previous periods and the change in deferred income 
taxes. Tax assets and liabilities reflect uncertainty related to income taxes, if any.

Deferred income taxes are provided using the liability method, as measured with enacted, or 
substantially enacted, tax rates, to reflect the net tax effects of all temporary differences between the 
tax bases and the accounting bases of assets and liabilities. No deferred tax is recognised for the initial 
recognition of goodwill and the initial recognition of an asset or liability in a transaction which is not 
a business combination, and at the time of the transaction this affects neither accounting profit nor 
taxable profit. Deferred tax assets reduce income taxes payable on taxable income in future years. The 
deferred tax assets, whether arising from temporary differences or from tax losses, are recognised only 
to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the assets can 
be utilised. 

Tax expense

EUR million
Current Tax
Deferred Tax
Total Income Tax

Income tax rate reconciliation

EUR million
Profit before tax
Tax at statutory rates applicable to profits in the country concerned1
Non-deductible expenses and tax exempt income2
Valuation of deferred tax assets
Taxes from prior years
Changes in tax rates and tax laws
Profits from equity accounted investments
Other
Total income taxes
Effective tax rate
Statutory tax rate (blended)

Year Ended 31 December

2020
-109
-46
-156

Year Ended 31 December

2020
773
-165
0
10
-4
4
0
1
-156
20.1%
21.4%

2019
-132
-149
-281

2019
1 137
-235
-41
-53
2
-2
48
0
-281
24.7%
20.7%

1 Includes a EUR 0 million impact from countries with tax holidays and tax benefits in 2020 and a EUR 17 million impact from tax 
holidays and other tax benefits in 2019.
2 The tax value of non-deductible expenses of EUR 12 million has been netted against tax exempt income of EUR 12 million in 2020, 
and tax value of non-deductible expenses of EUR 50 million has been netted against tax exempt income of EUR 9 million in 2019.

The statutory tax rate is a weighted average of the statutory tax rates prevailing in jurisdictions where 
Stora Enso operates.

39

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

40

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Acquisitions/ 
disposals
-5
0
0
0
0

Translation 
difference
-33
-4
0
-3
-2

Value at 
31 Dec 2020
-1 175
-173
-11
-39
56

Tax losses of EUR 329 (EUR 328) million relate to Finland. A deferred tax asset of EUR 66 (EUR 66) million 
has been recognized relating to these tax losses, as it is evident considering the recent history of profit 
in Finland, the outlook and tax planning opportunities that the full amount of tax losses in Finland will be 
utilized before its expiration.

Non-recognised deferred tax assets on deductible temporary differences amounted to EUR 25 (EUR 

50) million. There is no expiry date for these differences. Taxable temporary differences in respect of 
investments in subsidiaries, branches and associates and interests in joint ventures, for which deferred tax 
liabilities have not been recognised amounted to EUR 323 (EUR 330) million.

Change in deferred taxes in 2020 

EUR million
Forest assets1
Fixed assets
Financial instruments
Untaxed reserves
Pensions and provisions
Tax losses and tax credits 
carried forward
Other deferred taxes
Total 
Equity hedges (CTA) 
Net investment loans
Change in deferred tax 
Assets2
Liabilities2

Value at 
1 Jan 2020
-722
-195
1
-24
69

Income 
Statement
-105
26
0
-12
-8

22
28
-49
5
-1
-45

84
-7
-794

81
-875

OCI
-310
0
-12
0
-3

0
0
-325
-5
1
-329

0
0
-5

-5

-2
2
-42

-42

104
23
-1 215

117
-1 332

1 Previously forest assets presented on same line as other property, plant and equipment items and to minor extent within untaxed 
reserves. Opening balances restated.
2 Deferred tax assets and liabilities have been offset in accordance with IAS 12.
OCI = Other Comprehensive income, CTA = Cumulative Translation Adjustment

Change in deferred taxes in 2019 

EUR million
Forest assets1
Fixed assets
Financial instruments
Untaxed reserves
Pensions and provisions
Tax losses and tax credits 
carried forward
Other deferred taxes
Total
Equity hedges (CTA)
Change in deferred tax
Assets2
Liabilities2

Value at 
1 Jan 2019
-2
-173
-1
-19
62

Income 
Statement
-114
-22
0
-6
2

-5
-2
-147
-1
-148

90
-5
-48

120
-168

OCI

0
2
0
6

0
0
8
1
9

Acquisitions/ 
disposals
-605
0
0
-1
0

Translation 
difference
-1
0
0
2
-1

Value at 
31 Dec 2019
-722
-195
1
-24
69

0
0
-606

-606

-1
0
-1

-1

84
-7
-794

81
-875

1 Previously forest assets presented on same line as other property, plant and equipment items and to minor extent within untaxed 
reserves. Opening balances restated.
2 Deferred tax assets and liabilities have been offset in accordance with IAS 12.

The recognition of deferred tax assets is based on the Group’s estimations of future taxable profits available 
against which the group can utilise the benefits.

Tax losses

EUR million
Expiry within five years
Expiry after five years
No expiry
Total

Tax losses carried forward
2019
786
20
1 212
2 018

2020
607
239
1 131
1 977

As at 31 December
Recognised tax values
2019
63
4
11
78

2020
35
52
15
102

Unrecognised tax values
2019
79
0
242
321

2020
88
0
221
309

Uncertain tax positions
At balance sheet date there were on-going tax audits in several jurisdictions. It is not expected that any 
significant additional taxes in excess of those already recorded for will arise as a result of these audits.

The tax liabilities of EUR 78 (EUR 48) million include an amount of EUR 37 (EUR 33) million for an uncertain 
tax position in Sweden due to disputes concerning the deduction of interest expense. On the 20 of January 
2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union has given a preliminary ruling (Lexel AB -case, C484/19) 
which might have an impact on Stora Enso's pending disputes concerning the deduction of interest 
expenses in Sweden.

Note 10 Depreciation, amortisation and impairment charges 

 Accounting principles

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment charges
Depreciation or amortisation of an asset begins when it is available for use in the location and condition 
necessary for it to be operated in the manner intended by management. Depreciation or amortisation 
ceases when the asset is derecognised or classified as held for sale in accordance with IFRS 5. 
Depreciation or amortisation does not cease when the asset becomes idle. Tangible and intangible 
assets are depreciated and amortised on a straight-line basis during their useful lives. Useful lives are 
reviewed periodically. If an asset is disposed of, proceeds exceeding the carrying value of the asset 
up to its historical cost are netted against depreciation, amortisation and impairment charges. Only 
disposal proceeds exceeding the historical cost of an asset are presented as other operating income 
(Note 5). If the asset’s book value is higher than the disposal proceeds, the difference is recognised 
as an impairment in the period when reliable estimate of disposal loss is available, at the latest when 
a binding sales contract is signed. Right-of-use (ROU) assets are depreciated using the straight line 
method from the commencement date of the contract to the earlier of the end of the lease term or the 
end of the useful life of the ROU assets.

The carrying amounts of intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and ROU assets are 
reviewed at each reporting date to determine whether there is any indication of impairment, whereas 
goodwill is tested annually. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount is estimated as 
the higher of the fair value less costs of disposal and the value in use, with an impairment loss being 
recognised whenever the carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount.

A previously recognised impairment loss is reversed if there has been a change in the estimates used 

to determine the recoverable amount, however, not to an extent higher than the carrying amount that 
would have existed had no impairment loss been recognised in prior years. For goodwill, however, a 
recognised impairment loss is not reversed.

Whilst intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and ROU assets are subject to impairment 

testing at the cash generating unit (CGU) level, goodwill is subject to impairment testing at the CGU 
level for groups of CGUs, which represents the lowest level within the Group at which goodwill is 
monitored for internal management purposes.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

41

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Depreciation, amortisation and impairment charges

EUR million
Depreciation and amortisation
Intangible assets
Buildings and structures
Plant and equipment
Right-of-use assets
Other tangible assets
Total
Impairment
Intangible assets
Buildings and structures
Plant and equipment
Right-of-use assets
Other tangible assets
Total
Reversal of impairment
Buildings and structures
Total
Disposal gains/losses
Gain on sale of assets
Loss on sale of assets
Total
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment charges

Year ended 31 December

2020

2019

30
84
370
66
9
559

19
13
21
2
2
57

0
0

-10
3
-7
609

27
83
356
70
10
546

4
5
66
3
0
78

-21
-21

-7
2
-5
597

Depreciation and amortisation
The total depreciation and amortisation charge amounted to EUR 559 million and was EUR 13 million more 
than in 2019, mainly due to depreciation of Plant and equipment assets. A breakdown of depreciation, 
amortisation and impairment charges by divisions is set out in Note 3 Segment information.

Disposal gains and losses
There were no material disposal gains or losses relating to fixed assets in 2020 or 2019.

Impairment testing
The recoverable amount for the cash generating units (CGUs) has been determined based on a value in use 
calculation using cash flow projections from financial estimates approved by the Board of Directors and 
management. The pre-tax discount rates are calculated for each CGU taking into account the business 
environment of the CGU and the tax and risk profile of the country in which the cash flow is generated. The 
table in the goodwill impairment testing section below sets out the pre-tax discount rates used for goodwill 
impairment testing, which are similar to those used in the impairment testing of other intangible assets, 
property, plant and equipment, and ROU assets.

Impairments were tested using a value in use method for each CGU based on the following main 

assumptions:
•  Sales price estimates in accordance with internal and external specialist analysis
•  Cash flows and discount rates were prepared in nominal terms (2019 in real terms)
•  Current cost structure to remain unchanged
•  For goodwill testing, a five-year future period was used, after which the perpetuity value was determined 
using inflation based growth rates, whereas for intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, and 
ROU assets, testing the period was the remaining expected economic life of the assets.

Property, plant and equipment, other intangible assets and ROU assets impairments
The total impairment charges on property, plant and equipment, other intangible assets and ROU assets 
in 2020 amounted to EUR 57 (EUR 78) million and resulted from business restructuring, Group company 
disposals and impairment testing. Impairment reversals amounted to EUR 0 (EUR 21) million. In 2020, 
certain assets in Nordic and Innovation CGU in the Biomaterials division were tested for fixed asset 
impairment and an impairment charge of EUR 42 (EUR 43) million was recognised.

Goodwill impairment testing
In 2020 or 2019, the Goodwill testing did not result in any impairment.

The most material groups of cash generating units containing goodwill

EUR million
Wood Products - Central Europe
Paper - Newsprint and Book Paper
Paper - Uncoated Magazine Paper
Biomaterials - Nordic and Innovation
Other CGUs 2
Total

Year ended 31 December

2020

2019

Pre-tax 
discount rate
6.8%
8.2%
6.8%
6.8%

Goodwill  
at year end
106
49
40
43
43
281

Pre-tax 
discount rate 1 
5.4%
5.7%
5.7%
5.9%

Goodwill  
at year end
108
52
40
49
54
302

1 2019 discount rates are prepared in real terms.
2 Other CGUs line is including Packaging Solutions - Europe, Packaging Materials operations in Sweden, Wood Products - Northern 
Europe and Office Paper cash generating units.

The calculation of value-in-use is highly sensitive to discount rates, sales prices, and costs. The Sensitivity 
analysis table below summarises amounts by which the value assigned to the key assumption must 
change in order for the unit’s recoverable amount to be equal to its carrying amount for the CGU for which 
a reasonably possible change in an assumption could result in an impairment. The recoverable amount for 
the CGU Biomaterials - Nordic and Innovation amounted to EUR 498 million in 2020 compared with the 
carrying amount of EUR 385 million. 

Goodwill testing sensitivity analysis
EUR million
Increase in the discount rate (percentage points)
Annual decrease in the sales prices
Annual increase in the costs

Biomaterials – Nordic and Innovation
0.9%
-0.5%
0.6%

Summary of impairment and impairment reversals per division

Year ended 31 December

EUR million
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Wood Products
Forest
Paper
Other
Total (impairment +) / (Impairment reversal -)

Comparative 2019 figures have been restated according to the current division structure.

2020
0
3
42
0
0
3
9
57

2019
-14
5
43
8
0
11
4
56

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

42

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Note 11 Intangible assets, property, plant  
and equipment and right-of-use assets 

 Accounting principles

depreciation and any impairment charges. Interest costs on borrowings to finance the construction of 
these assets are capitalised as part of the cost during the construction period when the requirements 
are fulfilled.

Land and water areas are not depreciated, as these are deemed to have an indefinite life, but 

otherwise depreciation is based on the following expected useful lives: 

Computer software development costs
The cost of development or acquisition of new software clearly associated with an identifiable and 
unique product that will be controlled by the Group and has a probable benefit exceeding its cost 
beyond one year is recognised as an intangible asset and will be amortised over the expected useful life 
of the software between 3 to 10 years. Website costs are expensed as incurred.

Goodwill
Goodwill represents future economic benefits arising from assets that are not capable of being 
individually identified and separately recognised by the Group on an acquisition. Goodwill is computed 
as the excess of the cost of an acquisition over the fair value of the Group’s share of the fair value of 
net assets of the acquired subsidiary at the acquisition date, and is allocated to those groups of cash 
generating units expected to benefit from the acquisition for the purpose of impairment testing. In 
compliance with IFRS 3, the cost of an acquisition is equal to the sum of the consideration transferred, 
the value of the non-controlling interest in the acquisition, and the fair value of the previously held 
interest in the acquired subsidiary. Goodwill arising on the acquisition of non-euro foreign entities is 
treated as an asset of the foreign entity denominated in the local currency and translated at the closing 
rate.

Goodwill is not amortised but tested for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if there 
is an indication of impairment. Gains and losses on the disposal of a Group entity include any goodwill 
relating to the entity sold.

Goodwill arising from the acquisition of an equity accounted investment or joint arrangement 
is included in the carrying amount of the investment and is assessed for impairment as part of that 
investment. Any excess of the Group’s share of the net fair value over the cost of the acquisition, after 
reassessment, is recognised immediately in the income statement.

Intangible assets
Intangible assets are stated at their historical cost and amortised on a straight-line basis over their 
expected useful lives, which usually varies from 3 to 10 years and up to 20 years for patents. An 
adjustment is made for any impairment. Intangible items acquired must be recognised as assets 
separately from goodwill if they meet the definition of an asset, are either separable or arise from 
contractual or other legal rights, and their fair value can be measured reliably.

Intangible assets recognised separately from goodwill in acquisitions consist of marketing 
and customer-related or contract and technology-based intangible assets. Typical marketing and 
customer-related assets include trademarks, trade names, service marks, collective marks, certification 
marks, customer lists, order or production backlogs, customer contracts and the related customer 
relationships. Contract and technology-based intangible assets are normally licensing and royalty 
agreements or patented technology and trade secrets, such as confidential formulas, processes or 
recipes. The fair value determination of customer contracts and related relationships is derived from 
expected retention rates and cash flow over the customers’ remaining estimated lifetime. The value of 
trademarks is derived from a discounted cash flow analysis using the relief from royalty method.

Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment acquired by Group companies are stated at their historical cost, which 
are augmented where appropriate by asset retirement costs. Assets arising on the acquisition of a new 
subsidiary are stated at fair value at the date of acquisition. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line 
basis, and adjusted for any impairment and disposal charges. The Consolidated statement of financial 
position value represents the cost deducted by received grants and subsidies and less the accumulated 

Asset class
Buildings, industrial
Buildings, office & residential
Groundwood mills
Hydroelectric power
Paper, board and pulp mills, main machines
Heavy machinery
Converting factories
Sawmills
Computers
Vehicles
Office equipment
Railway, harbours
Forest roads
Roads, fields, bridges

Depreciation years
10–50
20–50
15–20
40
20–30
10–20
10–15
10–15
3–5
5
3–5
20–25
10–15
15–20

Ordinary maintenance and repair charges are written as expensed when incurred, but the costs of 
significant renewals and improvements are capitalised and depreciated over the remaining useful 
lives of the related assets. Retirements, sales and disposals of property, plant and equipment are 
recorded by deducting the cost and accumulated depreciation from the accounting records with any 
resulting terminal depreciation adjustments reflected in impairment charges in the Consolidated income 
statement. Capital gains are shown in other operating income.

Spare parts are accounted for as property, plant and equipment if they are major and used over more 

than one period, or if they are used only in connection with an item of property, plant and equipment. 
In all other cases, spare parts are carried as part of the inventory and recognised in profit or loss as 
consumed items.

Right-of-use (ROU) assets
At inception of a contract, the Group assesses whether a contract is, or contains, a lease. A contract is, 
or contains, a lease if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period 
of time in exchange for consideration. ROU assets are initially measured at cost, which comprises 
the initial amount of the lease liability adjusted mainly for lease payments made at or before the 
commencement date. The Group allocates the consideration in the contract to each lease component 
and will separate non-lease components if these are identifiable. Lease terms are negotiated on an 
individual basis and contain a wide range of different terms and conditions.

The ROU assets are subsequently depreciated using the straight line method from the 

commencement date to the earlier of the end of the lease term or the end of the useful life of the ROU 
asset. In addition, the ROU asset is adjusted for certain remeasurements of the lease liability. ROU 
assets are tested for impairment in accordance with IAS 36.

The Group has elected not to recognise ROU assets for short-term leases that have a lease term 
of 12 months or less and leases of low value assets. Leases of low value assets mainly include IT and 
office equipment, certain vehicles and machinery and other low value items. The Group recognises 
the lease payments associated with these leases as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease 
term (Note 5).

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Intangible assets

EUR million
Acquisition cost
At 1 January 2019
Translation difference
Reclassifications
Additions2
Disposals1
At 31 December 2019
Translation difference
Reclassifications
Additions2
Disposals1
At 31 December 2020

Accumulated amortisation and impairment
At 1 January 2019
Translation difference
Disposals1
Amortisation
Impairment
At 31 December 2019
Translation difference
Disposals1
Amortisation
Impairment
At 31 December 2020

Net Book Value at 31 December 2020

Net Book Value at 31 December 2019

Year ended 31 December

Computer 
software

Other 
intangible 
assets

Assets in 
progress

Goodwill

Total

225
0
6
8
-4
236
-2
17
3
-20
233

158
0
-4
16
0
170
-2
-20
18
9
176

57

65

177
4
-75
3
-6
102
-3
5
1
-8
98

17
0
-6
12
4
27
-3
-8
12
9
38

60

75

27
0
-10
11
0
29
-1
-19
9
0
17

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

17

29

1 194
3
0
57
0
1 253
-4
0
-20
-535
695

951
0
0
0
0
951
-2
-535
0
0
414

281

302

1 623
7
-78
78
-10
1 620
-9
2
-7
-562
1 044

1 126
1
-10
27
4
1 148
-6
-562
30
19
629

415

471

1 Company disposals are included in Disposals line. Company disposals are discussed in more detail in Note 4 Acquisitions and disposals.
2 Company acquisitions are included in the Additions line. Company acquisitions are discussed in more detail in Note 4 Acquisitions 
and disposals.

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Property, plant and equipment

Land and 
water

Buildings 
and 
structures

Year ended 31 December
Other 
tangible 
assets

Plant and 
equipment

Assets in 
progress

EUR million
Acquisition cost
At 1 January 2019
Translation difference
Reclassifications
Reclassifications to 
biological assets
Additions2
Disposals1
At 31 December 2019
Translation difference
Reclassifications
Reclassifications to 
biological assets
Additions2
Disposals1
At 31 December 2020

131
0
-1

0
1
-1
129
-1
0

0
0
0
128

Accumulated depreciation and impairment
At 1 January 2019
Translation difference
Additions2
Disposals1
Depreciation
Impairments and reversals
At 31 December 2019
Translation difference
Disposals1
Depreciation
Impairments and reversals
At 31 December 2020

4
0
0
-1
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
3

3 335
11
61

-1
42
-73
3 376
-84
19

-2
16
-23
3 301

2 044
-3
7
-68
81
-16
2 044
-21
-22
82
13
2 096

13 413
-49
322

-2
228
-476
13 438
-79
166

-1
157
-424
13 256

10 285
-54
17
-469
356
66
10 201
12
-419
370
21
10 186

43

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1

Total

17 739
-28
-3

-2
598
-557
17 746
-167
-2

-4
576
-460
17 690

12 703
-55
43
-543
448
50
12 645
-9
-453
464
36
12 683

440
9
-403

0
299
-1
345
-2
-192

0
399
-1
549

9
2
0
0
0
0
11
0
-1
0
2
11

420
1
17

0
28
-6
459
-1
4

0
4
-11
455

361
0
19
-6
11
0
386
0
-11
11
0
386

69

73

Net Book Value at 31 
December 2020

Net Book Value at 31 
December 2019

124

1 205

3 071

125

1 332

3 237

538

5 007

334

5 101

1 Company disposals are included in the Disposals line. Company disposals are discussed in more detail in Note 4 Acquisitions and 
disposals.
2 Company acquisitions are included in the Additions line. Company acquisitions are discussed in more detail in Note 4 Acquisitions 
and disposals.

In accordance with the new presentation, the Group has changed its forest asset and forest land 
presentation principles. Previously forest land assets were presented as part of the Land and water asset 
class and included in the balance sheet line Property, plant and equipment. In accordance with new 
presentation principles, forest land is presented as a separate balance sheet line and considered as part of 
forest assets, which are specified in more detail in Note 12. Comparative periods have been restated.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land and 

water Forest land

Year ended 31 December
Buildings 
and 
structures

Plant and 
equipment 
and other

Note 12 Forest assets 

Total

 Accounting principles

Right-of-use assets

EUR million
Acquisition cost
At 1 January 2019
Translation difference
Reclassifications
Reclassifications to biological assets
Additions
Disposals
Other changes
At 31 December 2019
Translation difference
Reclassifications
Reclassifications to biological assets
Additions
Disposals
Other changes
At 31 December 2020

Accumulated depreciation and impairment
At 1 January 2019
Disposals
Depreciation
Impairment
Other changes
At 31 December 2019
Disposals
Depreciation
Impairment
Other changes
At 31 December 2020

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

Net Book Value at 31 December 2020

Net Book Value at 31 December 2019

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

23
1
80
0
0
0
-1
104
-2
0
0
3
-5
0
99

0
0
3
3
0
6
-3
3
1
0
6

93

98

269
2
0
-12
7
0
-19
249
-9
0
-12
6
0
0
233

0
0
7
0
0
7
0
5
0
0
12

221

242

80
2
2
0
6
0
0
89
0
-1
0
9
-3
2
97

0
0
20
0
0
20
-2
21
0
0
38

59

69

158
0
0
0
15
-2
-34
138
-2
0
0
21
-7
-1
148

0
-2
40
0
0
38
-7
37
1
0
70

79

99

530
5
82
-12
29
-2
-53
579
-14
0
-12
39
-15
1
577

0
-2
70
3
1
71
-13
66
2
-1
125

452

508

Stora Enso’s most material right-of-use assets capitalised consist of land areas used in forestry and 
industrial operations, various machinery and equipment leases including operative machinery, vessels 
and other logistic equipment and properties including offices, warehouses and other operative properties. 
Some of the leases contain renewal options and extension options that are considered in the lease term if 
the Group is reasonably certain to exercise the option.

The Group has changed its forest asset and forest land presentation principles. Previously, forest 
land right-of-use assets were presented as part of the Land and water asset class. In accordance to 
the new presentation principles, leased forest land is presented as its own right-of-use asset class, and 
comparative figures for leased land and water areas have been restated. 

Intangible assets and property, plant and equipment, and right-of-use asset additions
The total capital expenditure excluding investments in biological assets for the year in Stora Enso Oyj and 
its subsidiaries amounted to EUR 628 (EUR 579) million. Details of ongoing projects and future plans are 
discussed in more detail in the Report of the Board of Directors.

The forest assets of Stora Enso are defined as standing growing trees, classified as biological assets, 
and related forest land. The biological assets of Stora Enso consist of standing trees to be used as raw 
material in pulp and mechanical wood production and as biofuels. 

Forest asset valuation is based on continuous operations and sustainable forest management, 
also taking into consideration environmental restrictions and other reservations. Biological assets are 
recognised and valued in accordance with the IAS 41 Agriculture standard at fair value and forest land 
assets are recognised in accordance with the IAS 16 Property, plant and equipment standard. Leased 
forest land assets are presented as part of right-of-use assets in Note 11 Intangible assets, property, 
plant and equipment, and right-of-use assets.

The Group changed its accounting policy related to Nordic forest asset valuation at the end of 2020 
as explained in Note 1 Accounting principles. The Group has also changed its forest land presentation 
principles. Previously, forest land assets were included in the statement of financial position line 
Property, plant and equipment, and as part of the Land and water asset class, as specified in Note 11. 
Related to presentation principle changes, corresponding comparative figures are presented on a 
separate line in the statement of financial position and as part of forest assets.

Nordic and plantation forest assets are classified as different classes of assets due to different nature, 

usage and characteristics of the assets. The main difference is the short-term growing cycle of 6–12 
years in plantations versus the long-term growing cycle of 60–100 years in Nordic forests. There are also 
differences in regeneration methods, forest management, and the use of the assets for other purposes. 
Nordic forest assets include holdings in Sweden and Finland (also including minor forest asset 

holdings in Estonia and Romania) and plantation forest assets include holdings in China, Brazil, Uruguay 
and Laos. Accounting policies for the different class of forest assets are presented separately below. 
The Group has forest assets in its own subsidiaries in Sweden, China, and Laos, as well as in joint 
operations in Brazil and Uruguay, and in equity accounted investments in Finland and Brazil. Stora Enso 
also ensures that the Group’s share of the valuation of forest holdings in equity accounted investments 
and joint operations are consistent with Group accounting policies. At harvesting, biological assets are 
transferred to the inventory.

Nordic forest assets
Forest assets in Sweden are recognised at fair value and valued by using a market approach method 
on the basis of the forest market transactions in the areas where Stora Enso’s forests are located. 
Stora Enso intends to use forest assets to balance the wood supply for its industrial operations and to 
seek opportunities for further optimisation of its forest asset holdings. The total forest assets value is 
calculated with verified inventory data and regional standing stock prices, considering among others:
• 
•  standing stock prices by forest cubic meter (m3 fo) combined from traded forest estates and
• 

regional market transaction data based on the forest assets' geographical locations,

regional standing stock inventory.

Information relating to forest asset transactions are available from several market sources. The market 
transaction information can be viewed as market-corroborated inputs. Certain adjustments are made 
to refine the market-corroborated inputs using unobservable inputs, therefore inputs are categorised to 
fair value hierarchy measurement level 3. The judgements are further explained in Note 2 Critical 
accounting estimates and judgements.

The total value of the forest assets in Sweden is allocated across standing trees, which are 

recognised as biological assets and forest land. Allocation of the combined value fair value of forest 
assets is based on the income approach where separate present values of expected net cash flows 
are calculated for both biological assets and forest land. The discount rate is determined as the rate at 
which the valuation based on market transaction prices matches the total forest assets combined cash 

44

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Forest assets

EUR million
Subsidiaries and joint 
operations
Value at 1 January
Translation differences
Unrealized change in fair 
value1 2
Additions3
Disposals
Change due to harvesting1
Other operative changes1
Reclassification from PPE
Value at 31 December

Associated companies
Tornator Oyj (41%)
Arauco Florestal Arapoti 
S.A. (20%)
Value at 31 December

Biological assets
Year Ended 31 December
2019

2020

Forest land4
Year Ended 31 December
2019

2020

Forest assets total
Year Ended 31 December
2019

2020

3 627
99

560
81
0
-128
-4
16
4 250

769

8
778

457
40

546
2 675
-1
-98
-6
14
3 627

740

14
753

509
-12

1 504
3
0
0
0
0
2 005

56

4
60

198
6

0
305
0
0
0
0
509

38

6
44

4 136
88

2 065
84
0
-128
-4
16
6 256

825

12
837

655
47

546
2 981
-2
-98
-6
14
4 136

778

19
798

Total

5 028

4 380

2 065

553

7 093

4 934

1 Items are recorded in the profit and loss lines for biological assets. For forest land, changes in fair value are recognised directly in equity.
2 The impact in 2020 is mainly due to valuation and accounting principles changes for Swedish forests. See Note 1 for more details.
3 Additions in 2019 mainly including assets acquired through Bergvik Skog AB restructuring.
4 Previously presented as part of Land and water in Note 11 Intangible assets and property, plant and equipment and right-of-use 
assets. Not including leased forest land.

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

flows for standing trees and forest land. The discount rate is estimated to be the same for biological 
assets and forest land as the nature and timing of the cash flows are similar.

Biological assets are measured at fair value in accordance IAS 41. The fair value is based on the 
income approach and the discounted cash flow method whereby the fair value of the biological assets 
is calculated using cash flows from continuous operations, taking into account the growth potential of 
one cycle. Forest land is measured at fair value using the revaluation method as defined in the IAS 16 
standard. Fair value of forest land is measured based on income approach, including net cash flows 
related to trees to-be-planted in the future as well as other land related income, such as hunting rights, 
wind power leases and soil material sales. 

Other Nordic forest assets, owned mainly in Finland through Group’s 41% shareholding in the 
equity accounted investment Tornator, are recognised at fair value using the income approach. The 
valuation of biological assets is based on the discounted cash flow method calculated using cash flows 
from continuous operations, taking into account the growth potential of one cycle. The forest land is 
measured at fair value using the revaluation method as defined in IAS 16. The forest land fair value 
measurement is based on the income approach and the discounted cash flow method, including cash 
flows from trees to-be-planted in the future as well as other related income. The discount rate applied 
for both biological assets and forest land is determined using the weighted average cost of capital 
method.

Changes in the fair value of biological assets are recognised in the income statement. Changes in 
the fair value of forest land, net of deferred taxes, are recognised in other comprehensive income (OCI) 
and accumulated in a revaluation reserve in equity. Revaluation reserve is not recycled to the income 
statement upon disposal. If the fair value of forest land were to be less than cost, the difference would 
be recognised in the income statement as an impairment loss.

Plantation forest assets
In plantation forest areas, biological assets are recognised at fair value in accordance with the IAS 41 
standard and based on the income approach in those areas where the Group has forest land. Fair value 
measurement is based on fair value hierarchy measurement level 3. Forest land is measured initially and 
subsequently at cost, using the cost model as defined in IAS 16.

The valuation of biological assets is based on the discounted cash flow method calculated using 

cash flows from continuous operations and based on sustainable forest management, taking into 
account growth potential of one cycle. The fair value of the biological assets is based on the productive 
forestland. The yearly harvest from the forecasted tree growth is multiplied by wood prices and the cost 
of silviculture and harvesting is then deducted. The fair value of the biological assets is measured as the 
present value of the harvest from one growth cycle, taking into consideration environmental restrictions 
and other reservations. The discount rate applied is determined using the weighted average cost of 
capital method.

Young standing timber less than two years old (less than three years in Montes del Plata) is 

considered to be an immature asset and is accounted at cost. Fair value is deemed to approximate the 
cost when little biological transformation has taken place or the impact of the transformation on the 
price is not expected to be significant, which varies according to the location and species of the assets.

Changes in the fair value of biological assets are recognised in the income statement. The forest land 

is measured at cost and not depreciated.

The value of forest assets disclosed in the Consolidated statement of financial position from subsidiary 
companies and joint operations amounts to EUR 6 256 (4 136) million as shown below. The Group’s indirect 
share of forest assets held by associated companies amounts to EUR 837 (798) million. The total forest 
asset value amounts to EUR 7 093 (4 934) million.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Valuation and standing stock of forest assets in main subsidiaries,  
joint operations and associate company

ha

Total area
 - of which owned
 - of which leased
Productive area ha
Standing stock million m3 fo.1
Standing stock million m3 u.b.2

Swedish 

forests Guangxi

Tornator 
(41%)

As at 31 December 2020
Veracel 
(50%)

MdP  
Total3
(50%)
81 000 112 000 135 000 291 000 2 017 000
95 000 291 000 1 891 000
39 000
— 126 000
94 000 269 000 1 629 000
198.5
31.8
164.3
26.1

— 107 000
5 000
47 000
4.4
3.7

13.0
10.7

— 81 000
75 000
4.3
3.5

1 398 000
1 398 000

1 145 000
145.0
120.4

Standing stock million m3 fo.1
Standing stock million m3 u.b.2
Estimated 
growth

million m3 
u.b.2/p.a.
million m3 
u.b.2/p.a.
EUR million

Harvesting

Productive area EUR/ha

EUR million
EUR million
EUR million

143.0
118.7

5.0

3.8
3 774
3 298
1 829
5 603
—

4.2
3.4

1.1

1.0
176
2 359
—
176
183

4.4
3.7

1.4

0.8
66
1 412
26
92
1

13.0
10.7

31.4
25.8

195.9
162.2

2.5

1.1

11.1

1.0
230
2 438
150
380
37

1.2
769
2 860
56
825
—

7.8
5 016
3 078
2 061
7 077
221

Land area

Total area

Productive 
Forest land

Biological assets
Biological assets
Forest land
Total forest assets
Leased forest land

1 Forest cubic meters
2 Solid under bark (sub) cubic meters
3 Total figures exclude minor forest ownerships in Laos and associate company Arauco Florestal Arapoti S.A. in Brazil

ha

Total area
 - of which owned
 - of which leased
Productive area ha
Standing stock million m3 fo.1
Standing stock million m3 u.b.2

Swedish 
forests5 Guangxi

Tornator 
(41%)

As at 31 December 2019
Veracel 
(50%)

MdP  
Total4 5
(50%)
81 000 112 000 131 000 286 000 2 008 000
95 000 286 000 1 886 000
36 000
— 123 000
86 000 262 000 1 619 000
195.8
31.5
161.8
25.4

— 107 000
5 000
50 000
3.8
3.1

10.0
8.2

— 81 000
76 000
4.3
3.5

1 398 000
1 398 000

1 145 000
146.3
121.5

Standing stock million m3 fo.1
Standing stock million m3 u.b.2
Estimated 
growth3

million m3 
u.b.2/p.a.
million m3 
u.b.2/p.a.
EUR million

Harvesting3

Productive area EUR/ha

EUR million
EUR million
EUR million

143.2
120.3

4.7

3.4
3 133
2 738
309
3 442
—

4.2
3.1

0.7

1.0
181
2 385
—
181
201

3.8
3.1

0.8

0.9
86
1 716
36
122
1

10.0
8.2

31.0
25.1

192.1
159.8

1.6

1.1

8.9

1.4
222
2 608
164
387
40

1.0
740
2 824
38
778
—

7.8
4 362
2 695
548
4 910
241

Land area

Total area

Productive Forest 
land

Biological assets
Biological assets
Forest land
Total forest assets
Leased forest land

1 Forest cubic meters
2 Solid under bark (sub) cubic meters
3 Swedish Forests harvesting volume is annualised based on June-December outcome. Estimated growth is a full year estimate.
4 Total figures exclude minor forest ownerships in Laos and equity accounted investment Arauco Florestal Arapoti S.A. in Brazil
5 Swedish forest total area (ha), productive area (ha) and biological assets per productive ha recalculated based on information received 
after 2019 reporting.

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Subsidiaries and joint operations
At 31 December 2020 forest assets (excl. leases) were located by value, in Sweden 90% (83%), China 3% 
(4%), Brazil 1% (3%) and Uruguay 6% (9%). The land area comes to 1 726 (1 722) thousand hectares of 
which 7% (7%) is leased and under 1% (1%) is restricted. From Stora Enso's total forest holdings 1 361 
(1 349) thousand hectares is productive forest land. The harvested wood amounted to 7 (7) million m3 sub. 
The Montes del Plata and Veracel amounts take into account the ownership share.

Swedish forests
At the end of 2020, the value of the biological assets in Swedish forests amounted to EUR 3 774 (3 133) 
million and related forest land amounted to EUR 1 829 (309) million. The increase of EUR 1 504 million in 
forest land value in 2020 is related to the accounting principle change to measure Nordic forest land at 
fair value using the revaluation method. The increase of EUR 641 million in biological asset value in 2020 
is mainly due to the change to a transaction based valuation method and, as a consequence, in a lower 
discount rate applied in the valuation of biological assets and due to foreign exchange impact. Biological 
asset value was negatively impacted by changes in parameters applied in discounted cash flow model. 
Deferred taxes liabilities related to forest assets amounted to EUR 1 153 (709) million. The discount rate 
of 3.6% (4.2%) is applied in the valuation. In 2020 the discount rate is determined as the rate at which the 
valuation based on market transaction prices matches the total forest assets combined cash flows for 
biological assets and forest land. In 2019 discount rate was determined using the weighted average cost of 
capital method. 

The productive land in Swedish forests amounted to 1 145 (1 145) thousand hectares with a standing 

stock of 118.7 (120.3) million m3 sub and 143.0 (143.2) million forest m3 (fo.). The weighted three-year 
average market transaction price applied in the valuation for Swedish forests assets in 2020 is EUR 39 per 
forest m3. The forest asset value corresponds to an average of EUR 4 900 per ha of productive forest land. 
The annual harvesting is on average 3.8 (3.4) million m3 sub.

The valuation of the forest assets is based on detailed transaction data and price statistics as provided 
by different market data suppliers. Market transaction data is adjusted to consider the characteristics and 
nature of Stora Enso's forest assets and to exclude certain non-forest assets and outliers. The valuation 
takes into account where the forest land is located, price levels and volume of standing stock. Market 
prices between areas varies significantly. Future changes in value of Swedish forest assets are impacted 
by changes in market transaction prices and changes in volume of standing stock, considering growth and 
other changes. See Note 1 for details related to changes in accounting principles and Note 2 for information 
related estimates and judgment applied in the valuation.

Forest asset location and volume in 2020

Productive area
Percentage of total
Standing stock
Percentage of total

ha
%
million m3 fo.
%

North
191 000
17%
16.2
11%

Middle
949 000
83%
125.9
88%

South
5 000
0%
0.8
1%

Total
1 145 000
100%
143.0
100%

Guangxi
At the end of 2020, the value of the biological assets in Guangxi, China, amounted to EUR 176 (181) million. 
All the forest land in China is leased. The biological assets included young standing timber with a value of 
EUR 33 (34) million. The movement is driven by higher sales prices and costs and decreases volumes. The 
discount rate of 8.4% (8.9%) used in the discounted cash flows (DCF) is determined using the weighted 
average cost of capital method decreased slightly. The productive land in Guangxi totals to 75 (76) 
thousand hectares with a standing stock of 3.4 (3.1) million m3 sub. The annual harvesting is on average 1.0 
(1.0) million m3 sub.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Veracel
Veracel Celulose S.A. (Veracel), a 50% joint operation company in Brazil, had biological assets fair valued 
at EUR 132 (172) million, of which Stora Enso’s share was EUR 66 (86) million. Decrease is driven by foreign 
exchange impact and slightly lower volumes. Sales prices increased slightly. The biological assets included 
young standing timber with a value of EUR 22 (33) million. The discount rate of 8.8% (9.0%) used in the 
DCF is determined using the weighted average cost of capital method decreased slightly. The related 
forest land is measured at cost. Stora Enso’s share (50%) of the land area is 112 (112) thousand hectares. 
Stora Enso’s share of the productive land in Veracel, Brazil totals 47 (50) thousand hectares with a share of 
standing stock of 3.7 (3.1) million m3 sub. The ownership share of annual harvesting is on average 0.8 (0.9) 
million m3 sub. 

Montes del Plata
Montes del Plata (MdP), a 50% joint operation company in Uruguay, had biological assets with a fair value 
of EUR 460 (445) million, of which Stora Enso’s share was EUR 230 (222) million. The biological assets 
included young standing timber with a value of EUR 46 (55) million. The discount rate of 6.5% (8.0%) used 
in the DCF is determined using the weighted average cost of capital method decreased in 2020. The related 
forest land is measured at cost. Stora Enso’s share (50%) of the land area is 135 (131) thousand hectares. 
Stora Enso’s share of the productive land in Montes del Plata, Uruguay totals 94 (86) thousand hectares 
with a share of standing stock of 10.7 (8.2) million m3 sub. The ownership share of annual harvesting is on 
average 1.0 (1.4) million m3 sub.

Associated companies
The Group has two associated companies holding forest assets.

Tornator
Tornator Oyj (Tornator), a 41% owned Finnish associated company, had biological assets with a value of 
EUR 1 877 (1 805) million, of which Stora Enso’s share was EUR 769 (740) million. Forest land had a value 
of EUR 136 (94) million of which Stora Enso's share was EUR 56 (38) million. The increase in the fair value 
of biological assets is mainly due to purchases and other minor changes. The increase in the value of forest 
land is due to purchases and accounting principle change to measure forest land at fair value. Stora Enso’s 
41% share of the productive forest land in Tornator totals to 269 (262) thousand hectares with a share of 
standing stock of 25.8 (25.1) million m3 sub. The ownership share of annual harvesting is on average 1.2 
(1.0) million m3 sub.

Arauco Florestal Arapoti
Arauco Florestal Arapoti S.A., the 20% owned Brazilian associated company, had biological assets with a 
fair value of EUR 42 (67) million, of which Stora Enso’s share was EUR 8 (14) million. The related forest land 
is measured at cost.

Biological asset valuation sensitivities of significant assumptions of a +/- 10% movement

Guangxi
Veracel
Montes del Plata

Wood market prices
+/-31
+/-7
+/-24

Growth rate
+/-1
+/-7
+/-24

Discount rate
+/-3
+/-2
+/-6

Swedish forest asset valuation is sensitive for changes in market transaction prices and volume of standing 
stock. A change in the average market price of forest assets of EUR 1 per forest m3 would impact the value 
of forest assets by EUR 143 million. A change in the volume of standing stock of 1 million forest m3 would 
impact the value of forest assets by EUR 39 million.

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Note 13 Equity accounted investments 

 Accounting principles

Consolidation principles
Associated companies over which Stora Enso exercises significant influence are accounted for using 
the equity method, which involves recognising the Group’s share of the equity accounted investment 
profit or loss for the year in the Consolidated income statement. The Group’s interest in an associated 
company is carried in the Consolidated statement of financial position at an amount that reflects its 
share of the net assets of the associate.

The Group’s share of results in equity accounted investments is reported in the operating profit to 
reflect the operational nature of these investments, especially those in wood supply. There is no material 
goodwill in the Statements of financial position for equity accounted investments. Similarly, dividends 
received from equity accounted investments are presented in the net cash provided by operating 
activities in the Consolidated Cash Flow Statement.

Principal equity accounted investments

As at 31 December

Proportion of ownership 
interest/voting rights held %

EUR million

Domicile 
and principal 
place of 
operations
Finland
Brazil
Sweden

Reportable 
segment
Forest
Forest
Forest

2020
41.00
20.00
49.79/36.70

2019
41.00
20.00
49.79/36.70

Company
Tornator Oyj
Arauco Florestal Arapoti S.A.
Bergvik Skog AB1
Others
Carrying Value  
at 31 December

2020
402
13
11
30

456

1 The group's shareholding in Bergvik Skog AB is 49.79%, however, the voting rights are limited to 36.7%.

Group share of equity accounted investments income statements

Year Ended 31 December

EUR million
Sales
Net operating expenses
Other operating income1
IAS 41 valuation
Operating Profit
Net financial items
Net Profit before Tax
Income tax
Net Profit for the Year

2020
131
-93
0
13
50
-42
8
-9
-1

2019
381
19
54
29

483

2019
170
-121
129
127
305
-55
249
-21
229

1 2019 Other operating income relates to Bergvik Skog AB restructuring, see Note 4 Acquisitions and disposals

The average number of personnel in the equity accounted investments was 1 575 in 2020, compared with 
1 637 in 2019.

A summary of the financial information in respect of the Group’s material associate, Tornator Oyj, 
and Bergvik Skog AB is set out below. The Group’s share of these associated companies are reported 
under the Forest division and covers the majority of the Group’s total share of results of equity accounted 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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investments. The summarised financial information below represents amounts shown in the associate’s 
financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Aggregate information of equity accounted investments that are not individually material
As at 31 December

Tornator Oyj
EUR million
Current assets
Non-current assets

Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Tax liabilities

Sales
Net profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income

Dividends received from the associate during the financial year

2020
79
2 040

52
850
236

141
52
30
82

12

2019
43
1 918

672
144
216

112
262
-1
261

14

Net assets of the associate
Proportion of the Group's ownership interest in Tornator Oyj
Carrying amount of the Group's interest in Tornator Oyj

980
41.00%
402

929
41.00%
381

Stora Enso’s Finnish forest holdings were divested into an equity accounted investment, Tornator, in 2002. 
The Group’s current 41% ownership is valued at EUR 402 (EUR 381) million at the year-end for 2020. In 
2020, the Group’s share of Tornator’s net profit was EUR 21 (EUR 107) million, including a forest valuation 
gain of EUR 14 (128) million.

Bergvik Skog AB
EUR million
Current assets

Non-current liabilities

Sales
Net profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income

Dividends received from the associate during the financial year1

Net assets of the associate
Proportion of the Group's ownership interest in Bergvik Skog AB
Carrying amount of the Group's interest in Bergvik Skog AB

2020
22

0

0
-42
0
-42

23

22
49.79%
11

2019
478

369

92
243
27
270

1 434

109
49.79%
54

1 The 2019 amount relates to Bergvik Skog AB restructuring, of which EUR 331 million was paid in cash 

The Group owns 49.79% of shares in Bergvik Skog AB which continue to be reported as an equity 
accounted investment. Details on the 2019 Bergvik Skog AB restructuring are shown in Note 4 Acquisitions 
and disposals. Stora Enso’s shareholding in the company was valued at EUR 11 (EUR 54) million at the 
year-end in 2020.

EUR million
Current assets
Non-current assets

Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Tax liabilities

Sales
Net profit for the year
Dividends received during the financial year

Equity in the Group Statement of Financial Position
Equity Accounting Value

Equity Accounting Value for Tornator Oyj
Equity Accounting Value for Bergvik Skog AB
Total Equity Accounting Value

Equity accounted investment company balances

EUR million
Receivables from Equity Accounted Investments
Non-current loan receivables

Liabilities due to Equity Accounted Investments
Trade payables

Equity accounted investment transactions

EUR million
Sales to equity accounted investments
Purchases from equity accounted investments

2020
23
36

13
1
2

73
-1
1

43
43

402
11
456

2019
27
39

12
2
4

78
0
0

48
48

381
54
483

As at 31 December

2020

2019

2

41

Year Ended 31 December

2020
17
62

2

38

2019
28
109

The Group engages in transactions with equity accounted investments such as sales and purchases of 
wood. All agreements are negotiated at arm’s length and are conducted on terms that the Group considers 
customary in the industry and generally no less favourable than would be available from independent third 
parties. Equity accounted investment company trade receivables and both sales to equity accounted 
investments and purchases from equity accounted investments decreased due to Bergvik Skog AB 
restructuring.

Total loans including interest receivable to equity accounted investments at the year-end 2020 

amounted to EUR 2 (EUR 2) million.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 14 Equity instruments 

 Accounting principles

The Group has elected to classify its equity investments in Pohjolan Voima shares and certain listed 
shares held by the Group at fair value through other comprehensive income (FVTOCI) under IFRS 9 by 
applying the irrevocable election for equity instruments under the standard due to the long-term nature 
of the ownership. The gains and losses resulting from changes in the fair value of equity investments 
under FVTOCI are not recycled to the Income Statement upon impairment or disposal, only the 
dividend income is recognised in the income statement. In addition, the Group also has certain equity 
investments in unlisted securities that are classified as fair value through income statement.

Summary of values

EUR million
Acquisition cost at 1 January
Listed securities
Unlisted securities
Investments classified as equity instruments
OCI in opening balance
Equity Instruments at 1 January
Translation difference
Additions
Change in fair values accounted for as OCI
Disposals
Income Statement - gains and losses
Carrying Amount at 31 December

Year Ended 31 December

2020

3
120
123
415
538
1
15
-136
-1
1
417

Unrealised gains and losses on listed and unlisted securities

Year Ended 31 December

EUR million
Net unrealised holding gains (OCI)
Cost
Fair Value

Net unrealised holding gains (OCI)
Deferred tax
Net Unrealised Holding Gains Shown in Equity as OCI

Change in Net Unrealised Holding Gains Shown in Equity as OCI

2020
279
138
417

279
-3
277

-136

2019

4
125
129
306
435
0
1
109
-6
0
538

2019
415
123
538

415
-2
413

109

PVO shares
The Group holds a 15.6% (15.6%) interest in Pohjolan Voima Oy (PVO), a privately-owned group of 
companies in the energy sector that produces electricity and heat for its shareholders in Finland. Each 
subsidiary of the PVO group has its own class of shares that entitle the shareholder to the energy produced 
in proportion to its ownership of that class of share. The shareholders then have an obligation to cover 
the costs of production, which are generally lower than market prices. Stora Enso did not receive actual 
dividend payments from PVO during 2020. The holding is fair valued quarterly using an average of two 
methods: the discounted cash flow model and trading multiples. The valuation is categorised at level 3 in 
the fair value hierarchy according to IFRS 13; levels are explained in Note 25 Fair values.

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The electricity prices in the model are based on Nordpool prices. Liquid future derivative prices are used 

for the available years in the model and thereafter increased by an inflation factor. The historical financial 
statements provide the basis for the cost structure for each of the power assets, which are adjusted by 
the inflation factor in future years. The discount rate of 3.69% used in the valuation model is determined 
using the weighted average cost of capital method. A +/- 5% change in the electricity price used in the 
DCF would change the valuation by EUR +43 million and -37 million, respectively. A +/- 1% change in the 
discount rate would change the valuation by EUR -30 million and +90 million, respectively.

As an outcome of the arbitration proceedings, a settlement agreement was signed during 2018 

between the plant owner Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) and the plant supplier AREVA-Siemens Consortium 
concerning the costs and losses caused by the delay of the Olkiluoto 3 project. As a result, the plant 
supplier agreed to compensate EUR 450 million to the plant owner TVO. Additional maximum EUR 400 
million compensation was agreed in case the supplier consortium companies failed to complete the 
Olkiluoto 3 project by the end of 2019.

In December 2019 TVO announced that the project was further delayed, with the regular electricity 
generation expected to start in March 2021. In August 2020 Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) announced that 
the regular electricity production at Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear power plant is now expected to commence 
in February 2022. The revised schedule is based on the updated start-up schedule received from Areva-
Siemens Consortium. The updated schedule and the arbitration proceeding outcomes have been taken 
into account in the year-end PVO valuation. Stora Enso’s indirect share of the capacity of Olkiluoto 3 is 
approximately 8.9%, through its PVO B2 shares.

During 2020 Stora Enso also gave a EUR 13 million convertible shareholder loan note to Pohjolan Voima Oy. 

PVO shareholding at 31 December 2020
EUR million
PVO-Vesivoima Oy
Teollisuuden Voima Oyj

Share Series
A
B

% Holding Asset Category Fair Value 2020 Fair Value 2019
221
275

20.6
15.7

132
257

Teollisuuden Voima Oyj
Other
Total

B2
C,C2,V,M

14.8
Various

0
4
394

22
4
522

Hydro
Nuclear
Nuclear under 
construction
Various

The valuation in 2020 amounted to EUR 394 (EUR 522) million against a cost value of EUR 117 (EUR 117) 
million, with the revaluation of EUR 277(EUR 405) million being taken to other comprehensive income. 
The change in PVO’s value is mainly caused by a decrease in electricity market prices. No deferred tax 
is appropriate, as under Finnish tax regulations holdings above 10% are exempt from tax on disposal 
proceeds.

Principal equity instruments

EUR million
Packages Ltd, Pakistan - listed shares
Total Listed Securities
Pohjolan Voima Oy - unlisted shares
Others - unlisted securities
Total Unlisted Securities
Total Equity instruments at 31 December 2020
Total Equity Instruments at 31 December 2019

31 December 2020

Holding %
6.0

Number of 
Shares
5 396 650

15.6

5 073 972

Acquisition 
Cost
3
3
117
18
135
138
123

Fair Value
16
16
394
7
401
417
538

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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Note 15 Other non-current assets 

Note 17 Operative receivables 

EUR million
Prepaid expenses and accrued income
Tax credit
Other non-current operative assets
Total

Note 16 Inventories 

 Accounting principles

As at 31 December

2020
15
4
9
28

2019
17
5
15
37

Inventories are reported at lower of cost and net realisable value with the cost determined by the first-in 
first-out (FIFO) method or, alternatively, by the weighted average cost where it approximates FIFO. The 
cost of finished goods and work in progress comprises raw material, direct labour, depreciation, other 
direct costs and related production overheads, but excludes interest expenses. Net realisable value is 
the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less the costs of completion and sale.

Where market conditions result in the manufacturing costs of a product exceeding its net realisable 

value, a valuation allowance is made. Valuation allowances are also made for old, slow moving and 
obsolete finished goods and spare parts. Such valuation allowances are deducted from the carrying 
value of the inventories in the consolidated statement of financial position.

EUR million
Materials and supplies
Work in progress
Finished goods
Spare parts and consumables
Other inventories
Advance payments and cutting rights
Obsolescence allowance - spare parts and consumables
Obsolescence allowance - finished goods
Net realisable value allowance
Total

As at 31 December

2020
331
65
597
329
13
64
-109
-12
-8
1 270

2019
372
84
672
317
17
53
-101
-16
-6
1 391

EUR 3 844 (EUR 4 693) million of inventories have been expensed during the year, which are included in the 
materials and supplies line and relate to materials. EUR 22 (EUR 14) million of inventory write-downs have 
been recognised as an expense. EUR 16 (EUR 8) million have been recognised as a reversal of previous 
write-downs.

 Accounting principles

Trade receivables
Trade receivables are recognised initially at fair value and subsequently at their anticipated realisable 
value with an estimate made for loss allowance on expected credit losses based on a forward-looking 
and objective review of all outstanding amounts at period end. A simplified approach under IFRS 9 
has been implemented for trade receivables and loss allowances are recognised based on expected 
lifetime credit losses in the Consolidated income statement within other operating expenses. For non-
defaulted receivables, expected credit losses are estimated based on externally generated customer 
level probability of default data that is used in the forward-looking loss allowance calculation model. 
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the loss allowance model for non-defaulted receivables 
was updated by introducing a new macroeconomic indicator that considers the macroeconomic 
developments and further incorporates forward-looking data to the calculation model. The rebuttable 
presumption that default does not occur later than when a financial asset is 90 days past due has been 
applied in the calculation model and a default is normally estimated to occur when trade receivables 
are at least 90 days overdue or there is otherwise objective evidence supporting the conclusion that a 
default has occurred. Trade receivables are presented in current assets under Operative receivables in 
the Consolidated statement of financial position.

Trade receivables under factoring arrangements
Stora Enso uses factoring arrangements as one of the working capital management tools. Sold trade 
receivables are derecognised once significant related risks and rewards of ownership have been 
transferred to the buyer. Outstanding balances for trade receivables that were not yet sold at period end 
but qualify to be sold under factoring programs in the next period, are classified as trade receivables fair 
valued through other comprehensive income in accordance with the business model and contractual 
cash flow characteristics tests under IFRS 9. Please refer to Note 25 Fair values for further details.

Current operative receivables

EUR million
Trade receivables - gross carrying amount
Loss allowance
Prepaid expenses and accrued income
Other receivables
Total

Age analysis of trade receivables

EUR million
Not overdue
Less than 30 days overdue
31 to 60 days overdue
61 to 90 days overdue
91 to 180 days overdue
Over 180 days overdue
Total

As at 31 December

2020
893
-35
96
190
1 145

As at 31 December

2020
819
26
0
1
0
46
893

2019
1 006
-38
96
224
1 289

2019
865
65
9
2
3
63
1 006

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

As at 31 December 2020, a gross amount of EUR 74 (EUR 142) million of trade receivables were overdue. 
These relate to a number of countries and unrelated customers that have no recent history of default. At 31 
December 2020, lifetime expected credit losses for trade receivables amounted to EUR 35 (EUR 38) million. 
Loss allowances for trade receivables are estimated on an individual basis based on a forward-looking 
model where estimated probabilities of customer default are used in the calculation model. If the Group 
has concerns regarding the financial status of a customer, an advance payment or an irrevocable letter of 
credit drawn from a bank is required. At the year end, the letters of credit awaiting maturity totalled EUR 
39 (EUR 33) million. Please refer to Note 24 Financial risk management for details of customer credit risk 
management.

Age analysis of loss allowance

EUR million
Not overdue and less than 90 days overdue
More than 90 days overdue
Total

Reconciliation of loss allowance

EUR million
Opening balance at 1 January
Change in loss allowance booked through Income Statement
Write-downs
Closing Balance at 31 December

As at 31 December

2020
1
33
35

As at 31 December

2020
38
4
-7
35

2019
1
37
38

2019
36
9
-6
38

The actual credit losses during 2020 amounted to EUR 7 (EUR 6) million of trade receivables being written-
off from the Group's balance sheet.

Stora Enso has entered into factoring agreements to sell trade receivables in order to accelerate cash 
conversion. These agreements resulted in full derecognition of trade receivables amounting to a nominal 
value of EUR 155 (EUR 255) million at the end of the year. The continuing involvement of Stora Enso in 
the sold receivables was estimated as being insignificant due to the non-recourse nature of the factoring 
arrangements involved.

 At 31 December 2020, Directors and Group Leadership Team members owned 1 150 (1 150) A shares 
and 537 921 (478 403) R shares representing 0.02% of the total voting rights of the company. Full details of 
Director and Executive interests are shown in Note 7 Board and executive remuneration. A full description 
of company share award programmes is shown in Note 21 Employee variable compensation and equity 
incentive schemes. However, none of these have any impact on the issued share capital.

Change in share capital and number of shares

At 1 January 2019
Conversion of A shares to R shares
At 31 December 2019
Conversion of A shares to R shares
At 31 December 2020

A shares
176 312 672
-55 838
176 256 834
-2 419
176 254 415

R shares
612 307 315
55 838
612 363 153
2 419
612 365 572

Total
788 619 987
—
788 619 987
—
788 619 987

Number of votes as at 31 December 20201

176 254 415

61 236 557

237 490 972

Share Capital at 31 December 2020, EUR million

Share Capital at 31 December 2019, EUR million

300

300

1 042

1 042

1 342

1 342

1 R share votes are calculated by dividing the number of R shares by 10.
The issued shares by 9 March 2021 will represent the total shares eligible to vote at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

Note 19 Non-controlling interests 

 Accounting principles

Non-controlling interests are presented within the equity of the Group in the Consolidated statement 
of financial position. The proportionate shares of profit or loss attributable to non-controlling interests 
and to equity holders of the parent company are presented in the Consolidated income statement after 
the profit for the period. Transactions between non-controlling interests and Group shareholders are 
transactions within equity and are thus shown in the Statement of changes in equity. The measurement 
type of non-controlling interests is decided separately for each acquisition.

51

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Note 18 Shareholders' equity 

 Accounting principles

Dividend and capital repayments
Any dividend or capital repayment proposed by the Board is not deducted from distributable 
shareholders’ equity until approved by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.

At 31 December 2020, shareholders’ equity amounted to EUR 8 809 (EUR 7 429) million, compared to the 
market capitalisation on Nasdaq Helsinki of EUR 12 383 (EUR 10 328) million. The market values of the 
shares were EUR 15.90 (EUR 13.55) for A shares and EUR 15.65 (EUR 12.97) for R shares. 

The A shares entitle the holder to one vote per share, whereas R shares entitle the holder to one vote per 

ten shares with a minimum of one vote, though the accountable par of both shares is the same. A shares 
may be converted into R shares at any time at the request of a shareholder. At 31 December 2020, the 
company’s fully paid-up share capital, as entered in the Finnish Trade Register, was EUR 1 342 million (EUR 
1 342 million). The current accountable par of each issued share is EUR 1.70 (EUR 1.70). 

Non-controlling interests

EUR million
At 1 January
Acquisitions
Disposals
Share of profit for the period
Share of other comprehensive income
Dividends
At 31 December

Year Ended 31 December

2020
-7
0
0
-9
1
0
-16

2019
18
-7
8
-24
0
-1
-7

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

52

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Principal non-controlling interests

Note 20 Post-employment benefits 

Company

Stora Enso Pulp and Paper Asia AB Group
Others
Total

As at 31 December

2020
Proportion of Ownership 
Interests Held by Non-
controlling Interests, %

See separate table below

Principal  
Place of 
Business
Sweden 
and China
-

2020

2019

EUR million

-18
2
-16

-9
2
-7

Non-controlling interests in Stora Enso Pulp and Paper Asia AB Group

31 December 2020

31 December 2019

Principal 
Place of 
Business
Sweden 
and China

Company
Stora Enso Pulp and 
Paper Asia AB
Guangxi Stora Enso 
Forestry Co Ltd
Stora Enso (Guangxi) 
Packaging Company Ltd China
Stora Enso (Guangxi) 
Forestry Company Ltd China

China

Direct-% 
of NCI

Indirect-% 
of NCI

Total-% 
of NCI

Direct-% 
of NCI

Indirect-% 
of NCI

Total-% 
of NCI

5.79

5.00

15.00

15.00

—

5.79

10.50

5.79

5.00

19.92

15.00

19.92

15.00

5.50

4.92

4.92

—

5.79

5.50

4.92

4.92

10.50

19.92

19.92

In 2020 non-controlling interest in Stora Enso decreased by EUR 9 million mostly due to negative result in 
Stora Enso Pulp and Paper Asia AB Group. Net loss in Stora Enso Pulp and Paper Asia AB Group was EUR 
54 (EUR 111) million.

Summarised financial information in respect of the subsidiaries that have material non-controlling 

interests is set out below.

Stora Enso Pulp and Paper Asia AB Group
EUR million
Assets

Shareholders' equity attributable to the owners of the parent
Non-controlling interests1
Total Equity

Liabilities

Net loss for the year

Attributable to:
Owners of the parent
Non-controlling interests
Net Loss for the Year

Net cash outflow from operating activities
Net cash outflow from investing activities
Net cash inflow from financing activities
Net Cash Outflow/Inflow

1 No dividends were paid to non-controlling interests in 2020 or 2019.

2020
1 167

-114
-18
-132

1 298

-54

-44
-10
-54

45
-36
10
19

2019
1 268

-74
-9
-82

1 350

-111

-91
-20
-111

-15
-32
13
-34

 Accounting principles

Employee benefits
The Group operates a number of defined benefit and contribution plans throughout the world, 
the assets of which are generally held in separate trustee administered funds. Such pension and 
post-retirement plans are generally funded by payments from employees and by the relevant group 
companies, taking into account the recommendations of independent qualified actuaries. Employer 
contributions to the defined contribution pension plans are charged to the Consolidated income 
statement in the year they relate to.

For defined benefit plans, accounting values are assessed using the projected unit credit method. 
Under this method, the cost of providing pensions is charged to the consolidated income statement to 
spread the regular cost over the service lives of employees in accordance with the advice of qualified 
actuaries who carry out a full valuation of the plan every year in all major pension countries. The pension 
obligation is measured as the present value of the estimated future cash outflows using interest rates 
of highly rated corporate bonds or government securities, as appropriate, that match the currency and 
expected duration of the related liability.

The Group immediately recognises all actuarial gains and losses arising from defined benefit plans 

directly in equity, as disclosed in its consolidated statement of comprehensive income. Past service 
costs are identified at the time of any amendments to the plans and are recognised immediately in 
the consolidated income statement regardless of vesting requirements. In the Group’s consolidated 
statement of financial position, the full liability for all plan deficits is recorded. 

The Group has established a number of pension and other benefit plans for its operations throughout the 
world, the cost amounted to EUR 152 (166) million in 2020, as shown in Note 6 Personnel expenses. The 
majority of the plans are defined contribution schemes and the charge amounted to EUR 136 (156) million.
Stora Enso’s total defined benefit obligations for current and former members of staff amount to EUR 1 210 
(1 219) million, though assets of EUR 737 (761) million have been put aside in various pension schemes to cover 
these liabilities. The net funding position of the defined benefit plans is shown in full in the statement of financial 
position and amounted to EUR 473 million in 2020, an increase of EUR 14 million on the previous year’s liability of 
EUR 458 million. Interest costs are entered under financial costs. The 2020 defined benefit expense in the income 
statement amounts to EUR 20 million and the actuarial losses recorded in other comprehensive income amount 
to EUR 21 million. The 2019 defined benefit expense in the income statement amounted to EUR 17 million and 
the actuarial gains recorded in other comprehensive income amounted to EUR 77 million. In 2021, contributions 
of EUR 21 million are expected to be paid. In 2020, reimbursements of EUR 24 (-23) million were received.

The Group policy for funding deficits is intended to satisfy local statutory funding requirements for tax 
deductible contributions together with adjusting the discount factors used in the actuarial calculations 
for market rates. However, the emphasis of the Group is to provide defined contribution schemes for its 
post-employment benefits, thus all aspects of the provision and accounting for defined benefit schemes 
are evaluated. The net liability in the Group statement of financial position reflects the actual deficits in the 
defined benefit plans. Details of the pension arrangements, assets and investment policies in the Group’s 
main operating countries are shown below.

Finland
The Group funds its Finnish pension obligations mainly through defined contribution schemes, the charge 
in the income statement being EUR 56 (69) million. By contrast, the remaining obligations covered by 
defined benefit schemes resulted in a charge of EUR 0 (0) million excluding finance costs. Pension cover 
since 2001 has been organised entirely through local insurance companies. As statutory pensions in 
Finland provide by far the greatest proportion of pensions, Group liabilities are proportionately much 
smaller than in comparable countries.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Plan assets in Finland are managed by insurance companies. Details of the exact structure and 
investment strategy surrounding plan assets are not available to participating employers, as the assets 
actually belong to the insurance companies themselves. The assets are managed in accordance with EU 
regulations, and also national requirements, under which there is an obligation to pay guaranteed benefits 
irrespective of market conditions.

Germany
German pension costs amounted to EUR 8 (EUR 9) million, of which EUR 7 (8) million related to defined 
contribution schemes and EUR 1 (EUR 1) million to defined benefits excluding finance costs. The net 
liability decreased from EUR 259 million to EUR 250 million. The decrease in net liability arose mainly from 
changes in financial assumptions and experience. Defined benefit pension plans are mainly accounted 
for in the statement of financial position through book reserves with some minor plans using insurance 
companies or independent trustees. Retirement benefits are based on years worked and salaries received 
during the pensionable service and the commencement of pension payments are linked to the national 
pension scheme’s retirement age. Pensions are paid directly by the companies themselves to their former 
employees, the security for the pensioners is provided by the legal requirement that the book reserves held 
in the statement of financial position are insured up to certain limits.

Sweden
In Sweden, all blue-collar staff and part of white-collar staff are covered by defined contribution schemes, 
the charge in the Income statement being EUR 55 (55) million. Defined benefit schemes are covering 
majority of white-collar staff and resulted in a charge of EUR 10 (EUR 8) million excluding finance costs.
Total defined benefit obligations amounted to EUR 434 (411) million and the assets totalled EUR 275 
(284) million, leaving a net liability of EUR 159 million at the year end, compared with a net liability of EUR 
127 million the year before. Change in net liability arose from a decrease in the discount rate, changes in 
Stora Enso has undertaken to 
financial assumptions and a refund received from the foundation.  
pay all local legal pension liabilities for the main ITP scheme to the foundation, thus the remaining liability 
relates to other small schemes. The long-term investment return target for the foundation is a 3% real 
return after tax. Stora Enso’s Swedish pension fund conducts an annual asset/liability study to optimise its 
risk parameters.

Other countries
Obligations and assets in the remaining countries were material only in the United Kingdom, at EUR 142 
(146) million and EUR 129 (136) million, respectively, leaving a net liability of EUR 13 (EUR 10) million at the 
end of 2020. This increase in net liability arose from changes in actuarial assumptions.

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

EUR million
Defined benefit obligation 
at 1 January

Current service cost
Past service cost
Interest expense(+) 
income (-)
Total included in Income 
Statement

Actuarial gains and losses 
arising from changes in 
demographic assumptions
Actuarial gains and losses 
arising from changes in 
financial assumptions
Actuarial gains and losses 
arising from experience 
adjustments
Return on plan assets, 
excluding amounts included 
in interest expense(+) 
income (-)
Total remeasurement 
gains (-) / losses (+) 
included in Other 
Comprehensive Income

Benefit payments
Employer contributions 
and refunds
Translation difference
Net disposals/acquisitions
Other
Defined benefit obligation 
at 31 December

Net defined benefit obligation reconciliation

Defined Benefit Obligation
2019

2020

Fair Value of Plan Assets
2019

2020

1 219

1 115

-761

-714

Net Defined benefit 
liability / (asset)

2020

458

2019

401

15
2

12

29

0

26

-19

8

-55

9
0
0

11
-1

20

30

-22

118

38

134

-58

0
-6
3

-2

-7

-9

0

-13

-13

15
1

5

20

0

26

-19

11
-1

7

17

-22

118

38

-28

-57

-28

-57

-28

40

24
-3
0
0

-57

48

-23
-2
2
-3

-21

-15

24
6
0
0

473

1 210

1 219

-737

-761

Defined benefit plans: Country assumptions used in calculating benefit obligations

Discount rate %
Future salary increase %
Future pension increase %
Average current 
retirement age
Weighted average 
life expectancy
Duration of pension plans

Finland

Year ended 31 December
Germany

Sweden

2020
0.2
2.1
1.2

64.2

87.0
10.0

2019
0.4
2.2
1.3

64.0

87.0
10.0

2020
0.4
2.5
1.5

65.0

87.7
13.2

2019
0.8
2.5
1.8

65.0

85.0
13.8

2020
1.1
2.7
1.8

65.0

88.5
17.1

53

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77

-9

-23
-1
-3
0

458

2019
1.5
2.9
2.0

65.0

88.4
17.4

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

54

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1

Sensitivity of the defined benefit pension obligation

Plan assets

Discount rate
Salary growth rate
Pension growth rate
Life expectancy

Impact on defined benefit obligation

Change in assumption
0.50%
0.50%
0.50%
1 year

Increase in assumption Decrease in assumption
Increase by 7.9%
Decrease by 1.7%
Decrease by 5.1%
Decrease by 4.4%

Decrease by 7.0%
Increase by 1.9%
Increase by 5.7%
Increase by 4.6%

Interest rate risk: The obligations are assessed using market rates of high-quality corporate or government 
bonds to discount the obligations and are therefore subject to any volatility in the movement of the market 
rate. The net interest income or expense recognised in profit and loss are also calculated using the market 
rate of interest.

Mortality risk: In the event that members live longer than assumed, the obligations may be understated 
originally and a deficit may emerge if funding has not adequately provided for the increased life expectancy.
Defined benefit plan summary by country as at 31 December 2020 

EUR million
Present value of funded obligations
Present value of unfunded obligations
Defined benefit obligations (DBO)
Fair value of plan assets
Net liability in the Balance Sheet

Represented by
Defined benefit pension plans
Other post-employment benefits
Net liability in the Balance Sheet

31 December 2020

Finland
266
0
266
-254
13

Germany
27
226
254
-4
250

Sweden
412
22
434
-275
159

13
0
13

250
0
250

159
0
159

Defined benefit plan summary by country as at 31 December 2019 

EUR million
Present value of funded obligations
Present value of unfunded obligations
Defined benefit obligations (DBO)
Fair value of plan assets
Net liability in the Balance Sheet

Represented by
Defined benefit pension plans
Other post-employment benefits
Net liability in the Balance Sheet

31 December 2019

Finland
286
0
286
-264
22

Germany
16
246
263
-4
259

Sweden
389
22
411
-284
127

22
0
22

259
0
259

127
0
127

Other
230
26
256
-205
51

27
24
51

Other
230
29
259
-209
50

24
27
50

Total
936
274
1 210
-737
473

449
24
473

Total
922
298
1 219
-761
458

432
27
458

As at 31 December

2020

2019

EUR million
Equity
Debt
Property
Cash
Assets held by 
insurance companies
Others
Total pension fund 
assets

Quoted Unquoted
33
31
40
0

97
72
0
31

0
13

213

322
98

525

Total
130
103
40
31

322
111

737

% Quoted Unquoted
41
70
96
7
35
0
0
41

17.7
14.0
5.4
4.2

43.7
15.0

0
15

100.0

133

330
125

628

Total
111
103
35
41

330
140

761

%
14.6
13.6
4.6
5.4

43.4
18.4

100.0

Plan assets do not include any real estate or other assets occupied by the group or the Company's own financial instruments. 
Disclosed asset classification has been updated in 2020 and comparative figures have been restated to follow the current classification.

The two main financial factors affecting group pension liabilities are changes in interest rates and inflation 
expectations, so the aim of asset investment allocations is to neutralise these effects and maximise returns.

Note 21 Employee variable compensation and equity incentive schemes 

 Accounting principles

Share awards
The costs of all employee-related share-based payments are charged to the consolidated income 
statement as personnel expenses over the vesting period. The share programmes may be hedged using 
Total Return Swaps (TRS) which are settled with cash payments, allowing the company to receive cash 
compensation to partially offset any change in the share price between the grant and settlement dates. 
Group TRS instruments do not qualify for hedge accounting and therefore periodic changes to their fair 
value are recorded in the Income statement in operative costs alongside the share-based programme 
costs to which they relate.

As a result of the IFRS 2 amendment; Classification and Measurement of Share-based Payment 
Transactions, effective from 1 January 2018, all share-based payment transactions are classified as 
equity-settled share awards. Please refer to the Note 1 Accounting principles for further details. The 
equity-settled share awards (net of tax), are measured at the fair value of the equity instruments on 
the grant date, and are adjusted for the present value of expected dividends. The fair value of the 
equity-settled share-based payments determined on the grant date is expensed on a straight-line basis 
over the vesting period, based on the estimate of equity instruments that will eventually vest, with a 
corresponding increase in equity.

Short term incentive (STI) programmes
Salaries for senior management are negotiated individually. Stora Enso has incentive plans that take into account 
the performance, development and results of both business units and individual employees. This performance-
based variable compensation system is based on profitability as well as on attaining key business targets.

Group Executives, as well as division and business unit management have STI programmes in which 
the payment is calculated as a percentage of the annual base salary with a maximum level ranging from 
8% to 75%. Non-management employees participate in an STI programme with a maximum incentive level 
of 7%. All incentives are discretionary. These performance-based programmes cover most employees 
globally, where allowed by local practice and regulations. For the performance year 2020, the annual 
incentive programmes were based on financial targets as well as safety and cash flow targets. The financial 
success metrics in the STI programme are: Operational EBITDA and Operative Working Capital to sales.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

55

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Long term incentive (LTI) programmes
Since 2005, new share based programmes for executives have been launched every year. The 2018 
programme, with performance measures that ended in 2020 and will vest in 2021, as well as the current 
outstanding programmes including the programme that was launched during 2020 have three year targets 
and vest in one portion after three years. 

Three quarters (75%) of the opportunity under the programmes are in performance shares, where 
shares will vest in accordance with performance criteria proposed by the Remuneration Committee and 
approved by the Board of Directors. The financial success metric is 3-year Economic Value Added (EVA) 
and Earnings Per Share (EPS) for the Stora Enso Group. One quarter (25%) of the opportunity under the 
programmes are in Restricted Shares, for which vesting is only subject to continued employment. The 
opportunity for members of the GLT has been awarded only in performance shares. 

Outstanding restricted and performance share opportunities before taxes are shown in the table below. 

The total number of shares actually transferred will be less than that shown below because a portion of 
shares corresponding to employees' tax obligation will be withheld to cover income tax.

Share awards at 31 December 2020

Number of shares
2018 programme
2019 programme
2020 programme
Total

Outstanding restricted and performance share awards at year end

2021
686 264

2022

2023

811 270

686 264

811 270

1 056 299
1 056 299

Total
686 264
811 270
1 056 299
2 553 833

The costs of the Stora Enso share-based programmes are recognised as costs over the vesting period, 
which is the period between the grant and vesting. The total impact of share-based programmes in the 
Income statement amounted to an expense of EUR 1 (EUR 3) million, all of which were related to restricted 
and performance share awards. There were no Total Return Swaps (TRS) in use at the end of 2020.

Note 22 Provisions 

 Accounting principles

Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of 
past events, and it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation, and 
a reliable estimate of the amount of the obligation can be made. Provisions for dismantling, removal or 
site restoration are measured at the management’s best estimate. The expenditure required to settle the 
obligation is added to the carrying amount of the assets at acquisition date and depreciated over the 
useful life of the asset. Provisions are discounted back to their current net present value if the effect of 
the time value of money is material. As provisions are based on management's best estimate, there is 
some uncertainty regarding the timing and amount of the costs.

Environmental obligations
Environmental expenditures resulting from the remediation of an existing condition caused by past 
operations, and which do not contribute to current or future revenues, are expensed as incurred. 
Environmental liabilities are recorded when it is probable, based on current interpretations of 
environmental laws and regulations, that a present obligation has arisen and the amount of such liability 
can be reliably estimated.

Restructuring obligations
A restructuring provision is recognised in the period in which the Group becomes legally or 
constructively committed to the plan. The relevant costs are those that are incremental to, or incurred 
as a direct result of, the exit plan, or are the result of a continuing contractual obligation with no ongoing 
economic benefit, or represent a penalty incurred to cancel the obligation. 

Other obligations
Other obligatory provisions are recognised regarding different legal or constructive obligations as 
guarantees to customers, ongoing lawsuits, claims, or similar.

Provisions

EUR million
Carrying Value at 1 January 2019
Translation difference
Company acquisitions
Charge in Income Statement

New provisions
Increase in existing provisions
Reversal of existing provisions

Payments
Carrying Value at 31 December 2019
Translation difference
Charge in Income Statement

New provisions
Increase in existing provisions
Reversal of existing provisions

Payments
At 31 December 2020

Allocation between current  
and non-current provisions

Current provisions: Payable within 12 months
Non-current provisions: Payable after 12 months
Total at 31 December 2020

Environmental 
provisions
99
-1
0

Restructuring 
provisions
8
0
0

Other 
provisions
10
0
18

Total 
provisions
117
-1
18

7
6
-1
-12
97
2

13
5
-8
-18
91

3
88
91

40
0
-2
-5
41
1

17
0
-15
-17
28

24
4
28

5
1
-1
-7
26
-1

14
2
0
-11
30

19
11
30

51
8
-4
-24
165
2

45
7
-22
-47
149

46
102
149

Environmental obligations
Provisions for environmental remediation amounted to EUR 91 million at 31 December 2020, which was 
a net decrease of EUR 6 million compared with 31 December 2019. The most material environmental 
provision is based on an agreement between Stora Enso and the City of Falun that obligates the Group to 
purify runoff from the Kopparberg mine before releasing the water into the environment. The provision at 
year end amounted to EUR 36 (EUR 37) million.

Restructuring provisions
The Group has undergone major restructuring in recent years, from divestments to mill closures and 
administrative cost-saving programmes. The liability at the end of 2020 for restructuring provisions 
amounted to EUR 28 (EUR 41) million and covered the costs of closing down operations, demolition, 
clearance and redundancy costs for reducing staff numbers.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

56

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t
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r
a
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n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

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a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
c
o
n
s
o

l
i

d
a
t
e
d
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
2
3

Note 23 Operative liabilities 

Floating and fixed interest-rate position

Non-current operative liabilities

EUR million
Post-employment benefit obligations
Provisions
Share-based payments
Other payables
Total

Current operative liabilities

EUR million
Trade payables
Payroll and staff-related accruals
Accrued liabilities and deferred income
Current portion of provisions
Advances received
Other payables
Total

As at 31 December

2020
473
102
1
12
588

As at 31 December

2020
1 314
233
175
46
26
89
1 883

2019
458
110
2
37
607

2019
1 332
242
194
55
20
67
1 909

Note 24 Financial risk management 

Risk management principles and process
Stora Enso is exposed to several financial market risks that the Group is managing under the policies 
approved by the Board of Directors. The objective is to ensure cost-effective funding of Group companies 
and manage financial risks effectively. The Stora Enso Group Financial Risk Policy governs all financial 
transactions in Stora Enso. This policy and any future amendments take effect once they are approved by 
the Board of Directors and all policies covering the use of financial instruments must comply with it. The 
Group’s joint operations companies operate under their own financial risk policies, which may not be fully 
similar to the Group’s policies.

The major financial market risks are detailed below with the main exposures for the Group being interest 
rate risk, foreign exchange risk, liquidity and refinancing risk, and commodity price risk, especially for fiber, 
pulp, and energy.

Interest rate risk
The Group is exposed to an interest rate risk that is the risk of fluctuating interest rates affecting the interest 
expense of the Group and value of its assets and liabilities. Stora Enso is exposed to the interest rate risk 
through interest-bearing assets and liabilities, such as loans, financial instruments and lease liabilities, 
but also through commercial agreements and operative assets and liabilities such as biological assets. 
The Group’s aim is to keep interest costs stable. The Group’s aggregate duration should not exceed 
the average loan maturity, but should aim towards a longer duration. A duration above the average loan 
maturity is approved by the Board of Directors.

The Group may use interest-rate swaps and cross-currency swaps to manage the interest-rate risk by 
synthetically converting floating-rate loans into fixed-rate loans through the use of derivatives. The Group's 
floating and fixed rate interest-rate position as per the year-end is presented in the following table:

EUR million
Non-current interest-bearing receivables1
Current interest-bearing receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Interest-bearing liabilities2
Interest-bearing assets and liabilities excluding 
derivatives
Interest-rate and cross-currency swaps
Interest-bearing assets and liabilities,  
net of derivatives

As at 
31 December 2020

As at 
31 December 2019

Floating rate
1
0
1 661
-1 642

Fixed rate Floating rate
0
0
876
-1 509

90
0
0
-3 050

Fixed rate
74
0
0
-2 603

19
894

913

-2 959
-894

-3 853

-633
810

177

-2 530
-810

-3 339

1 Excluding interest receivable and listed securities
2 Non-current interest-bearing liabilities, current portion of non-current debt, short-term interest bearing liabilities and bank overdrafts 
excluding derivative liabilities and interest payable

The average interest reset period for the Group's net interest-bearing liabilities, including all interest rate 
derivatives but excluding cash and cash equivalents, is some 4.6 (4.2) years. 

As of 31 December 2020, one percentage point increase in interest rates would increase annual net 
interest expenses by approximately EUR 5 (EUR 6) million and a similar decrease in interest rates would 
decrease net interest expenses by EUR 3 (EUR 5) million. This assumes that the duration and the funding 
structure of the Group remain constant throughout the year. This simulation calculates the interest effect of 
a 100 basis point parallel shift in interest rates on all floating rate instruments excluding cash equivalents 
from their next reset date to the end of the year. In addition, all short-term loans maturing during the year 
are assumed to be rolled over on maturity to year end using the new higher or lower interest rate.

A one percentage point parallel change up or down in interest rates would also result in fair valuation 
gains or losses of EUR 28 (EUR 31) million before taxes in the cash flow hedge reserve in OCI regarding 
interest rate and cross-currency swaps under cash flow hedge accounting. Note 27 Derivatives 
summarises the nominal and fair values of the outstanding interest rate derivative contracts.

Foreign exchange risk – transaction risk
The Group operates globally and is exposed to a foreign-currency transaction risk arising from exchange 
rate fluctuations. Foreign exchange transaction risk exposure comprises both the geographical location 
of Stora Enso production facilities around the world, sourcing of raw materials and sales of end products 
in foreign currencies, mainly denominated in US dollars, British pounds and Swedish crowns. Stora Enso 
group companies with functional currency other than euro are also exposed to a foreign-currency 
transaction risk arising from EUR denominated net cash flows in their local currencies. These EUR 
exposures mainly arise from Stora Enso subsidiaries located in Sweden, Czech Republic and Poland.
The currency transaction risk is the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on the Group's Income 
statement, which is the effect of currency rates on expected future cash flows and subsequent trade 
receivables or payables. The Group's standard policy to mitigate the risk is to hedge 45–55% of the highly 
probable forecast cash flows in major currencies for the next 12 months by using derivative financial 
instruments, such as foreign exchange forwards and currency options. The Group may also hedge periods 
between 12 months and 36 months, or change the above mentioned hedging ratio for the next 12 months 
upon the discretion of the Group's management. 

For operative receivables and payables in foreign currencies, the objective of the Group is to hedge 

50–100% of the outstanding net receivable balance in major currency pairs.

The table below presents the estimated net operative foreign currency transaction risk exposures for the 
main currencies for the next 12 months and the related foreign-currency hedges in place as at 31 December, 
retranslated using year end exchange rates. The net operative receivables and payable exposures, 
representing the balances as at 31 December, include foreign currency exposures generated by external 
and intercompany transactions in line with the requirements of IFRS 7. A positive amount of exposure in the 
table below represents an estimated future inflow or receivable of a foreign currency amount.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

57

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N
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2
4

Operative foreign currency transaction risk exposure

Sensitivity analysis of operative foreign currency transaction risk exposure

EUR million
Estimated annual net cash 
flow exposure in hedged 
foreign-currency flows1
Cash flow hedges for the 
next 12 months
Estimated annual net cash 
flow exposure,  
net of hedges
Hedging percentage  
as at 31 December for 
next 12 months
Weighted-average hedged 
rate against EUR2

As at 31 December 2020

As at 31 December 2019

EUR SEK USD GBP AUD UYU EUR SEK USD GBP AUD UYU

920

-197 1 330

222

46

-40

898

-187 1 173

304

42

-50

-433

94

-629

-97

-21

22

-558

99

-616

-138

-19

24

488

-104

700

125

24

-18

340

-87

557

166

23

-26

47% 48% 47% 44% 46% 54% 62% 53% 53% 45% 45% 47%

— 10.40

1.18

0.90

1.63 55.61

— 10.55

1.17

0.91

1.64 42.34

EUR million
Exposure currency change 
by1
Effect on estimated annual 
net cash flows in hedged 
flows
Effect on cash flow hedging 
OCI reserve before taxes as 
at year end2
Effect on net operative 
receivables and payables 
after hedges3
Estimated annual EBIT 
impact4

As at 31 December 2020

As at 31 December 2019

EUR SEK USD GBP AUD UYU EUR SEK USD GBP AUD UYU

-5% -5% -5% -5% -5% -10% -5% -5% -5% -5% -5% -10%

-46

10

-66

-11

-2

4

-45

9

-59

-15

-2

5

22

-5

31

1

-2

28

-5

31

-3

1

-23

0

5

-38

-6

-1

-2

1

3

0

-17

0

4

-3

-31

-7

-1

7

1

1

0

-2

1

4

5

0

Operative receivables and 
payables net exposure
Net receivable currency 
hedges
Net operative receivables 
exposure, net of hedges

-8

-10

-18

6

0

6

192

20

26

-5

-15

-1

168

31

19

-126

-14

-15

66

5

11

0

-5

7

-8

0

-110

-43

-19

-1

58

-13

0

1 The sensitivity analysis for EUR denominated annual net cash flows, operative net receivables and related hedges refer to the EUR 
denominated transaction risk arising from EUR denominated foreign-currency cash flows in Sweden, Czech Republic and Poland with 
functional currency other than EUR.
2 The effect on OCI cash flow hedging reserve before taxes at year end is related to the fair value change in derivative contracts 
qualifying as cash flow hedges of highly probable forecast transactions under IFRS 9. 
3 Currency effect related to net operative receivables or payables and related hedges.
4 The estimated annual EBIT impact includes currency effects in respect of operative exposures in the Statement of Financial Position, 
forecast cash flows in hedged flows and the related hedges.

-7

0

-7

Estimated annual net 
transaction risk exposure 
after hedges

470

-98

766

130

36

-24

333

-88

614

153

23

-33

1 Cash flows are forecasted highly probable net operating foreign-currency cash flows in hedged currencies. The exposure presented 
in the EUR column relates to operative transaction risk exposure from EUR denominated cash flows in Group companies located in 
Sweden, Czech Republic and Poland with functional currency other than EUR.
2 The weighted-average exchange rate against EUR is calculated based on bought leg of option collar structure and forward contracts' 
forward rate and therefore represents the weighted-average hedged rate based on the least favourable hedged rate from the Group's 
point-of-view.

The following table includes the estimated effect on annual operating profit of a currency weakening of 
an exposure currency against EUR. The sensitivities have been calculated based on a 5% movement 
in EUR, SEK, USD, GBP and AUD while 10% movement in UYU. These changes are estimated as 
reasonably possible changes in exchange rates, measured against year-end closing rates. A corresponding 
strengthening of the exposure currency would have an approximately equal opposite impact. A negative 
amount in the table reflects a potential net loss in the income statement or equity and, conversely, a 
positive amount reflects a potential net gain. In practice, the actual foreign currency results may differ 
from the sensitivity analysis presented below, since the income statements of subsidiaries with functional 
currencies other than the euro are translated into the Group reporting currency using the average exchange 
rates for the year, whereas the statements of the financial position of such subsidiaries, including currency 
hedges, trade receivables and payable, are translated using the exchange rates at the reporting date. The 
translation risk exposures are discussed more in detail under the Translation risk chapter below.

The calculation includes currency hedges and assumes that no changes other than a single currency 

exchange rate movement have taken place in the underlying transaction risk exposure currency. The 
currency effects are based on estimated operative foreign currency flows for the next twelve months, 
hedging levels at the year end, and the assumption that the currency cash flow hedging levels and all 
other variables will remain constant during the next twelve months. Hedging instruments include foreign 
exchange forward contracts and foreign exchange options. Indirect currency effects with an impact on 
prices and product flows, such as a product becoming cheaper to produce in a different geographical 
location, have not been considered in this calculation.

The following table presents the financial foreign currency exposure and the related hedges in place as 
at 31 December for the main currencies. Net debt includes foreign-currency external loan payables and 
receivables, foreign-currency internal loan payables and loan receivables and cash equivalents. Loans 
designated as net investment loans under IAS 21 are excluded from the table as they reduce the foreign-
currency exposures on a Group level. The currency derivatives mainly hedge financial exposures in the 
statement of financial position and from time to time they may also hedge forecast cash flows not qualifying 
under hedge accounting in accordance with IFRS 9. These forecast cash flows are not included in the table 
below. A negative amount of exposure in the table represents a net payable of a foreign currency amount.
Additionally, the table includes the estimated effect on the income statement of a currency weakening 

of an exposure currency against EUR. The sensitivities have been calculated based on a 5% movement 
in SEK, USD, CNY, and PLN. These changes are estimated as reasonably possible changes in exchange 
rates, measured against year-end closing rates. A corresponding strengthening of the exposure currency 
would have an approximately equal opposite impact. A negative amount in the table reflects a potential net 
loss in the Income statement and, conversely, a positive amount reflects a net potential gain. In practice, 
the actual foreign currency results may differ from the sensitivity analysis below as the exposure amounts 
may change during the year.

Financial foreign currency exposure and estimated currency effects in income statement

EUR million
Foreign-currency net debt1
Currency hedges
Net exposure after hedges

Exposure currency change by
Effect in the Income Statement2

As at 31 December 2020

As at 31 December 2019

SEK
-156
135
-21

USD
-108
-33
-140

CNY
410
-244
166

PLN
51
-21
30

SEK
-36
0
-36

USD
-142
0
-142

CNY
472
-249
223

PLN
100
-4
96

-5% -5% -5% -5% -5% -5% -5% -5%
-5

-11

-2

-8

2

7

7

1

1 The Group has designated certain internal loans to Chinese subsidiaries as net investment loans under IAS 21. The loans are 
denominated in EUR, USD, and CNY. The underlying foreign currency gain or loss will be posted as part of CTA in Equity. The nominal 
amount of net investment loans amounted to EUR 286 (EUR 176) million as per the year end and reduces the currency exposure for 
relevant currencies in the above table.
2 Gains and losses are recognised as part of Net financial items in the Income Statement

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Foreign exchange risk – translation risk
Translation risk results from fluctuations in exchange rates affecting the value of Stora Enso’s consolidated 
net foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities, and income. Translation risk is reduced by funding 
assets, whenever economically possible, in the same currency as the asset itself. The Group may also enter 
into foreign exchange forwards, foreign exchange options or foreign currency denominated loans to hedge 
its net investments in foreign entities with different functional currencies than the Group.

The balance sheets of foreign subsidiaries, equity accounted investments and foreign currency 
denominated equity instruments in the scope of IFRS 9 are translated into euros using exchange rates 
prevailing on the reporting date, thus exposing consolidated group equity to fluctuations in currency rates. 
The resulting translation differences, along with other movements such as the translation rate difference 
in the income statement, are recorded directly in shareholders’ equity. These cumulative differences 
materialise through the Income statement on the disposal, in whole or in part, of the foreign entity.

The following table presents the translation risk exposure in the Group's Income statement arising 
from the translation of subsidiaries' and joint operations' foreign-currency income statements into the 
presentation currency of the Group in the consolidated financial statements.

Translation exposure in Income statement

EUR million
Translation exposure in 
Income Statement1
Exposure currency 
change by
Effect on EBIT from 
translation risk exposure

As at 31 December 2020

As at 31 December 2019

SEK USD GBP BRL CZK CNY SEK USD GBP BRL CZK CNY

38

-165

81

-120

-7

28

102

-238

6

-163

-34

17

-5% -5% -5% -10% -5% -5% -5% -5% -5% -10% -5% -5%

-2

8

-4

12

—

-1

-5

12

—

16

2

-1

1 Includes external sales, costs, depreciation and fair valuations of non-euro based entities, retranslated using year end exchange rates.

The next table presents the translation exposure for geographical areas for which the Group has applied 
net investment hedging techniques to reduce the foreign-currency translation exposure in the consolidated 
equity. In practise, the Group also incurs material unhedged translation risk exposures in other geographical 
areas such as Sweden and China. The exposures used in the calculations are based on the foreign currency 
denominated equity and the hedging levels as at 31 December. Full details of actual CTA movements and 
hedging results are given in Note 28 Cumulative translation adjustment and equity hedging. The sensitivity 
analysis includes the effects of currency hedges of net investments in foreign entities and assumes that no 
changes take place other than a single currency exchange rate movement on 31 December each year.

Translation exposure in Equity

EUR million
Translation exposure on equity in USD area1
EUR/USD equity hedges2
Translation exposure after hedges
Sensitivity before hedges - EUR strengthening 5%
Sensitivity after hedges - EUR strengthening 5%

As at 31 December

2020
1 323
-244
1 079
-66
-54

2019
1 425
-267
1 157
-71
-58

1 Includes the joint operation Montes del Plata in Uruguay, which has USD as its functional currency.
2 USD denominated bonds classified as hedges of net investments in foreign assets.

Liquidity and refinancing risk 
Funding risk arises from the difficulty of obtaining finance for operations at a given point in time. Stora Enso’s 
funding policy states that the average maturity of outstanding loans and committed credit facilities covering 
short-term borrowings should be at least four years. The policy further states that the Group must have cash 
equivalents and undrawn committed credit facilities to cover all debt maturing within the next 12 months, 

including supply chain financing and factoring. At 31 December 2020, unused committed credit facilities were 
at EUR 600 (EUR 600) million. The EUR 600 million committed credit facility agreement with a syndicate of 13 
banks matures in January 2023 and is used as a backup for general corporate purposes. Stora Enso also has 
undrawn committed bilateral credit facility arrangements with commercial banks up to EUR 250 million. The 
original tenor of these bilateral arrangements varies from 18 to 24 months and they mature in 2021 and 2022. 
In addition, Stora Enso has an undrawn committed EUR 150 million loan signed with European Investment 
Bank during the fourth quarter that can be drawn latest in 2022 for a five-year maturity. Finally, Stora Enso 
has access to various additional long-term sources of funding up to EUR 950 (EUR 950) million. These mainly 
relate to available funding sources from Finnish pension funds.

Refinancing risk, or the risk that maturing debt is not refinanced in the markets, is mitigated by 
Stora Enso’s target of maintaining an even maturity profile of outstanding debt. The table below shows 
maturity analysis for the Group's contractual financial liabilities classified under principal headings based 
on the remaining period to contractual maturity at the reporting date. Forward interest rates as at the year-
end were used for estimating contractual finance charges for the upcoming years.

Contractual maturity repayments of financial liabilities, settlement net: 2020
EUR million
Bond loans
Loans from credit institutions
Lease liabilities
Other non-current financial liabilities
Non-current borrowings including current portion
Estimated contractual finance charges
Contractual repayments on non-current borrowings
Short-term borrowings, carrying amounts
Gross-settled derivative liabilities - receipts
Gross-settled derivative liabilities - payments
Net-settled derivative liabilities
Trade payables
Bank overdrafts
Estimated contractual finance charges
Total Contractual Repayments at 31 December 2020

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026+ Total
434 1 469 2 801
299
4 1 083
150
35
397
30
37
0
5
0
614 1 612 4 285
371
311
67
706
673 1 922 4 991
439
413
0
0
0 1 796
0
0 -1 743
0
-1
-2
-58
0 1 314
0
6
0
0
0
7
0
672 1 921 6 725
436

299
93
80
0
471
98
570
413
1 796
-1 743
-27
1 314
6
7
2 335

300
397
45
0
742
79
822
0
0
0
-11
0
0
0
810

0
404
66
5
475
92
566
0
0
0
-15
0
0
0
551

0
0
0
-1
0
0
0

138
0

59

Contractual maturity repayments of financial liabilities, settlement net: 2019
EUR million
Bond loans
Loans from credit institutions
Lease liabilities
Other non-current financial liabilities
Non-current borrowings including current portion
Estimated contractual finance charges
Contractual repayments on non-current borrowings
Short-term borrowings, carrying amounts
Gross-settled derivative liabilities - receipts
Gross-settled derivative liabilities - payments
Net-settled derivative liabilities
Trade payables
Bank overdrafts
Estimated contractual finance charges
Total Contractual Repayments at 31 December 2019

2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025+ Total
287 1 113 1 987
300
20 1 162
401
440
42
0
5
358 1 299 3 593
743
355
71
773
416 1 654 4 366
814
0
0
516
0 1 618
0
0 -1 621
0
-1
-10
-62
0 1 331
0
13
0
0
0
12
0
414 1 653 6 174
804

0
295
80
0
375
109
483
516
1 618
-1 621
-20
1 331
13
12
2 333

287
214
67
5
573
96
670
0
0
0
-15
0
0
0
655

0
194
51
0
245
85
330
0
0
0
-14
0
0
0
316

0
0
0
-2
0
0
0

37
34
0

167
0

57

58

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2
0
:

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a
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a

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t
a
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m
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s
–
N
o
t
e
2
4

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Financial transactions counterparty credit risk
Financial counterparty risk is the risk of fluctuations in the value of the Group’s assets as a result of 
counterparties being unable to meet their obligations arising from financial contracts. The exposure to a 
financial counterparty risk is measured as the maximum loss that Stora Enso can suffer directly in the event 
of a single counterparty’s credit default. This risk is minimised by:
•  entering into transactions only with leading financial institutions and with industrial companies that have 

a good credit rating;

•  only investing in liquid funds and deposits with financial institutions or companies that have a minimum 

credit rating of BBB-. 

•  at least the higher of 50% of cash equivalents, or EUR 150 million, of cash equivalents to be held at 

counterparties with a minimum rating of A- or equivalent using credit ratings from main rating agencies;
investing at least EUR 75 million of the Group's cash and cash equivalents at counterparties other than 
the counterparty at which most of Stora Enso's cash and cash equivalents are held;
requiring parent company guarantees when dealing with any subsidiary of a rated company. 

• 

• 

The Group Financial Risk Policy defines the limits for accepted counterparty risk, based on the tenor of 
financial contract and counterparty’s credit rating.

At the year end 2020, there were no significant concentrations of risk with respect to counterparties 
of derivative contracts, with the highest counterparty mark-to-market exposure being at EUR 18 (EUR 5) 
million and credit rating of BBB+ (A-) using Standard and Poor’s credit rating symbols.

Customer credit risk
Customer credit risk is Stora Enso’s exposure to contracts arising from deterioration in the financial 
health of its customers. The Group uses various measures to reduce customer credit risks, including, but 
not limited to, letters of credit, prepayments and bank guarantees. The Group has also obtained export 
guarantees, covering both political and commercial risks, which are used in connection with individual 
customers outside the OECD area. Management considers that no significant concentration of credit 
risk with any individual customer, counterparty or geographical region exists for Stora Enso. The aging 
information of trade receivables and related loss allowances are given in Note 17 Operative receivables.

Commodity price risk

Outstanding commodity hedges

As at31 December 
2020

Underlying 
amount of 
commodity 
hedged

Average 
hedged 
commodity 
price

Nominal 
amount 
hedged 
in EUR 
million

Fair value 
EUR 
million

Underlying 
amount of 
commodity 
hedged

Average 
hedged 
commodity 
price

31 December 2019
Nominal 
amount 
hedged 
in EUR 
million

Fair value 
EUR 
million

Coal 
component 
of natural gas 
purchases
Electricity 
purchases
  - Nordic 
region
  - Central 
Europe
Oil 
component 
of natural gas 
purchases

—

—

1 095 000 

MWh EUR 30.39

201 480 

MWh EUR 42.26

—
219 516 

—

Oil purchases

barrels USD 52.55

—

33

9

—

10

54 000 
tonnes USD 58.00

1 361 040 

MWh EUR 36.99

315 840 

MWh EUR 40.04

59 400 
barrels USD 62.60

203 504 

barrels USD 58.92

—

2

1

—

—

3

50

13

3

11

—

-5

1

—

1

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The Group is exposed to commodity and energy price volatility that will have an impact on the Group's 
profitability. Electricity hedge derivatives are part of energy price risk management in the Group, whilst 
other commodity risks are measured and hedged if economically possible. The Group may apply oil and 
coal risk component hedging for natural gas purchases as described in the table above. In addition to 
electricity hedge derivatives, the Group also manages energy price risk by entering into long-term physical 
fixed price purchase agreements, and by holding a 15.6% stake in Pohjolan Voima Oy (PVO), which is a 
privately owned group of companies in the energy sector in Finland. The fair value of the shares amounted 
to EUR 394 (EUR 522) million as per the year-end. The fair value of these shares is dependent on electricity 
market prices and discussed in more detail in Note 14 Equity instruments.

 A 10% movement in energy and raw material prices would result in a EUR 7 (EUR 9) million change 
in the fair value of commodity financial hedges described in the above table. The majority of these fair 
value changes, after taxes, are recorded directly in Equity under Hedging Reserves, until the contracts 
mature and the result is entered in the Income statement. These estimates only represent the sensitivity 
of commodity financial instruments to market risk and not the Group's full exposure to raw material and 
energy price risks as a whole, since the actual underlying purchases are not financial instruments within the 
scope of the IFRS 7 standard. At the end of 2020, the maturities of the energy and commodity contracts, 
including both financial hedges and fixed-price physical purchase agreements, ranged between 2021 and 
2024. In 2019, the maturities ranged between 2020 and 2024.

In an effort to mitigate other commodity price risk exposures in relation to wood fibre price risk, 
the Group is a significant owner of forest assets in the Nordic region. In 2019, Stora Enso finalised the 
restructuring of Bergvik Skog's forest holdings in Sweden and increased the Group's forest holdings in 
Sweden to 1.4 million hectares. The forest assets were placed in a fully owned subsidiary and consolidated 
line-by-line into Stora Enso's financial statements. The Group's biological assets are discussed in more 
detail in Note 12 Forest assets. In addition, Stora Enso holds 41.00% share in Tornator Oyj, which is a 
significant forest owner in Finland. The Group's share in Tornator is reported as an equity-accounted 
investment and discussed in more detail in Note 13 Equity accounted investments.

Equity price risk
The Group has certain investments in publicly traded securities. Currently these relate to Packages Ltd 
shares in Pakistan. The market value of these equity investments was EUR 16 (EUR 12) million at the year 
end. Market value changes in these investments are recorded, after taxes, directly under Shareholders’ 
Equity in the Equity instruments through OCI reserve. Detailed discussion regarding the publicly traded 
securities can be found from Note 14 Equity instruments.

Capital risk management
Stora Enso’s debt structure is focused on capital markets and commercial banks. Group objectives when 
managing capital are to safeguard the ability to continue as a going concern in order to provide returns 
for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders, as well as to maintain an optimal capital structure 
to reduce the cost of capital. In order to maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Group may, subject 
to shareholder approval as appropriate, vary the dividends paid to shareholders, buy its own shares on 
financial markets, return capital to shareholders, issue new shares or sell assets to reduce debt. The Group 
strives to pay stable dividends linked to the long-term performance with the aim of distributing 50% of 
Earnings per share (EPS) excluding fair valuations over the cycle.

The Group monitors its capital on the basis of a target net debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60 or less, and 

ensuring that Net-debt-to-Operational EBITDA ratio remains below 2.0, indicating a solid financial position, 
and financial flexibility.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Capital structure

EUR million
Interest-bearing liabilities
Interest-bearing assets
Net debt
Equity attributable to owners of the parent
Operational EBITDA1
Net debt to equity ratio
Net debt to operational EBITDA

As at 31 December

2020
4 756
1 836
2 921
8 809
1 270
0.33
2.30

2019
4 192
983
3 209
7 429
1 614
0.43
1.99

1 Operational EBITDA definition is included in the "Non-IFRS measures" chapter in the Report of the Board of Directors.

Montes del Plata, a joint operation of Stora Enso, and the Group's subsidiary Stora Enso (Guangxi) 
Packaging Company Ltd have complied with financial covenants related to debt-to-assets ratio during the 
reported periods.

Note 25 Fair values 

 Accounting principles

Financial assets
The Group classifies its financial assets into three categories, which are amortised cost, fair value 
through other comprehensive income and fair value through profit and loss. The classification is made 
according to the IFRS 9 standard and management determines the classification of investments at the 
time of initial recognition.

With investments in debt instruments, the classification is made based on the business model 
and contractual cash flow characteristics of debt instruments. Investments in debt instruments, for 
which the business model objective is to hold the financial instruments to collect contractual cash 
flows and those cash flows are solely payments of principal and interest, are classified as amortised 
cost and presented under current or non-current assets in the consolidated statement of financial 
position. Investments in debt instruments, for which the business model objective is to hold the financial 
instruments for both to collect contractual cash flows and sell financial instruments and the cash flows 
are solely payments of principal and interest, are classified as fair value through other comprehensive 
income and presented under current or non-current assets in the consolidated statement of financial 
position.

The Group's investments into equity instruments, such as listed and unlisted securities, are 

classified as fair value through profit and loss unless the Group has at inception decided to apply the 
irrevocable election under IFRS 9 to classify the investments as fair value through other comprehensive 
income with only dividend income from the investments being recognised in the income statement. 

Investments that are not measured at amortised cost or at fair value through other comprehensive 

income are classified as fair value through profit and loss and are therefore fair valued through the 
consolidated income statement and presented under current or non-current assets in the consolidated 
statement of financial position.

Financial liabilities
The Group's financial liabilities are classified into amortised cost or fair value through profit and loss 
categories. Financial liabilities are measured at amortised cost unless the Group has decided to apply a 
fair value option to designate a financial liability to be measured at fair value through profit and loss.

60

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Derivatives
Derivative financial assets and liabilities are measured at fair value and classified as fair value through 
profit and loss or, if the Group has applied hedge accounting, at fair value through other comprehensive 
income according to the IFRS 9 standard. Derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting are 
discussed in more detail in Note 27 Derivatives.

Fair value of financial instruments
The fair values of publicly traded derivatives and listed securities, are based on quoted market prices 
at the reporting date; the fair values of interest rate swaps are calculated as the present value of the 
estimated future cash flows, and the fair values of foreign exchange forward contracts are determined 
using forward exchange rates at the reporting date. The valuation principles for derivative financial 
instruments have been described in more detail in Note 27 Derivatives. 

In assessing the fair values of non-traded derivatives and other financial instruments, the Group 
uses a variety of methods and makes assumptions based on the market conditions at each reporting 
date. Quoted market prices or dealer quotes for identical or similar instruments are used for non-current 
debt. Other techniques, such as option pricing models and estimated discounted value of future cash 
flows, are used to determine fair values for the remaining financial instruments. The face values, less any 
estimated credit adjustments, for financial assets and liabilities with a maturity of less than one year are 
assumed to approximate their fair values. The fair values of financial liabilities for disclosure purposes 
are estimated by discounting the future contractual cash flows at the current market interest rates 
available to the Group for similar financial instruments.

Purchases and sales of financial instruments are recognised based on trade date accounting, which 

is the date on which the Group commits to purchasing or selling the financial instrument. Financial 
instruments are derecognised when the rights to receive or the cash flows from the financial instruments 
have expired or have been transferred and the Group has substantially transferred all risks, rewards and 
obligations of the ownership of the financial asset or liability.

Fair value hierarchy
The Group uses the following hierarchy for determining and disclosing the fair value of financial 
instruments by valuation technique:
•  Level 1: quoted (unadjusted) prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
•  Level 2: other techniques, for which all inputs which have a significant effect on the recorded fair 

value are observable, either directly or indirectly;

•  Level 3: techniques which use inputs which have a significant effect on the recorded fair values that 

are not based on observable market data.

The Group evaluates the categorisation of its fair value measurements within the fair value hierarchy on 
a regular basis at the end of the reporting period. There were no transfers recognised in the fair value 
hierarchy between Levels 1 and 2 and no transfers into or out of Level 3 fair value measurements during 
2020 and 2019. See Note 14 Equity instruments for more information on Level 3 fair value measurement 
of listed and unlisted securities.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

61

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Carrying amounts of financial assets and liabilities by measurement and fair value categories: 2020 

EUR million
Financial assets
Listed securities
Unlisted securities
Non-current interest-bearing receivables
Trade and other operative receivables
Short-term interest-bearing receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Total

EUR million
Financial liabilities
Non-current interest-bearing liabilities
Current portion of non-current debt
Short-term interest-bearing liabilities
Trade and other operative payables
Bank overdrafts
Total

Amortised cost

Fair value  
through OCI

Fair value through 
income statement

Total  
carrying amount

Fair value

Level 1

Fair value hierarchy
Level 2

Level 3

Note

—
—
91
814
1
1 661
2 566

16
394
2
44
60
—
515

—
7
—
—
6
—
13

16
401
93
858
66
1 661
3 094

16
401
93
858
66
1 661
3 094

16
—
—
—
—
—
16

—
—
2
44
65
—
111

—
401
—
—
—
—
401

14
14
26
17
26

Amortised cost

Fair value  
through OCI

Fair value through 
income statement

Total  
carrying amount

Fair value

Level 1

Fair value hierarchy
Level 2

Level 3

Note

3 801
472
444
1 547
6
6 270

19
—
11
—
—
30

2
—
1
—
—
3

3 822
472
456
1 547
6
6 303

4 233
472
456
1 547
6
6 715

—
—
—
—
—
—

21
—
12
—
—
33

—
—
—
—
—
—

26
26
26
23

Hedge accounted derivatives are presented under fair value through OCI and non-hedge accounted derivatives under fair value through income statement categories in the above tables for financial assets and liabilities.

Carrying amounts of financial assets and liabilities by measurement and fair value categories: 2019 

EUR million
Financial assets
Listed securities
Unlisted securities
Non-current interest-bearing receivables
Trade and other operative receivables
Short-term interest-bearing receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Total

EUR million
Financial liabilities
Non-current interest-bearing liabilities
Current portion of non-current debt
Short-term interest-bearing liabilities
Trade and other operative payables
Bank overdrafts
Total

Amortised cost

Fair value  
through OCI

Fair value through 
income statement

Total  
carrying amount

Fair value

Level 1

Fair value hierarchy
Level 2

Level 3

Note

—
—
71
930
3
876
1 879

12
522
1
38
17
—
591

—
3
—
—
3
—
7

12
526
72
968
23
876
2 477

12
526
72
968
23
876
2 477

12
—
—
—
—
—
12

—
—
1
38
20
—
59

—
526
—
—
—
—
526

14
14
26
17
26

Amortised cost

Fair value  
through OCI

Fair value through 
income statement

Total  
carrying amount

Fair value

Level 1

Fair value hierarchy
Level 2

Level 3

Note

3 207
376
546
1 574
13
5 716

21
—
24
—
—
45

4
—
1
25
—
30

3 232
376
572
1 598
13
5 790

3 549
376
572
1 598
13
6 107

—
—
—
—
—
—

24
—
26
—
—
50

—
—
—
25
—
25

26
26
26
23

Hedge accounted derivatives are presented under fair value through OCI and non-hedge accounted derivatives under fair value through income statement categories in the above tables for financial assets and liabilities.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

62

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In the previous tables, the fair value is estimated to be equal to the carrying amount for short-term financial 
assets and financial liabilities, such as trade receivables and payables due to their short time to maturity 
and limited credit risk. The fair value of non-current interest-bearing liabilities, considered as a level 2 
fair value measurement, is estimated based on a discounted cash flow analysis in which the yield curves 
observable at commonly quoted intervals are used as a discount factor in the model.

In 2014, Stora Enso acquired 100% of shares in the US-based company Virdia Inc. The transaction 
included potential pay-outs depending on the completion of specific technical and commercial milestones. 
The present value of the estimated pay-outs, considered as a level 3 fair value measurement, is estimated 
based on certain probability criteria. At year end, the fair value amounted to EUR 0 (EUR 25) million and is 
presented in the table above under trade and other operative payables. In January 2020, the milestones 
were settled with an amount of approximately EUR 25 million.

Interest-bearing liabilities
Interest-bearing liabilities are recognised initially at fair value, net of transaction costs incurred. In 
subsequent periods, interest-bearing liabilities are measured at amortised cost using the effective 
interest method. Any difference between the proceeds net of transaction costs and redemption value is 
recognised in the Consolidated income statement over the maturity period of the borrowings. Interest 
expenses are accrued for and recorded in the Consolidated Income statement for each period.

Interest-bearing liabilities with an original maturity greater than 12 months are classified as non-current 

interest-bearing liabilities in the Consolidated statement of financial position, though repayments falling 
due within 12 months are presented in current liabilities under the current portion of non-current debt. 
Short-term commercial paper, bank and other interest-bearing liabilities, for which the original maturity is 
less than 12 months, are presented in current liabilities under interest-bearing liabilities.

Reconciliation of level 3 fair value measurement of financial assets and liabilities

EUR million
Financial assets
Opening balance at 1 January
Gains/losses recognised in income statement
Gains/losses recognised in other comprehensive income
Additions
Disposals
Closing balance at 31 December

EUR million
Financial liabilities
Opening balance at 1 January
Gains/losses recognised in income statement
Deductions
Closing balance at 31 December

2020

526
1
-140
15
-1
401

2020

-25
0
25
0

2019

422
0
109
0
-5
526

2019

-21
-4
0
-25

Lease liabilities
At inception of a contract, the Group assesses whether a contract is, or contains, a lease. A contract is, 
or contains, a lease if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period 
of time in exchange for consideration. Lease liabilities are initially capitalised at the commencement 
of the lease and measured at the present value of the lease payments that are not paid at the 
commencement date, discounted using the Group’s incremental borrowing rate. The lease term applied 
corresponds to the non-cancellable period except in cases where the Group is reasonably certain to 
exercise renewal option or prolong the contract. The Group allocates the consideration in the contract 
to each lease component and separates non-lease components if these are identifiable. Lease terms 
are negotiated on an individual basis and contain a wide range of different terms and conditions.

The lease liabilities are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method. 

Lease payment is allocated between the capital liability and finance charges to achieve a constant 
interest rate on the outstanding liability balance. Lease liabilities are remeasured mainly when there is a 
change in future lease payments arising from a change in an index or rate, or if there is a change in the 
Group’s assessment whether it will exercise an extension option. When lease liability is remeasured, a 
corresponding adjustment is generally made to the carrying amount of the right-of-use asset.

The Group has elected not to recognise lease liabilities for short-term leases that have a lease term 

of 12 months or less and leases of low value assets. Leases of low value assets mainly include IT and 
office equipment, certain vehicles and machinery and other low value items. The Group recognises the 
lease payments associated with these leases as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Note 26 Interest-bearing assets and liabilities 

Interest-bearing assets

 Accounting principles

Interest-bearing assets – loan receivables
Loan receivables are debt instruments with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted on an 
active market. They are recorded initially at fair value and subsequently measured at an amortised cost. 
Loss allowance for expected credit losses is calculated based on the general approach under IFRS 9, 
where loss allowance is recognised based on 12-month expected credit losses if there has not been 
a significant increase in credit risk since the initial recognition. A significant increase in the credit risk 
will be evaluated based on a comparison of the risk of a default occurring on the financial instrument 
as at the reporting date with the risk of default occurring on the financial instrument as at the date of 
initial recognition. The Group may use, for example, rates of credit default swaps (CDS) observable on 
financial markets to produce the risk assessment.

Interest income on loan receivables is included in financial income and expense. Loan receivables 
with a maturity less than 12 months are included in current assets under interest-bearing receivables, 
and those with maturities greater than 12 months, in non-current interest-bearing receivables.

EUR million
Listed securities
Long-term derivative assets
Long-term deposits
Long-term loans to equity accounted investments
Other long-term loan receivables
Total non-current interest-bearing assets
Short-term derivative assets
Short-term deposits
Other short-term loan receivables
Cash equivalents
Total current interest-bearing assets
Total interest-bearing assets

As at 31 December

2020
16
2
87
2
2
109
65
0
1
1 661
1 726
1 836

2019
12
1
68
2
1
84
20
3
0
876
898
983

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Please refer to the Stora Enso Sustainability report for further information regarding the use of proceeds 

and Stora Enso's Sustainable Finance strategy.

In the second quarter of 2019, Stora Enso issued SEK 1 000 million loan in Green Bond format under 
the EMTN and Green Bond frameworks. The loan matures in 2026. In addition, Stora Enso entered into a 
new amortising credit-institution loan with the nominal of SEK 1 500 million. The loan had a original maturity 
date in 2021 but it was prepaid already during 2020.

During 2020, Stora Enso’s total repayments of bond notes amounted to a nominal of EUR 0 (USD and 
EUR bond notes of EUR 219) million. During 2020 Stora Enso renegotiated loan terms of its two existing 
credit-institution loans by extending the maturities and amending the other loan terms such as interest 
rate of the loans. This resulted in EUR 2 million initial modification net gain being recognised in the Income 
Statement. The modification gain will be amortised over the remaining lifetime of the loans.

Interest-bearing liabilities - maturities, interest rates and currency breakdown
Stora Enso's borrowings maturities range from 2021 to the longest borrowing maturing in 2036. Borrowings 
have either fixed or floating interest rates ranging from 0.5% (0.5%) to 7.3% (7.3%). The average interest 
rate on borrowings for the full year amounted to 3.2% (3.5%) with a run-rate of 3.0% as per the year 
end. Part of Stora Enso's borrowings have been fixed through floating-to-fixed interest rate swaps and 
cross-currency swaps. The majority of Group loans are denominated in euros, US dollars, Swedish crowns 
or Chinese renminbis. Detailed maturity analysis of the Group's borrowings are set out in Note 24 Financial 
risk management.

Net debt
In 2020 net interest-bearing liabilities decreased by EUR 288 (increased by EUR 1 117) million to EUR 2 
921 (EUR 3 209) million. Net interest-bearing liabilities are equal to total interest-bearing liabilities less 
total interest-bearing assets such as cash equivailents and deposits. Cash and cash equivalents net of 
overdrafts increased by EUR 792 (decreased by EUR 265) million to EUR 1 655 (EUR 863) million as at 31 
December 2020. In 2020, the total cash outflow for leases was EUR 85 (EUR 88) million including interest 
component of EUR 19 (EUR 20) million.

The ratio of net debt to the last 12 months' operational EBITDA was 2.3 (2.0). The net debt/equity ratio 

was 0.33 (0.43) as per the year-end.

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

The annual average interest income rate for deposits and loan receivables during 2020 was approximately 
0.2% (0.6%). Current interest-bearing receivables did not include any material accrued interest at 31 
December 2020. The Group has evaluated that there has not been a significant increase in credit risk 
related to interest-bearing receivables after the initial recognition. Accordingly, they are considered to have 
a low credit risk and loss allowance is recognised based on 12-month expected credit losses.

Interest-bearing liabilities

EUR million
Bond loans
Loans from credit institutions
Lease liabilities
Long-term derivative financial liabilities (see Note 25)
Other non-current liabilities
Non-current interest-bearing liabilities including current portion
Short-term borrowings
Interest payable
Short-term derivative financial liabilities (see Note 25)
Bank overdrafts
Total Interest-bearing Liabilities

EUR million
Carrying value at 1 January
Additions in lease liabilities due to adoption of IFRS 16
Acquisition of subsidiary companies
Proceeds of new long-term debt
Additions in lease liabilities
Repayment of long-term debt
Repayment of lease liabilities and interest
Change in short-term borrowings and interest payable
Change in derivative financial liabilities
Translation differences and other
Total Interest-bearing Liabilities

As at 31 December

2020
2 789
1 083
397
21
5
4 294
413
35
9
6
4 756

2020
4 192
0
0
1 081
39
-333
-85
-101
-17
-20
4 756

2019
1 978
1 162
440
24
5
3 608
516
33
23
13
4 192

2019
3 344
525
793
870
29
-1 216
-88
-58
-21
13
4 192

Events during 2020 and 2019
Stora Enso has a Green Bond Framework as part of its Sustainable Finance approach. The ambition is 
to offer a loan-format to support sustainability-focused fixed income investors and to report the direct 
environmental impacts of some investments and business activities.

In April 2020, Stora Enso successfully issued a SEK 1 700 million green bond under its EMTN (Euro 
Medium Term Note) programme and Stora Enso’s Green Bond Framework. The bond matures in April 2025. 
In June 2020, Stora Enso successfully tapped the above mentioned 2025 SEK Green Bond issued in April 
2020 with an additional nominal of SEK 1 400 million. The bond consist of fixed and floating tranches and 
pays a floating coupon of STIBOR +2.20% and a fixed coupon of 2.375%.

In November 2020, Stora Enso successfully issued a new EUR 500 million green bond under its EMTN 

(Euro Medium Term Note) programme and Stora Enso's Green Bond framework. The bond matures in 
December 2030 and pays a fixed coupon of 0.625%.

In February 2019, Stora Enso successfully issued its first Green Bonds with a total nominal value of 
SEK 6 000 million. The bonds consist of three tranches with SEK 3 000 million maturing in August 2021 and 
paying a floating coupon of STIBOR +0.85%, SEK 1 250 million maturing in February 2024 and paying a 
floating coupon of STIBOR +1.45%, and SEK 1 750 million maturing in February 2024 and paying a fixed 
coupon of 1.875%. There are no financial covenants for the bonds. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bond loans
Issue/ Maturity Dates

Description of Bond

Interest Rate %

Currency of Bond

Outstanding As at 31 December

Carrying Value As at 31 December

Global 7.250% Notes 2036
Euro Medium Term Note
Euro Medium Term Note
Euro Medium Term Note
Euro Medium Term Note (Green Bond)
Euro Medium Term Note (Green Bond)
Euro Medium Term Note (Green Bond)

All Liabilities are Held by the Parent Company
Fixed Rate
2006-2036
2016-2023
2017-2027
2018-2028
2019-2024
2020-2025
2020-2030
Total Fixed Rate Bond Loans
Floating Rate
2015-2025
2015-2027
2019-2021
2019-2024
2019-2026
2020-2025
Total Floating Rate Bond Loans
Total Bond Loans

Euro Medium Term Note
Euro Medium Term Note
Euro Medium Term Note (Green Bond)
Euro Medium Term Note (Green Bond)
Euro Medium Term Note (Green Bond)
Euro Medium Term Note (Green Bond)

7.25
2.125
2.5
2.5
1.875
2.375
0.625

Euribor+2.25
Euribor+2.35
Stibor+0.85
Stibor+1.45
Stibor+1.60
Stibor+2.20

USD
EUR
EUR
EUR
SEK
SEK
EUR

EUR
EUR
SEK
SEK
SEK
SEK

Nominal Value Issued

2020

Currency million

300
300
300
300
1 750
1 550
500

125
25
3 000
1 250
1 000
1 550

300
300
300
300
1 750
1 550
500

125
25
3 000
1 250
1 000
1 550

2019

300
300
300
300
1 750
0
0

125
25
3 000
1 250
1 000
0

2020
EUR million

242
299
299
298
174
155
494
1 962

125
25
299
124
99
155
827
2 789

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2019

264
299
299
298
167
0
0
1 326

125
25
287
119
95
0
651
1 978

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 27 Derivatives 

 Accounting principles

Derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting
Derivative financial instruments are initially recognised in the consolidated statement of financial 
position at fair value and subsequently measured at their fair value at each reporting date according to 
valuation methods described in this note. Derivative contracts with maturity greater than 12 months are 
classified as non-current interest-bearing receivables and liabilities, and contracts maturing within 12 
months are presented under current interest-bearing receivables and liabilities. 

When derivative contracts are entered into, the Group designates them as either hedges of highly 

probable forecast transactions or firm commitments (cash flow hedges), hedges of the exposure to 
changes in the fair value of recognised assets or liabilities (fair value hedges), hedges of net investments 
in foreign entities, or derivative financial instruments not meeting the hedge accounting criteria 
in accordance with IFRS 9. The method of recognising the resulting gains or losses on derivative 
instruments is dependent on the nature of the item being hedged.

At the inception of a hedge, the Group documents the relationship between the hedging instrument 

and the hedged item, as well as its risk management objective and strategy for undertaking various 
hedging transactions. This process includes linking all financial instruments designated under hedge 
accounting to specific assets and liabilities or to specific firm commitments or highly probable forecast 
transactions in order to verify and document the hedge relationship between the hedged item and 
the hedging instrument as required by IFRS 9. The Group also documents its qualitative prospective 
assessment at the hedge inception of whether the derivatives used in a hedge relationship are highly 
effective in offsetting changes in fair value or cash flows of hedged items. Hedge effectiveness will be 
assessed in accordance with IFRS 9 requirements.

The hedge ratio used for hedging relationships is usually 1:1. For currency and commodity hedging 
purposes, the Group uses a hedge designation where the critical terms of the hedging instrument and 
the hedged item will coincide in terms of the notional amount and timing. In respect of interest rate 
hedging, the interest rate basis between swap contracts and underlying debt will coincide. Since the 
critical terms of the hedges and underlying risks match, the hedging instruments are considered to 
offset any changes related to the anticipated transactions. 

Potential sources of ineffectiveness that may be expected to occur in relation to currency and 

commodity hedges are mainly related to the forecasted transaction not occurring in the amount or at the 
time expected. For interest rate hedges, cross-currency basis spread or initial fair value of the hedging 
instrument at the date of hedge designation may result in ineffectiveness being recognised in the 
income statement. Potential sources of ineffectiveness for all the aforementioned hedges also include 
possible effects of credit risk dominating fair value changes arising from the hedging instrument and the 
hedged item designated under the hedging relationship.

Cash flow hedges
Derivatives used in currency cash flow hedges are mainly forward contracts and options, with swaps 
mainly used for commodity and interest rate hedging purposes. In respect of commodity hedges, the 
Group may also use risk component hedging to hedge highly probable forecast purchases of natural 
gas. These purchases create natural gas price exposure which translates as coal and crude oil risk 
components that can be hedged by using API2 coal and Dated Brent crude oil linked swaps, which 
are expected to fully offset changes in the market value of the hedged risk components. Both of the 
risk components are separately identifiable and reliably measurable due to the pricing formula being 
specified in the natural gas purchase agreement. 

In 2020, the Group entered into new interest rate swap contracts with a total nominal value of SEK 

1 250 million. The interest rate swaps have been designated as cash flow hedges of newly issued 
SEK denominated floating-rate green bond and related tap issue maturing in 2025. In 2019, the group 
entered into new interest rate swap contracts with a total nominal value of SEK 4 000 million. The 

65

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interest rate swaps have been designated as cash flow hedges of the issued SEK denominated floating-
rate green bonds maturing in 2021, 2024 and 2026.

Changes in the fair value of derivatives designated and qualifying as cash flow hedges, and 
which are effective, are recognised in a separate equity category of OCI cash flow hedges reserve, 
the movements of which are disclosed in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. 
For currency forwards, both the spot element and forward points have been included to the hedge 
designation. In case of currency options, the time value of an option is excluded from the hedge 
designation and only the intrinsic value component of an option is designated as the hedging 
instrument. The changes in option time value are recognised in a cost of hedging reserve within OCI. 
The cumulative gain or loss of a derivative deferred in equity is transferred to the consolidated income 
statement and classified as an income or expense in the same period in which the hedged item affects 
the consolidated income statement. The unrealised gains and losses related to cash flow hedges 
are expected to be recycled through the income statement within one to three years with the longest 
hedging contract maturing in 2027 (2027). However, the majority of the contracts are expected to 
mature in 2021.

Realised results of hedge accounted derivative instruments hedging foreign currency sales 
transactions or purchases are booked as adjustments to sales or materials and services, depending 
on the nature of the underlying hedged item. In respect of hedges of exposures to foreign currency risk 
of future transactions resulting in the recognition of non-financial assets, the gains and losses deferred 
to the cash flow hedges reserve within OCI are transferred from equity to be included in the initial 
acquisition cost of the non-financial asset at the time of recognition. The Group may hedge foreign-
currency risk of external or internal foreign-currency purchases where the underlying amount purchased 
in a foreign-currency impacts the value of inventory in a local currency. In such cases the gains and 
losses are initially booked as an adjustment to raw material inventory and recycled further to finished 
goods inventory with being ultimately recognised in the consolidated income statement at the time 
when the hedged items are sold to an external customer. In case of non-current assets, the deferred 
amounts are ultimately recognised in the income statement through depreciation over the lifetime of the 
non-financial assets.

When a hedging instrument expires or is sold, terminated or exercised or no longer meets the 
hedge accounting criteria under IFRS 9, any cumulative gain or loss deferred in equity at that time 
remains in equity and is accounted for as an adjustment to income or expense when the committed 
or forecast transaction is ultimately recognised in the consolidated income statement. However, if the 
underlying forecasted transaction is no longer expected to occur, the cumulative gain or loss reported 
in equity from the period when the hedge was effective is immediately recognised in the consolidated 
income statement.

Fair value hedges
In case of fair value hedges, the Group uses either derivatives or borrowings as a hedging instrument 
to manage the risk associated with the fair value of a hedged item. The gains and losses on hedging 
instruments designated and qualifying as fair value hedges, and which are highly effective, are recorded 
in the consolidated income statement, along with any changes in the fair value of the hedged assets or 
liabilities attributable to the hedged risk.

Net investment hedges
For hedges of net investments in foreign entities, the Group uses either derivatives or foreign-currency 
borrowings for this purpose. If the hedging instrument is a derivative, any gain or loss thereon relating 
to the effective portion of the hedge is recognised in equity in CTA as disclosed in the consolidated 
statement of comprehensive income; the gain or loss relating to the ineffective portion is immediately 
recognised in the consolidated income statement. In addition, exchange gains and losses arising on 
the translation of a foreign-currency borrowing that hedges net investment in a foreign operation are 
also recognised in CTA, with any ineffective portion being immediately recognised in the consolidated 
income statement. The gains and losses recognised in CTA are recycled from equity to the consolidated 
income statement at the time when the underlying hedged net investment is disposed.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In 2020, certain forecasted future transactions were no longer expected to occur, and due to this hedge 
accounting was ceased for those transactions. This resulted in a loss of EUR 1 (EUR 3) million being 
booked in the Group's operating profit and the loss being presented in the table above as ineffectiveness 
from cash flow hedges.

Hedge gains and losses in financial items

EUR million
Cash flow hedge accounted derivatives
Interest rate hedges ineffectiveness
Net gains/losses from cash flow hedges

Non-hedge accounted derivatives
Currency derivatives
Net gains on non-hedge accounted derivatives

Net gains/losses in financial items

Year ended 31 December

2020

2019

2
2

14
14

16

0
-1

0
0

-1

66

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Non-hedge accounted derivatives
Certain derivative transactions, while providing effective economic hedges under Group risk management 
policies, do not qualify for hedge accounting under the specific rules in IFRS 9 and therefore changes in 
the fair value of such non-qualifying hedges are accounted for at fair value in the consolidated income 
statement. For non-hedge accounted derivatives economically hedging foreign-currency risk of net of 
operative receivables and payables, the fair value changes are recognised in operating profit under other 
operating income and expense. For other non-hedge accounted derivatives, the fair value changes are 
recognised in the consolidated income statement under financial income and expense.

Valuation of derivatives
Derivative financial instruments are recorded in the statement of financial position at their fair values 
defined as the amount at which the instrument could be exchanged in an orderly transaction between 
market participants at the measurement date. The fair values of such financial items have been 
estimated on the following basis:
•  Currency forward contract fair values are calculated using forward exchange rates at the reporting date. 
•  Currency option contract fair values are calculated using reporting date market rates together with 

common option pricing models.

•  Commodity contract fair values are computed with reference to quoted market prices on futures 

exchanges or other reliable market sources.
Interest rate swaps fair values are calculated using a discounted cash flow method.

• 
•  Cross-currency swaps fair values are calculated using a discounted cash flow method with the 

exchange of notionals being also included into the valuation model.

Total foreign exchange gains and losses in the income statement excluding hedges

EUR million
Other operating income1
Other operating expense2
Borrowings, cash equivalents and lease liabilities
Total

1 2019 figures reported under Sales, comparative figures are not restated.
2 2019 figures reported under Materials and services, comparative figures are not restated.

Hedge gains and losses in operating profit

EUR million
Cash flow hedge accounted derivatives
Currency hedges
Commodity hedges
Total
As adjustments to sales
As adjustments to materials and services
Realised from OCI through income statement
Currency hedges ineffectiveness
Commodity hedges ineffectiveness
Net losses from cash flow hedges

Non-hedge accounted derivatives
Net receivable hedges
Net gains/losses on non-hedge accounted derivatives

Net hedge losses in operating profit

Year ended 31 December

2020
-19
9
-22
-32

2019
12
-10
-6
-3

Year ended 31 December

2020

2019

-2
-23
-24
-1
-23
-24
0
-1
-25

10
10

-16

-83
12
-71
-79
8
-71
-3
0
-74

-17
-17

-91

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nominal and fair values of derivative instruments

EUR million

Currency derivatives
Forwards: Operational cash flow hedging
Options: Operational cash flow hedging
Total cash flow hedge accounted
Forwards: Trade and loan receivables hedging
Total non-hedge accounted
Total currency derivatives

Commodity derivatives
Electricity swaps: Costs hedging
Oil swaps: Costs hedging
Coal swaps: Costs hedging
Total cash flow hedge accounted
Total commodity derivatives

Interest rate derivatives
Interest rate swaps: Financial expenses hedging
Cross-currency swaps: Financial expenses hedging
Total cash flow hedge accounted
Total interest rate derivatives

Total cash flow hedge accounted
Total non-hedge accounted
Total derivatives

Nominal values

Positive 
fair values

Negative 
fair values

Net fair values

Nominal values

Positive 
fair values

Negative 
fair values

Net fair values

2020

2019

As at 31 December

1 041
645
1 686
436
436
2 122

42
10
0
52
52

694
200
894
894

2 631
436
3 068

40
14
53
6
6
59

8
1
0
8
8

0
0
0
0

62
6
67

-2
-1
-3
-1
-1
-5

-4
-1
0
-5
-5

-17
-6
-23
-23

-32
-1
-33

37
13
50
4
4
54

3
0
0
3
3

-17
-6
-23
-23

30
4
34

759
1 458
2 217
414
414
2 631

63
14
3
80
80

563
200
763
763

3 060
414
3 474

6
9
15
3
3
18

1
1
0
2
2

0
0
0
0

18
3
21

-9
-8
-17
-1
-1
-18

-5
0
0
-5
-5

-12
-15
-27
-27

-49
-1
-50

-4
1
-2
3
3
0

-4
1
0
-3
-3

-11
-15
-27
-27

-32
3
-29

Positive and negative fair values of financial derivative instruments are shown under interest-bearing 
receivables and liabilities, and non-current interest-bearing receivables and liabilities. The presented fair 
values in the table include accrued interest and option premiums.

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Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Changes in fair values of hedged items and hedging instruments 2020

Breakdown of cash flow hedging reserve and net investment hedges in equity 2019

EUR million
Foreign exchange risk - Forward and option 
contracts (excluding option time value)
Foreign exchange risk - Net investment hedges
Commodity price risk - Commodity swaps1
Interest rate risk - Interest rate swaps
Interest rate and foreign exchange risk - Cross-
currency swaps2

1 Ineffectiveness booked in Operating profit.
2 Ineffectiveness booked in Net financial items.

Change in value 
of hedged item to 
determine hedge 
effectiveness

Change in value 
of outstanding 
hedging 
instruments

Ineffectiveness

-51
-23
17
6

-7

51
23
-18
-6

9

0
0
-1
0

2

Changes in fair values of hedged items and hedging instruments 2019

EUR million
Foreign exchange risk - Operational cash 
flow hedging
Commodity price risk - Commodity swaps
Interest rate risk - Interest rate swaps
Interest rate and foreign exchange risk - 
Cross-currency swaps
Cost of hedging reserve
Total cash flow hedge reserve in OCI
Foreign exchange risk - Net investment 
hedges
Total net investment hedges in CTA
Total hedging reserves

Change in 
fair value 
recognised 
in OCI/CTA

Reclassified 
from OCI to 
profit and 
loss

At 1 Jan 
2019

Tax impact

At 31 Dec 
2019

-17
25
-5

-10
-2
-9

20
20
11

-67
-23
-4

1
3
-90

-6
-6
-96

86
-12
0

1
0
75

-4
-4
72

-4
9
1

-3
-1
1

1
1
3

-2
-2
-8

-11
1
-22

12
12
-10

Financial impact of netting for instruments subject to an enforceable master netting agreement 2020

EUR million
Foreign exchange risk - Forward and option 
contracts (excluding option time value)1
Foreign exchange risk - Net investment hedges
Commodity price risk - Commodity swaps
Interest rate risk - Interest rate swaps
Interest rate and foreign exchange risk - Cross-
currency swaps

1 Ineffectiveness booked in Operating profit.

Change in value 
of hedged item to 
determine hedge 
effectiveness

Change in value 
of outstanding 
hedging 
instruments

Ineffectiveness

64
6
23
4

-1

-67
-6
-23
-4

1

-3
0
0
0

0

EUR million
Derivative assets
Derivative liabilities

Breakdown of cash flow hedging reserve and net investment hedges in equity 2020

Change in 
fair value 
recognised 
in OCI/CTA

Reclassified 
from OCI to 
profit and 
loss

At 1 Jan 
2020

Tax impact

At 31 Dec 
2020

EUR million
Derivative assets
Derivative liabilities

Financial impact of netting for instruments subject to an enforceable master netting agreement 2019 

Not offset in the statement of financial position
Related liabilities 
(-) or assets (+) 
subject to master 
netting agreements
-25
25

Gross amount 
of recognised 
financial 
instruments
67
-33

Collateral received 
(-) or given (+)
0
0

Net exposure
42
-8

Not offset in the statement of financial position
Related liabilities 
(-) or assets (+) 
subject to master 
netting agreements
-14
14

Gross amount 
of recognised 
financial 
instruments
21
-50

Collateral received 
(-) or given (+)
0
0

Net exposure
7
-36

EUR million
Foreign exchange risk - Operational cash 
flow hedging
Commodity price risk - Commodity swaps
Interest rate risk - Interest rate swaps
Interest rate and foreign exchange risk - 
Cross-currency swaps
Cost of hedging reserve
Total cash flow hedge reserve in OCI
Foreign exchange risk - Net investment 
hedges
Total net investment hedges in CTA
Total hedging reserves

-2
-2
-8

-11
1
-22

12
12
-10

50
-17
-6

9
0
35

23
23
58

2
24
0

-7
0
18

0
0
18

-10
-2
1

0
0
-11

-5
-5
-15

39
3
-13

-9
0
20

30
30
51

The Group enters into derivative transactions under master netting agreements agreed with each 
counterparty. In case of an unlikely credit event, such as default, all outstanding transactions under the 
agreements are terminated, and only a single net amount per counterparty is payable for settlement of all 
transactions. The agreements do not meet the criteria for offsetting in the statement of financial position, 
because offsetting is enforceable only in the occurrence of certain future events.

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

69

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t
s
–
N
o
t
e
2
8

Note 28 Cumulative translation adjustment and equity hedging 

Cumulative translation adjustment - financial position

 Accounting principles

The Group operates internationally and is thus exposed to currency risks arising from exchange rate 
fluctuations on the value of its net investment in non-euro area foreign subsidiaries, joint operations, and 
equity accounted investments. Exchange differences arising from the retranslation of net investments in 
foreign entities that are non-euro foreign subsidiaries, joint operations or equity accounted investments, 
and of financial instruments that are designated as and are hedges of such investments, are recorded 
directly in the shareholders’ equity in the cumulative translation adjustment (CTA). Movements in CTA 
(including related hedges) are shown in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. 

The cumulative translation adjustments of disposals and liquidations are combined with their gain or loss 

on disposal. The CTA is recycled in the consolidated income statement upon disposal of a business unit.
The Group policy for translation risk exposure is to minimise this by funding assets whenever 
possible and economically viable in the same currency, but if matching the assets and liabilities in the 
same currency is not possible, hedging of the remaining translation risk may take place. The gains 
and losses net of tax on all financial liabilities and instruments used for hedging purposes are offset in 
CTA against the respective currency movements arising from the restatement of the net investments 
at current exchange rates on the reporting date. The Group has also applied net investment loan 
accounting under IAS 21 for certain intragroup loans.

Cumulative translation adjustment - movement

Year ended 31 December

EUR million
At 1 January
CTA on net investments
Net investment hedges and loans
Income tax related to hedges and loans
Net CTA in Equity

CTA movement OCI
Restatement of opening equity
Difference in Income Statement translation
CTA release through the Income Statement
CTA other changes
Net investment hedges and loans
Income tax related to hedges and loans
CTA movement OCI total

At 31 December
CTA on net investments
Net investment hedges and loans
Income tax related to hedges and loans
Net CTA in Equity

2020

-148
18
-6
-136

-157
18
0
-4
16
-4
-131

-292
34
-10
-267

2019

-355
27
-7
-335

7
13
182
5
-9
1
198

-148
18
-6
-136

The release of cumulative translation adjustments to the income statement amounted to EUR 0 (EUR -182) 
million. In 2019 a loss of EUR 171 million was related to the Bergvik Skog restructuring in Sweden.

EUR million
Brazil
China
Czech Republic
Poland
Russia
Sweden
Uruguay (USD)
USA
Others
CTA before Tax
Taxes
Net CTA in Equity

Cumulative  
Translation  
Adjustments (CTA)

As at 31 December

Net Investment  
Hedges and Loans

Net CTA in the 
Statement of  
Financial Position

2020
-299
74
29
-49
-91
6
43
-1
-4
-292

-292

2019
-209
73
33
-24
-55
-128
158
6
-1
-148

-148

2020

-6
-9
17

47
-14

34
-10
25

2019
0
0
-9
17
0
47
-37
0
0
18
-6
12

2020
-299
67
20
-32
-91
52
29
-1
-4
-258
-10
-267

2019
-209
73
24
-7
-55
-82
122
6
-1
-130
-6
-136

The main movements in CTA in 2020 were a gain of EUR 134 (EUR 158) million related to the Swedish 
crown, loss of EUR 122 (gain of EUR 25) million related to the US dollar, loss of EUR 35 (gain of EUR 15) 
million related to Russian Ruble, loss of EUR 25 (gain of EUR 4) million related to Polish Zloty, and loss of 
EUR 90 (EUR 5) million related to Brazilian Real.

The net amount of hedging gain included in the CTA during the period amounted to EUR 13 (loss of EUR 8) 
million. At December 2020 the total amount of net investment hedges and loans amounted to gain of EUR 
25 (EUR 12) million.

Hedging instruments and unrealised hedge losses

EUR million
Borrowings
USD area
Total Hedging

Nominal amount 
(Currency)
2020

2019

300

300

As at 31 December

Nominal amount (EUR)
2019

2020

Unrealised Losses (EUR)
2019

2020

244
244

267
267

-11
-11

-25
-25

The group is currently only hedging its equity exposure to the US dollar arising from its joint operation 
located in Uruguay with USD functional currency.

Net Investment loans
At 31 December 2020 Net investment loans had an impact of EUR 5 (0) million on CTA in Equity.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 29 Commitments and contingencies 

 Accounting principles

Guarantees
The guarantees entered into with financial institutions and other credit guarantors generally oblige the 
group to make payment in the event of default by the borrower. The guarantees have an off-balance 
sheet credit risk representing the accounting loss that would be recognised at the reporting date if 
the counterparties fail to perform completely as contracted. The credit risk amounts are equal to the 
contract sums, assuming the amounts are not paid in full and are irrecoverable from other parties.

Commitments

EUR million
On own behalf
Mortgages
Other commitments
On behalf of equity accounted investments
Guarantees
On behalf of others
Guarantees
Other commitments
Total

Mortgages
Guarantees
Other commitments
Total

As at 31 December

2020

2019

0
14

2

6
36
58

0
8
50
58

2
3

4

6
13
28

2
10
17
28

In 2020, the Group’s commitments amounted to EUR 58 (EUR 28) million. In addition, the parent company 
Stora Enso Oyj has guaranteed the liabilities of many of its subsidiaries and joint operations up to EUR 1 
219 (EUR 1 508) million as of 31 December 2020.

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

Stora Enso has been granted various investment subsidies and has given certain investment 

commitments in different countries e.g. Finland, China and Sweden. If committed planning conditions 
are not met, local officials may pursue administrative measures to reclaim some of the formerly granted 
investment subsidies or to impose penalties on Stora Enso, and the outcome of such a process could result 
in a negative financial impact on Stora Enso. 

Stora Enso is party to legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business and which primarily 

involve claims arising out of commercial law. The management does not consider that liabilities related 
to such proceedings before insurance recoveries, if any, are likely to be material to the Group’s financial 
condition or results of operations. 

Legal proceedings in Latin America 
Veracel 
On 11 July 2008, Stora Enso announced that a federal judge in Brazil had issued a decision claiming that 
the permits issued by the State of Bahia for the operations of Stora Enso’s joint operations company 
Veracel were not valid. The judge also ordered Veracel to take certain actions, including reforestation 
with native trees on part of Veracel’s plantations and a possible fine of, at the time of the decision, BRL 
20 (EUR 3) million. Veracel disputes the decision and has filed an appeal against it. Veracel operates in 
full compliance with all Brazilian laws and has obtained all the necessary environmental and operating 
licences for its industrial and forestry activities from the relevant authorities. In November 2008, a Federal 
Court suspended the effects of the decision. No provisions have been recorded in Veracel’s or Stora Enso’s 
accounts for the reforestation or the possible fine. 

The tax authority has claimed that part of the PIS (social integration programme) and COFINS 
(contribution for the financing of social security) paid by Veracel on the purchase of raw materials and 
services in years 2006-2016 was not eligible for tax credit. Stora Enso and Veracel consider the remaining 
pending claims unjustified and no provisions have been recorded in Veracel’s or Stora Enso’s accounts for 
this matter. The dispute was still pending at balance sheet date. The remaining pending claim relating to 
Stora Enso’s share in Veracel is BRL 40 million (EUR 6 million). The outlook of the dispute is considered to 
be more positive than in earlier years and there will be no further reporting on this dispute.

70

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a
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0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
c
o
n
s
o

l
i

d
a
t
e
d
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
2
9

  Stora Enso in capital markets

Capital commitments

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

EUR million
Total

 As at 31 December

2020
207

2019
223

Capital expenditure commitments are not recognised in the balance sheet and these include the Group’s 
share of direct capital expenditure contracts in joint operations. Commitments in relation to capital 
expenditure mainly relate to the Oulu mill conversion and other ongoing projects at the Imatra Mill in Finland 
and the Ždírec sawmill in Czech Republic.

Contingent liabilities 
Stora Enso has undertaken significant restructuring actions in recent years which have included the 
divestment of companies, sale of assets and mill closures. These transactions include a risk of possible 
environmental or other obligations the existence of which would be confirmed only by the occurrence 
or non-occurrence of one or more uncertain future events not wholly within the control of the Group. A 
provision has been recognised for obligations for which the related amount can be estimated reliably and 
for which the related future cost is considered to be at least probable.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 30 Group companies 

Country
Russia
Sweden
Finland
Russia
Latvia
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Poland

Subsidiaries
A/O Ladenso
AB Stabergsvikens tomter
Anjala Fiber & Energy Oy
AO Stora Enso
AS Stora Enso Latvija
Bergnät 1 AB
Bergnät 2 AB
Box Inc AB
Cellutech AB
Centrum Dystrybucji i Obróbki Drewna Sp. z.o.o.
Changzhou Stora Enso Packaging Technology Co. Ltd. China
DanFiber A/S
Dongguan Stora Enso Inpac Packaging Co. Ltd.
Efora Oy
Enso Alueverkko Oy
Euro - Timber, spol. s.r.o.
FPB Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Guangxi Stora Enso Forestry Co. Ltd.
Herman Andersson Oy
HESPOL Sp. z.o.o.
Hälsingeskogen vind AB
Jiashan Stora Enso Inpac Packaging Co. Ltd.
Lumipaper Ltd
Lumipaper NV
Mena Wood Oy Ltd
Merivienti Oy
OAO Olonetsles
OOO Setles
OOO Setnovo
OOO Stora Enso Forest West
OOO Stora Enso Packaging BB
OOO Stora Transport
OOO Terminal
Primaskog 1 AB
Primaskog 2 AB
Primaskog 3 AB
Primaskog 4 AB
Primaskog 5 AB
Primaskog 6 AB
Primaskog 7 AB
Primaskog 8 AB
Primaskog 9 AB
Skogsutveckling Syd AB
Stora Enso China Packaging (HK) Co., Limited
Stora Enso (Guangxi) Forestry Company Ltd.
Stora Enso (Guangxi) Packaging Company Ltd.

Denmark
China
Finland
Finland
Slovak Republic
Germany
China
Finland
Poland
Sweden
China
UK
Belgium
Finland
Finland
Russia
Russia
Russia
Russia
Russia
Russia
Russia
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Hong Kong
China
China

Group ownership, % Group ownership, %
2019
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
51.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
99.97
89.50
100.00
100.00
0.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
96.88
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
66.67
100.00
80.08
80.08

2020
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
51.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
99.98
89.50
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
99.48
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
66.67
100.00
80.08
80.08

Country
Hong Kong
South Africa
Sweden
Netherlands
Brazil
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
France
Brazil
China
Sweden
France
Denmark
Estonia
Spain
Sweden
France
Germany
France
UK
Finland

Subsidiaries
Stora Enso (HK) Ltd
Stora Enso (Southern Africa) (Pty) Ltd
Stora Enso AB
Stora Enso Amsterdam B.V.
Stora Enso Arapoti Holding Florestal S.A.
Stora Enso Australia Pty Ltd
Stora Enso Austria GmbH
Stora Enso Belgium NV
Stora Enso Bergskog 1 AB
Stora Enso Bergskog 2 AB
Stora Enso Bioenergi AB
Stora Enso Bois SAS
Stora Enso Brasil Ltda
Stora Enso China Co., Ltd
Stora Enso China Holdings AB
Stora Enso Corbehem SAS
Stora Enso Danmark A/S
Stora Enso Eesti AS
Stora Enso Espana S.A.U
Stora Enso Fors AB
Stora Enso France SAS
Stora Enso Germany GmbH
Stora Enso Holding France SAS
Stora Enso Holdings UK Ltd
Stora Enso Ingerois Oy
Stora Enso Inpac Corrugated Packaging (Hebei) 
Company Limited
China
Stora Enso Inpac Hebei Protective Packaging Co., Ltd. China
China
Stora Enso Inpac Packaging Co. Ltd
Finland
Stora Enso International Oy
Italy
Stora Enso Italia Srl
Japan
Stora Enso Japan K.K.
Germany
Stora Enso Kabel GmbH
Belgium
Stora Enso Langerbrugge NV
Laos
Stora Enso Lao Co. Ltd
Sweden
Stora Enso Laos Plantation AB
Ukraine
Stora Enso LLC
Germany
Stora Enso Maxau GmbH
Mexico
Stora Enso Mexico S.A.
United Arab 
Emirates
Poland
USA
Finland
Finland
Finland
Sweden

Stora Enso Middle East DMCC
Stora Enso Narew Sp.z.o.o.
Stora Enso North American Sales, Inc.
Stora Enso Oulu Holding Oy
Stora Enso Oulu Oy
Stora Enso Packagent Oy
Stora Enso Packaging AB

71

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2
0
:

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i

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N
o
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e
s
t
o
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h
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o
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s
o

l
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d
fi
n
a
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c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
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t
s
–
N
o
t
e
3
0

Group ownership, % Group ownership, %
2019
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00

2020
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00

100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
99.98
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00

100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
100.00

100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
99.97
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00

100.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
100.00
100.00
100.00

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Subsidiaries
Stora Enso Packaging AS
Stora Enso Packaging Oy
Stora Enso Packaging SIA
Stora Enso Packaging UAB
Stora Enso Paper AB
Stora Enso Paper France SAS
Stora Enso Paper GmbH
Stora Enso Paper Oy
Stora Enso Paper UK Ltd
Stora Enso Pension Trust Ltd.
Stora Enso Plantor AB
Stora Enso Poland S.A.
Stora Enso Polska Sp.z.o.o.
Stora Enso Portugal Lda
Stora Enso Praha s.r.o.
Stora Enso Publication Papers Oy Ltd
Stora Enso Pulp AB
Stora Enso Pulp and Paper Asia AB
Stora Enso Sachsen GmbH
Stora Enso Skog AB
Stora Enso Skog AS
Stora Enso Skog och Mark AB
Stora Enso South East Asia Pte Ltd
Stora Enso Timber AB
Stora Enso Timber Deutschland GmbH
Stora Enso Timber DIY Products B.V.
Stora Enso Treasury Stockholm AB
Stora Enso UK Limited
Stora Enso US Inc.
Stora Enso Veitsiluoto Oy
Stora Enso Verwaltungs GmbH
Stora Enso Wood Products d.o.o. Koper
Stora Enso Wood Products GmbH
Stora Enso Wood Products Japan K.K.
Stora Enso Wood Products Oy Ltd
Stora Enso Wood Products Planá s.r.o.
Stora Enso Wood Products Sp.z.o.o.
Stora Enso Wood Products Zdirec s.r.o.
Stora Enso WP Bad St. Leonhard GmbH
Stora Enso WP HV s.r.o.
Stora Kopparbergs Bergslags AB
Sydved AB
UAB Stora Enso Lietuva
Virdia B2X, LLC
Virdia LLC
Virdia Ltd
VLAR Papier NV

Country
Estonia
Finland
Latvia
Lithuania
Sweden
France
Germany
Finland
UK
UK
Sweden
Poland
Poland
Portugal
Czech Republic
Finland
Sweden
Sweden
Germany
Sweden
Norway
Sweden
Singapore
Sweden
Germany
Netherlands
Sweden
UK
USA
Finland
Germany
Slovenia
Austria
Japan
Finland
Czech Republic
Poland
Czech Republic
Austria
Czech Republic
Sweden
Sweden
Lithuania
USA
USA
Israel
Belgium

Group ownership, % Group ownership, %
2019
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
94.21
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
66.67
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00

2020
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
94.21
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
66.67
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00

Associated companies
Arauco Florestal Arapoti S.A.
Bergvik Skog AB
Encore Ympäristöpalvelut Oy
Honkalahden Teollisuuslaituri Oy
Kemi Shipping Oy
Kemira Cell Sp.z.o.o.
Metsäteho Oy
Oy Keskuslaboratorio - Centrallaboratorium Ab
Perkaus Oy
Pressretur AB
Puhoksen Satama Oy
SELF Logistika SIA
Steveco Oy
Suomen Keräyspaperi Tuottajayhteisö Oy
SweTree Technologies AB
Tornator Oyj
Trätåg AB
TreeToTextile AB
ZMP GMBH
Österbergs Förpackningsmaskiner AB

Other companies
AMEXCI AB
Arevo AB
Clic Innovation Oy
Combient AB
East Office of Finnish Industries Oy
Packages Limited
Pohjolan Voima Oy
Radioskog AB
RK Returkartong AB
SSG Standard Solutions Group AB
Sölvesborgs Stuveri & Hamn AB
Union Developement Récup. Pap.

Country
Brazil
Sweden
Finland
Finland
Finland
Poland
Finland
Finland
Finland
Sweden
Finland
Latvia
Finland
Finland
Sweden
Finland
Sweden
Sweden
Austria
Sweden

Country
Sweden
Sweden
Finland
Sweden
Finland
Pakistan
Finland
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
France

Joint operations
Celulosa y Energia Punta Pereira S.A.
El Esparragal Asociación Agraria de Responsabilidad 
Limitada
Eufores S.A.
Forestal Cono Sur S.A.
Ongar S.A.
Stora Enso Uruguay S/A
Terminal Logística e Industrial M`Bopocuá S.A.
Veracel Celulose SA
Zona Franca Punta Pereira S.A.

Country
Uruguay

Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay
Brazil
Uruguay

72

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2
0
:

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i

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N
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e
s
t
o
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e
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s
o

l
i

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a
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e
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a
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a

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–
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3
0

Group ownership, % Group ownership, %
2019
20.00
49.79
30.41
50.00
50.00
45.00
23.95
32.24
33.33
33.33
50.00
50.00
34.39
40.09
29.93
41.00
50.00
25.00
30.00
50.00

2020
20.00
49.79
30.41
50.00
50.00
45.00
23.95
32.24
33.33
33.33
50.00
50.00
34.39
40.09
23.83
41.00
50.00
25.75
30.00
50.00

Group ownership, % Group ownership, %
2019
9.10
7.89
9.87
5.40
4.00
6.40
15.61
10.00
8.40
14.29
7.36
10.70

2020
9.10
7.89
9.87
5.40
4.00
6.40
15.61
10.00
8.40
14.29
7.36
10.70

Group ownership, % Group ownership, %
2019
50.00

2020
50.00

50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00

50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 31 Related party transactions 

Note 32 Earnings per share 

Balances and transactions between the Group and its subsidiaries and joint operations, which are 
classified as related parties, have been eliminated on consolidation and are not disclosed in this note.

The Group has classified Solidium Oy as a related party. This is entirely owned by the State of Finland, 

and owned 10.7% of Stora Enso shares and 27.3% of all votes on 31 December 2020. The group has 
applied an exemption, as stated in IAS 24 paragraph 25, not to disclose transactions and outstanding 
balances with government-related entities.

The Group has classified FAM AB as a related party. FAM AB owned 10.2% of Stora Enso shares and 

27.3% of all votes on 31 December 2020. 

The key management personnel of the Group are the members of the Group Leadership Team and the 

Board of Directors. The compensation of key management personnel is presented in Note 7 Board and 
executive remuneration.

In the ordinary course of business, the Group engages in transactions on commercial terms with equity 

accounted investments and other related parties that are not any more favourable than those that would 
be available to other third parties – with the exception of Veracel. Stora Enso intends to continue with 
transactions on a similar basis with its equity accounted investments, further details of which are shown in 
Note 13 Equity accounted investments.

Group companies, including subsidiary companies and joint operations, are listed in Note 30 Group 

companies.

Paper for recycling
The Group owns non-controlling interests in several paper recyclers, from which paper for recycling is 
purchased at market prices.

Forest assets and wood procurement
The Group has a 41.0% interest in Tornator with the remaining 59.0% being held mainly by Finnish 
institutional investors. Stora Enso has long-term purchase contracts with the Tornator Group for 
approximately 2 million cubic metres of wood annually at market prices, and in 2020 purchases of 2 (2) 
million cubic metres came to EUR 73 (67) million.

The Group procures wood at market prices from Kopparfors Fastigheter AB, a fully owned subsidiary 
of Kopparfors Skogar AB, which is completely owned by FAM AB. In 2020 the purchases from the related 
party amounted to EUR 21 (6) million and the sales of services by Stora Enso to the said related party 
amounted to EUR 0 (4) million. At the end of 2020 the Group had EUR 3 (1) million of open payables to and 
EUR 0 (1) million of open receivables from the related party. 

Stevedoring
The Group owns 34.4% of shares in Steveco Oy, a Finnish company engaged in loading and unloading 
vessels. The other shareholders in Steveco are UPM-Kymmene, Finnlines and Ahlström Capital. The 
stevedoring services are provided by Steveco at market prices and in 2020 amounted to EUR 23 (25) 
million.

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

 Accounting principles

Basic earnings per share, attributable to the owners of the parent company, are calculated by dividing 
the net profit attributable to shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue 
during the year, excluding ordinary shares purchased by the group and held as treasury shares. Diluted 
earnings per share are calculated by adjusting the weighted average number of ordinary shares plus the 
diluted effect of all potential dilutive ordinary shares, such as shares from share-based payments.

Earnings per share

Net profit for the period attributable to the owners of the parent, EUR million
Total comprehensive income attributable to the owners of the parent, EUR million

Weighted average number of A and R shares
Weighted average number of share awards
Weighted diluted number of shares

Basic Earnings per Share, EUR
Diluted Earnings per Share, EUR
Total Recognised Income and Expense per Share, EUR

Year Ended 31 December

2020
626
1 625

2019
880
1 113

788 619 987
561 769
789 181 756

788 619 987
912 677
789 532 664

0.79
0.79
2.06

1.12
1.12
1.41

73

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3
1

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Parent Company Stora Enso Oyj financial statements

Parent company income statement

Parent company statement of financial position

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

EUR million
Sales

Changes in inventories of finished goods and work in progress + / -
Production for own use
Other operating income
Materials and services
Personnel expenses
Depreciation and impairment
Other operating expenses

Operating profit
Financial income and expenses
Profit before Appropriations and Taxes
Appropriations
Income tax expense
Profit for the period

Year ended 31 December

Note
2

3
4
5
6
7

9

10
11

2020
2 190

1
1
187
-1 587
-217
-127
-442
2 185
5
356
360
146
-1
506

2019
2 641

-15
1
191
-1 899
-229
-118
-478
2 546
95
189
284
-53
0
230

EUR million
Assets

Non-current assets
Intangible assets
Tangible assets
Investments
Non-current assets total

Current assets
Inventories
Short-term receivables
Financial securities
Cash in hand and at bank
Total current assets
Total assets

Equity and liabilities

Equity
Share capital
Share premium
Fair value reserve
Invested non-restricted equity fund
Retained earnings
Profit for the period
Total equity

Accumulated appropriations
Obligatory provisions

Liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Current liabilities
Total liabilities
Total equity and liabilities

As at 31 December

Note

2020

2019

13
13
14

15
16
17

18

19
20

22
23

60
876
8 275
9 211

310
668
1 275
678
2 930
12 141

1 342
3 639
-6
633
449
506
6 563

167
23

2 915
2 473
5 387
12 141

79
883
7 934
8 897

295
935
276
506
2 012
10 909

1 342
3 639
-10
633
456
230
6 291

254
28

2 195
2 141
4 336
10 909

74

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Parent company cash flow statement

Year ended 31 December

EUR million
Cash provided by operating activities
Profit for the period
Adjustments and reversal of non-cash items:
Direct taxes
Appropriations
Depreciation according to plan and impairment
Unrealised foreign exchange gains and losses
Other non-cash items
Financial income and expenses
Change in working capital:
Increase(-)/decrease(+)
in current non-interest-bearing receivables
Increase(-)/decrease(+) in inventories
Increase(+)/decrease(-)
in current non-interest-bearing liabilities
Cash flow from operating activities before financial items and taxes
Interest received from operating activities
Interest paid from operating activities
Dividends received from operating activities
Other financial items, net
Direct taxes paid
Cash provided by operating activities

Net cash provided by investing activities
Investments in tangible and intangible assets
Capital gains from sale of tangible and intangible assets
Investments in subsidiary shares and other capital contributions
Proceeds from disposal of subsidiary shares and other repayment of capital
Proceeds from disposal of other investments
Payments of non-current loan receivables
Proceeds from non-current loan receivables
Net cash provided by investing activities

Cash flow from financing activities
Proceeds from (issue of) long-term liabilities
Proceeds from (payment of) long-term liabilities
Proceeds from (issue of) short-term liabilities
Proceeds from (payment of) short-term liabilities
Dividends paid 
Group contributions received
Cash flow from financing activities

Net change in cash and cash equivalents
Translation differences
Cash and cash equivalents at start of year
Cash and cash equivalents at year end
Cash and cash equivalents at year end includes:
Financial securities
Cash in hand and at bank
Cash and cash equivalents total

2020

506

1
-146
127
-38
-2
-356

18
-14

14
110
41
-66
370
13
-2
466

-102
1
-262
16
1
-500
803
-43

1 040
-340
892
-640
-223
1
729

1 153
19
782
1 953

1 275
678
1 953

2019

230

0
53
118
57
0
-189

96
31

-94
303
30
-73
267
8
-2
533

-155
3
-2
7
2
-843
371
-617

801
-101
733
-1 042
-394
0
-3

-87
0
868
782

276
506
782

75

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s
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2
0
2
0
:

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a
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c
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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

76

S
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a
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s
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2
0
2
0
:

F

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1

Notes to the parent company financial statements 

Note 1 Accounting principles

The financial statements of Stora Enso Oyj have been prepared in accordance with the Finnish Accounting 
Act and other current rules and regulations concerning financial statements in Finland.

Derivative contracts
Stora Enso is exposed to several financial market risks that the Group is responsible for managing under 
policies approved by the Board of Directors. The objective is to have cost-effective funding in Group 
companies and to manage financial risks using financial instruments in order to decrease earnings volatility. 
The main exposures for the Group are interest rate risk, currency risk, funding risk and commodity price 
risk, especially for fibre and energy. The parent company manages these risks centrally in the Group. The 
Group’s risk management principles are presented in more detail in Note 24 Financial Risk Management to 
the consolidated financial statements.
Derivative contracts are measured at fair value on the balance sheet. Derivatives with external 
counterparties that are subject to hedge accounting are recognised as financial assets and liabilities at fair 
value through the income statement in the same manner as the parent company’s derivatives with other 
Group companies as counterparties. The parent company’s derivative contracts that are used to hedge 
the parent company’s own cash flow are measured at fair value, and the change in fair value (effective part) 
is recognised, in line with hedge accounting principles, in the fair value reserve in equity on the balance 
sheet, while the ineffective part is recognised in the parent company’s income statement. The fair value of 
derivatives not included in hedge accounting is entered immediately in the income statement.

Interest income and expenses related to derivatives that are used to manage the interest rate risk are 
allocated over the contract period and are used to adjust interest expenses related to hedged loans. Option 
premiums are recognised as advance payments until the options mature.

With regard to derivatives, more information about the measurement principles, fair values and changes 

in fair value is provided in Note 25.

Pensions
Statutory pension security is arranged through employment pension insurance companies outside the 
Group. Some employees have additional pension security through life insurance companies outside the 
Group. Pension contributions are allocated in accordance with performance-based salaries and wages for 
the financial period.

Intangible and tangible assets and depreciation 
The balance sheet value of intangible and tangible assets is their direct acquisition cost less depreciation 
according to plan and any impairment. Depreciation according to plan is recognised for intangible and 
tangible assets, based on their expected useful lives.

Depreciation is based on the following useful lives:
Buildings and structures
Production machinery and equipment
Light machinery and equipment
Intellectual property rights

No depreciation is recognised for land and water areas. 

10–50 years
10–20 years
3–5 years
3–20 years

Inventories
Inventories are measured at acquisition cost or at net realisable value if lower. Acquisition cost is 
determined using the FIFO method or the weighted average cost method. The cost of finished goods and 
work in progress comprises raw materials, direct labour, depreciation and other direct costs, as well as the 
related production overhead. Net realisable value is the estimated selling price less the costs of completion 
and sale.

Leasing
Leasing payments are recognised in other operating expenses. The remaining leasing payments under 
leasing agreements are presented in Note 24 Commitments and Contingencies.

Expenditure on research and development
Expenditure on research and development is recognised as an expense for the financial period.

Income taxes
The tax expense on the income statement includes income taxes based on the taxable profit for the 
financial period and tax adjustments for previous periods. The parent company does not recognise 
deferred tax assets and liabilities, excluding derivatives, in its financial statements. Deferred tax assets and 
liabilities that can be recognised on the balance sheet are presented in Note 21.

Obligatory provisions
Future costs and losses that no longer generate corresponding income, to which the company is 
committed or by which the company is obligated, are recognised in the income statement according to 
their nature and in obligatory provisions on the balance sheet.

Emission rights
During 2020, the company was issued 0.5 million tonnes of free emission allowances in accordance 
with the EU Emissions Trading Directive. Emission allowances are recognised through a net cash cost 
basis, meaning that the difference between the actual emissions and the emission allowances received is 
recognised through profit or loss if the actual emissions are larger than the emission allowances received. 
During the financial period, the emissions emitted were 0.4 million tonnes. The emission rights purchased 
during the financial period are recognised in other operating expenses, and the emission rights sold during 
the financial period are recognised in other operating income.

At the end of the financial period, the market value of the emission rights was EUR 32.54 per tonne.

Comparability of the information for the financial period
On 1 January 2020, Stora Enso merged its container board business into the Consumer Board division. 
As a result of the merger, the name of the division changed into Packaging Materials. Stora Enso has also 
established a new Forest division. The changes took effect on 1 January 2020. Comparatives have been 
restated in Note 2.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 2 Net sales by division and market area

Note 5 Personnel expenses and average number of employees

Year ended 31 December

Year ended 31 December

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

EUR million
By division
Packaging Materials
Packaging Solutions
Biomaterials
Forest
Other
Total

Distribution by region
Finland
Other Europe
North and South America
Asia and Oceania
Africa
Others
Total

2020

1 319
4
140
667
60
2 190

978
814
119
209
25
43
2 190

Note 3 Other operating income

Year ended 31 December

EUR million
Rent and equivalents
Gains on sale of fixed assets
Insurance compensation
Production and maintenance services
Subsidies, grants and equivalents
Administration services
Proceeds from sales of emission rights
Other operating income
Total

Note 4 Materials and services

EUR million
Materials and supplies
Purchases during the period
Change in inventories +/-
External services
Total Materials and Services

2020
4
1
0
2
1
145
16
18
187

Year ended 31 December

2020

1 113
8
466
1 587

2019

1 476
1
231
846
87
2 641

1 258
925
121
263
29
45
2 641

2019
4
2
2
4
2
141
17
20
191

2019

1 376
15
508
1 899

77

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a
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n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

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n
a
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c

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s
–
N
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2

2019
189

33
6
229

2019
3 021

2019
115
3
118

EUR million
Salaries and fees
Statutory employer costs
Pensions
Other personnel costs
Total

2020
184

27
6
217

Remuneration for the CEO and the members of the Board of Directors
Remuneration for the CEO and the members of the Board of Directors is presented in Note 7 to the 
Consolidated financial statements.

Pension liabilities for the CEO
Pension liabilities for the CEO are presented in Note 7 to the Consolidated financial statements.

Receivables from management
There were no loan receivables from the company’s management.

Average number of employees
Number of employees during the financial period

2020
2 827

Note 6 Depreciation and impairment

EUR million
Depreciation according to plan
Impairment of fixed assets
Total

Year ended 31 December

2020
118
9
127

Depreciation and amortisation on each item in the statement of financial position is included under intangible and tangible assets.

Note 7 Other operating expenses

Year ended 31 December

EUR million
Product freight
Sales commissions
Rental costs
Administration and office services
Insurance premiums
Other personnel expenses
Public and other relations
Emission rights expenses
Other operating expenses
Merger loss
Total

2020
135
34
15
202
8
10
3
16
12
5
442

2019
149
41
13
209
7
20
3
18
15

478

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 8 Auditors’ fees

EUR million
Audit fees
Total

Note 11 Income tax expense

Year ended 31 December

2020
1
1

2019
1
1

EUR million
Income taxes from primary operations for the period
Total income tax

Year ended 31 December

2020
-1
-1

Note 9 Financial income and expenses

Note 12 Environmental expenses

Year ended 31 December

Year ended 31 December

EUR million
Dividend income
From Group companies
From equity accounted investments
Total

Interest income from non-current investments
From Group companies
Total

Other interest and financial income
From Group companies
From others
Total
Total financial income

Interest and other financial expenses
To Group companies
Other financial expenses
Total

Impairment on investments
Impairment on investments in non-current assets
Total financial expenses

Total financial income and expenses

The item “Financial Income and Expenses” includes exchange rate 
gains/losses (net)

2020

358
12
370

37
37

6
12
18
426

0
-71
-71

1
-70

356

24

Note 10 Appropriations

EUR million
Difference between depreciation according to plan and depreciation 
recognised in taxation
Group contributions received
Total appropriations

2020

87
59
146

Year ended 31 December

2019

253
14
267

35
35

1
13
15
317

-1
-111
-112

-17
-129

189

-27

2019

-54
1
-53

EUR million
Materials and services
Personnel expenses
Depreciation and impairment
Total

Air quality protection
Wastewater treatment
Waste management
Soil and groundwater protection
Other environmental protection measures
Total

2020
33
2
11
46

11
20
9
1
4
46

Note 13 Intangible and tangible assets
Intangible assets

EUR million
Acquisition cost 1 Jan

Increases
Decreases
Reclassification
Acquisition cost 31 Dec
Accumulated depreciation  
and impairment 1 Jan

Accumulated depreciation on 
decreases and reclassifications
Depreciation for the period
Impairments

Accumulated depreciation 31 Dec
Book value on 31 December 2020
Book value on 31 December 2019

Intellectual 
property rights
176
1
-18
14
174

Other non-
current 
expenditure
11
0
-2
2
12

Advance 
payments and 
acquisitions in 
progress
18
5
0
-16
7

-118

18
-15
-9
-125
49
58

-9

2
-2
0
-8
3
3

0

0
0
0
0
7
18

78

S
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2
0
2
0
:

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c

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8

2019
0
0

2019
35
2
10
48

12
22
10
0
3
48

Total
206
6
-19
0
193

-127

19
-16
-9
-133
60
79

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tangible assets

EUR million
Acquisition cost 1 Jan
Increases
Decreases
Reclassification
Acquisition cost 31 Dec
Accumulated depreciation and 
impairment 1 Jan
Accumulated depreciation on 
decreases and reclassifications
Depreciation for the period
Impairment for the period
Accumulated depreciation 31 Dec
Increase in value 1 Jan
Increase in value 31 Dec
Book value on 31 December 2020
Book value on 31 December 2019

Production plant and equipment
Book value on 31 December 2020
Book value on 31 December 2019

Land and 
water 
areas
18
0
0
0
18

Buildings 
and 
structures
524
8
-10
9
530

Plant and 
equipment
2 455
37
-41
25
2 476

Advance 
payments 
and acqui-
sitions in 
progress
49
49
0
-34
63

Other 
tangible 
assets
177
1
-15
1
163

-162

15
-3
0
-150
0
0
13
15

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
63
49

0

0
0
0
0
2
2
20
20

-368

-1 811

10
-13
0
-372
0
0
159
156

41
-86
0
-1 856
0
0
620
644

601
623

Tangible assets includes capitalized interest costs EUR 2 million (EUR 2 million in 2019).

Advance payments and acquisitions in progress

EUR million
Acquisition cost 1 Jan
Increases
Reclassification
Acquisition cost 31 Dec

Intangible 
assets
18
5
-16
7

Buildings and 
structures
0
0
0
0

Plant and 
equipment
48
49
-33
63

Other tangible 
assets
1
0
-1
0

Total
3 223
95
-66
0
3 251

-2 341

66
-102
0
-2 377
2
2
876
883

Total
67
54
-51
71

Tangible assets
Capitalised environmental expenditure

EUR million

Acquisition cost 1 Jan
Increases
Depreciations for the period
Book value on 31 December 2020

Air quality protection
Wastewater treatment
Waste management
Soil and groundwater protection
Noise and vibration prevention

EUR million
Acquisition cost 1 Jan
Increases
Depreciations for the period
Book value on 31 December 2019

Air quality protection
Wastewater treatment
Waste management
Soil and groundwater protection
Noise and vibration prevention

Land and 
water 
areas

Buildings 
and 
structures

Plant and 
equipment

Other 
tangible 
assets

Advance 
payments 
and acqui-
sitions in 
progress

4
0
0
4

1
3
0
0
0
4

21
7
-2
26

10
2
1
14
0
26

57
2
-8
51

36
13
1
0
0
51

6
0
-1
5

0
1
2
1
1
5

0
3
0
3

3
1
0
0
0
3

Land and 
water 
areas
4
0
0
4

Buildings 
and 
structures
14
9
-1
21

Plant and 
equipment
58
6
-7
57

Advance 
payments 
and acqui-
sitions in 
progress
0
0
0
0

Other 
tangible 
assets
6
1
-2
6

0
4
0
0
0
4

9
2
2
8
0
21

40
15
1
0
0
57

1
1
3
1
1
6

0
0
0
0
0
0

79

S
t
o
r
a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
p
a
r
e
n
t
c
o
m
p
a
n
y
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
1
3

2020

Total

87
13
-11
89

49
20
4
15
1
89

2019

Total
83
15
-10
87

50
22
5
8
1
87

In 2020 and 2019, no environmentally based fines, charges or compensation were paid, and no subsidies or grants were received for 
environmental protection.

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 14 Non-current investments in shares and loan receivables

Note 16 Short-term receivables

Shares 
in Group 
companies

Loan 
receivables 
from Group 
companies

Shares in 
associated 
companies

Loan 
receivables 
from 
associated 
companies

Other 
shares

Other 
receivables

Total in-
vestments

EUR million
Acquisition  
cost 1 Jan
Increases
Decreases
Acquisition  
cost 31 Dec
Impairments 1 Jan
Impairments 31 Dec
Book value on 31 
December 2020
Book value on 31 
December 2019

6 231
272
-31

6 473
-38
-38

1 455
891
-826

1 520
0
0

6 435

1 520

6 193

1 455

37
0
0

37
0
0

37

37

2
0
0

2
0
0

2

2

180
0
0

180
-1
-1

178

178

68
51
-17

103
0
0

103

68

Note 15 Inventories

EUR million
Materials and supplies
Work in progress
Finished goods
Other inventories
Total

As at 31 December

2020
145
6
123
35
310

7 973
1 215
-874

8 314
-39
-39

8 275

7 934

2019
154
7
121
13
295

EUR million
Short-term loan receivables
Receivables from Group companies
Loan receivables
Commodity derivative receivables 
Interest receivables
Total

Receivables from others
Loan receivables
Commodity derivative receivables 
Other receivables
Interest receivables
Total

Total current interest-bearing receivables

Current non-interest-bearing receivables

Receivables from Group companies
Trade receivables
Other receivables
Commodity derivative receivables
Total

Receivables from others
Trade receivables
Deferred tax assets
Other receivables
Accrued income
Total

80

S
t
o
r
a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
p
a
r
e
n
t
c
o
m
p
a
n
y
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
1
4

As at 31 December

2020

2019

240
4
20
263

0
6
52
6
64

327

100
60
2
162

119
3
24
32
178

583
5
28
615

3
1
15
4
22

637

103
1
1
104

142
2
21
28
194

Stora Enso may enter into factoring agreements to sell trade receivables in order to accelerate cash conversion. Nominally, such 
agreements led to the nominal derecognition of EUR 32.4 million (EUR 51.4 million in 2019) by the end of the financial period. The 
continuing involvement of Stora Enso in the sold receivables was estimated as being insignificant due to the non-recourse nature of the 
factoring arrangements involved.

EUR million
Total current non-interest-bearing receivables
Total current receivables

Significant accruals
Tax-equivalent receivables
Advances paid
Other accruals
Total

As at 31 December

2020
341
668

14
7
11
33

2019
298
935

15
5
9
28

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 17 Financial securities

Note 19 Accumulated appropriations

EUR million
From Group companies
From others
Total

Financials

Note 18 Shareholders' equity

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

EUR million
Restricted shareholders' equity
Share capital 1 Jan
Share capital 31 Dec

Share premium fund 1 Jan
Share premium fund 31 Dec

Fair value reserve 1 Jan
Increase (-) / Decrease (+)
Fair value reserve 31 Dec
Total restricted equity

Change in share capital and number of shares are presented in Note 18 to the 
Consolidated financial statements. 

Non-restricted shareholders' equity
Invested unrestricted equity reserve 1 Jan
Invested unrestricted equity reserve 31 Dec

Retained earnings 1 Jan
Dividend distribution
Retained earnings 31 Dec

Profit for the period
Total non-restricted equity
Total shareholders' equity

Calculation of distributable equity 31 Dec
Fair value reserve 31 Dec
Invested unrestricted equity reserve 31 Dec
Retained earnings 31 Dec
Profit for the period
Total

As at 31 December

2020
442
833
1 275

As at 31 December

2020

1 342
1 342

3 639
3 639

-10
4
-6
4 975

633
633

686
-237
449

506
1 588
6 563

-6
633
449
506
1 582

2019
86
190
276

2019

1 342
1 342

3 639
3 639

-10
0
-10
4 971

633
633

850
-394
456

230
1 319
6 291

-10
633
456
230
1 310

As at 31 December

2020

2019

EUR million
Depreciation difference
Intellectual property rights
Other non-current expenditure
Buildings and structures
Plant and equipment
Other tangible assets
Total

Note 20 Obligatory provisions

EUR million
Restructuring provisions
Environmental provisions
Other provisions
Total

Note 21 Deferred tax liabilities and receivables

EUR million
Deferred tax liability due to depreciation difference
Deferred tax receivable due to derivatives
Deferred tax receivable due to loss
Deferred tax receivable due to provisions
Deferred tax receivables and liabilities due to other temporary differences
Total deferred tax receivable

2
-1
26
141
0
167

As at 31 December

2020
3
14
4
22

As at 31 December

2020
-18
3
32
4
-9
12

Deferred tax liabilities and receivables excluding derivatives have not been recognised on the balance sheet.

Note 22 Non-current liabilities

EUR million
Non-current liabilities
Bonds
Loans from credit institutions
Other non-current liabilities to group companies
Total

Liabilities with maturities later than five years
Bonds
Total

As at 31 December

2020

2 497
416
2
2 915

1 462
1 462

Specifications of Bond loans are presented in Note 26 Interest-bearing liabilities in Consolidated financial statements.

2
-1
25
227
1
254

2019
3
21
4
28

2019
-35
2
61
5
-9
24

2019

1 983
212
0
2 195

1 109
1 109

81

S
t
o
r
a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
p
a
r
e
n
t
c
o
m
p
a
n
y
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
1
7

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 23 Current liabilities

EUR million
Current interest-bearing liabilities
Liabilities to Group companies
Other loans
Commodity derivative liabilities 
Total

Liabilities to others
Other loans
Commodity derivative liabilities 
Interest due
Bonds
Loans from credit institutions
Total
Total current interest-bearing liabilities

Current non-interest-bearing liabilities
Liabilities to Group companies
Trade payables
Commodity derivative liabilities 
Accrued liabilities and deferred income
Total

Liabilities to equity accounted investments
Trade payables
Total

Liabilities to others
Advances received
Trade payables
Other loans
Accrued liabilities and deferred income
Total
Total current non-interest-bearing liabilities
Total current liabilities

Substantial accrued liabilities and deferred income
Payroll payments accrued
Annual discounts
Other accrued liabilities and deferred income
Total

Note 24 Commitments and contingencies

As at 31 December

EUR million
For Group debt
Guarantees

For joint venture debt

Guarantees

On behalf of Associated companies

Guarantees
On behalf of others

Other commitments
Other commitments, own

Leasing commitments, in next 12 months
Leasing commitments, after next 12 months
Mortgages
Lease commitments
Other commitments

Total

Mortgages
Guarantees
Leasing commitments
Lease commitments
Other commitments
Total

2020

1 096

123

2

36

8
7
0
6
12
1 289

0
1 221
15
6
47
1 289

82

S
t
o
r
a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
p
a
r
e
n
t
c
o
m
p
a
n
y
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
2
3

2019

1 291

212

4

0

7
10
2
6
1
1 533

2
1 507
17
6
1
1 533

Contingent liabilities 
Stora Enso Oyj has implemented significant restructuring measures in recent years. These measures 
have included divestments of business operations and production units, as well as mill closures. These 
transactions include a risk of possible environmental or other obligations, the existence of which would 
be confirmed only by the occurrence or non-occurrence of one or more uncertain future events not wholly 
within the control of the Group. A provision has been recognised for obligations for which the related 
amount can be estimated reliably and the occurrence of which is considered likely.

Stora Enso Oyj is party to legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business and primarily 

involve claims arising out of commercial law. The company management does not believe that such 
processes as a whole, before any insurance compensation, would have significant impacts on the 
company’s financial position or profit from operations. Some of the most significant legal proceedings are 
described in Note 29 to the consolidated financial statements.

As at 31 December

2020

2019

1 491
6
1 497

180
4
28
299
3
514
2 011

71
1
1
73

40
40

3
244
30
72
349
462
2 473

41
17
14
73

1 329
1
1 330

255
5
22
0
99
381
1 712

89
1
1
92

37
37

1
208
14
77
301
429
2 141

46
17
15
79

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Note 25 Financial instruments 

Valuation of derivatives 
The fair value is defined as the amount at which a derivative instrument could be exchanged in an orderly 
transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair values of such instruments are 
determined on the following basis:
•  Currency forward contract fair values are calculated using forward exchange rates on the reporting date.
•  Currency option contract fair values are calculated using reporting date market rates together with 

common option pricing models.

•  Commodity contract fair values are computed with reference to quoted market prices on futures 

exchanges or other reliable market sources.
Interest rate swaps fair values are calculated using a discounted cash flow method.

• 

Fair value hierarchy 
Stora Enso uses the following hierarchy for determining and disclosing the fair value of financial 
instruments by valuation technique:
•  Level 1: quoted (unadjusted) prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; 
•  Level 2: other techniques, for which all inputs that have a significant effect on the recorded fair value are 

observable, either directly or indirectly; 

•  Level 3: techniques which use inputs that have a significant effect on the recorded fair values that are 

not based on observable market data. 

The parent company's derivatives are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. 

Nominal and fair values of derivative instruments

As at 31 December 2020

Nominal 
values

Positive  
fair values

Negative  
fair values

Fair values, 
Net

EUR million
Cash flow hedges entered on behalf of the parent 
company and its subsidiaries, for which hedge 
accounting is applied in target companies
Currency forwards
Currency options
Commodity contracts
Interest rate swaps
Non-hedge accounted derivatives
Currency forwards
Total
of which against subsidiaries
of which against external parties

As at 31 December 2019

Nominal 
values

Positive  
fair values

Negative  
fair values

Fair values, 
Net

1 401
2 697
133
533

364
5 127
1 968
3 159

13
16
6
0

3
38
19
19

-14
-17
-6
-12

-1
-49
-15
-34

-1
-1
0
-11

2
-11
4
-15

Fair value reserve 
The net amount of the parent company's unrealised cash flow hedge losses in the fair value reserve was 
EUR 5.8 million, which was related to currency and interest rate derivatives. Currency and interest rate 
derivatives also include a gain of EUR 0.1 million related to the time value of options. These unrealised 
losses are recognised in the income statement upon the maturity of the hedging contracts. The longest 
hedging contract will mature in 2027. However, the majority of the contracts are expected to mature 
during 2021. The ineffective portions of hedges are recognised as adjustments to revenue or materials 
and services according to the hedged item. During 2020, there were no ineffective hedges recognised in 
the income statement. Derivatives used in currency cash flow hedges are mainly forward contracts and 
options. Swaps are mainly used in commodity hedges and interest rate cash flow hedges.

Hedge gains and losses in operating profit

83

S
t
o
r
a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
p
a
r
e
n
t
c
o
m
p
a
n
y
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
2
5

EUR million
Cash flow hedges entered on behalf of the parent 
company and its subsidiaries, for which hedge 
accounting is applied in target companies
Currency forwards
Currency options
Commodity contracts
Interest rate swaps
Non-hedge accounted derivatives
Currency forwards
Total
of which against subsidiaries
of which against external parties

1 861
1 200
84
673

570
4 387
1 638
2 749

40
15
12
0

6
72
7
65

-34
-12
-12
-17

-3
-78
-53
-24

5
2
0
-17

4
-5
-46
40

EUR million
Cash flow hedge accounted derivatives
Currency hedges
Commodity hedges
Total
As adjustments to sales
As adjustments to materials and services
Items realised from the fair value reserve  
that are recognised in the income statement
Net losses from cash flow hedges

Non-hedge accounted derivatives
Currency derivatives
Net gains on non-hedge accounted derivatives

Net hedge gains/losses in operating profit

Year ended 31 December

2020

2019

-1
-1
-3
-1
-1

-3
-3

3
3

1

-13
-1
-14
-13
-1

-14
-14

0
0

-14

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hedge gains and losses in financial items

EUR million
Non-hedge accounted derivatives
Currency derivatives
Net gains/losses in financial items

Sensitivity of currency derivatives to strengthening of EUR

EUR million
Currency change against EUR
Currency derivatives hedging cash flow next 12 months in EUR
Estimated effect on fair value reserve in EUR

Year ended 31 December

2020

8
8

31 December 2020

SEK
-5.0%
0
0

USD
-5.0%
171
7

2019

-14
-14

GBP
-5.0%
11
0

Sensitivity of commodity derivatives to price risk
There were no outstanding commodity derivatives related to parent company's cash flows at the end of 
reporting period.

More detailed information about financial instruments are presented in Note 24 Financial risk management, 
Note 25 Fair values and Note 27 Derivatives to the Consolidated financial statements.

Note 26 Related party transactions

EUR million
Related party transactions with associated companies  
and joint ventures:
Purchase of materials and supplies during the year
Non-current loan receivables at year end
Trade payables at year end

31 December
2020

9
2
40

2019

10
2
37

The Group's principles for related party transactions are presented in Note 31 to the Consolidated financial statements.

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

84

S
t
o
r
a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

s
–
N
o
t
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
p
a
r
e
n
t
c
o
m
p
a
n
y
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s
–
N
o
t
e
2
6

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Signatures for the financial statements

There have been no material changes in the Parent Company’s financial position since 31 December 2020. 
The liquidity of the Parent Company remains good and the proposed dividend does not risk the solvency of 
the Company.

28 January 2021

Jorma Eloranta
Chair

Hans Stråberg
Vice Chair

Håkan Buskhe

Elisabeth Fleuriot

Hock Goh

Mikko Helander

Christiane Kuehne

Antti Mäkinen

Richard Nilsson

Annica Bresky
President and CEO

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

85

S
t
o
r
a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

n
a
n
c

i

a

l

i

s
–
S
g
n
a
t
u
r
e
s
f
o
r

t
h
e
fi
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

86

S
t
o
r
a
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Auditor’s report 

(Translation of the Finnish Original)

To the Annual General Meeting of Stora Enso Oyj

Report on the Audit of Financial Statements

Our Audit Approach

Overview

Opinion
In our opinion
• 

the consolidated financial statements give a true and fair view of the group’s financial position and 
financial performance and cash flows in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards 
(IFRS) as adopted by the EU
the financial statements give a true and fair view of the parent company’s financial performance and 
financial position in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the preparation of the financial 
statements in Finland and comply with statutory requirements.

• 

Our opinion is consistent with the additional report to the Audit Committee.

What we have audited
We have audited the financial statements of Stora Enso Oyj (business identity code 1039050-8) for the year 
ended 31 December 2020. The financial statements comprise:
• 

the consolidated balance sheet, income statement, statement of comprehensive income, statement of 
changes in equity, statement of cash flows and notes, including a summary of significant accounting 
policies
the parent company’s balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows and notes.

• 

Basis for Opinion 
We conducted our audit in accordance with good auditing practice in Finland. Our responsibilities under 
good auditing practice are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial 
Statements section of our report.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for 

our opinion. 

Independence
We are independent of the parent company and of the group companies in accordance with the ethical 
requirements that are applicable in Finland and are relevant to our audit, and we have fulfilled our other 
ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, the non-audit services that we have provided to the parent 

company and to the group companies are in accordance with the applicable law and regulations in 
Finland and we have not provided non-audit services that are prohibited under Article 5(1) of Regulation 
(EU) No 537/2014. The non-audit services that we have provided are disclosed in note 5 to the Financial 
Statements.

Materiality

•  We have applied an overall group 
materiality of EUR 52 million.

Audit Scope

•  We performed audit procedures at 28 
reporting components in 11 countries 
that are considered significant based 
on our overall risk assessment and 
materiality.

Key Audit 
Matters

•  Valuation of forest assets
•  Provisions and contingent liabilities

As part of designing our audit, we determined materiality and assessed the risks of material misstatement 
in the financial statements. In particular, we considered where management made subjective judgements; 
for example, in respect of significant accounting estimates that involved making assumptions and 
considering future events that are inherently uncertain.

Materiality
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. An audit is designed to obtain 
reasonable assurance whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement. Misstatements 
may arise due to fraud or error. They are considered material if individually or in aggregate, they could 
reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial 
statements.

Based on our professional judgement, we determined certain quantitative thresholds for materiality, 

including the overall group materiality for the consolidated financial statements as set out in the table 
below. These, together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit and 
the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures and to evaluate the effect of misstatements on the 
financial statements as a whole.

Overall group materiality

EUR 52 million

How we determined it

Based on operating profit and total assets

Rationale for the materiality 
benchmark applied

We chose operating profit and total assets as the benchmarks because, 
in our view, they are relevant benchmarks against which the performance 
of the group is commonly measured by users of the financial statements. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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Key audit matter in the audit of the group

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

The value of biological assets outside Sweden is 
determined using discounted cash flows based on 
sustainable forest management plans taking into 
account the growth potential of one cycle. The one 
cycle varies depending on the geographic location and 
species. Determining the discounted cash flows require 
estimates of growth, harvest, sales price and costs.

The other Nordic forest land, previously accounted at 

cost, is revalued by using a DCF method based on its 
estimated future net cash flow streams related to trees 
to-be-planted in the future as well as other non-forest 
related income. The forest land for the plantations is 
continued to be accounted at cost.

Due to the level of judgment involved in the valuation 

of forest assets as well as the significance of forest 
assets to the Group’s financial position, this is 
considered to be a key audit matter.

We involved valuation specialists in the audit work over 
valuation of directly owned forest assets. 

Related to indirectly owned forest assets we have 
communicated with the auditors of the three largest 
associates and joint operations. As part of the 
communication, among other things, we have evaluated 
the key audit procedures performed related to valuation 
of forest assets.

Lastly, we assessed the appropriateness of 

disclosures related to forest assets.

Provisions and contingent liabilities
Refer to Note 2, Note 22 and Note 29 in the 
consolidated financial statements for the related 
disclosures

As of 31 December 2020, the Group had 

environmental, restructuring and other provisions 
totaling EUR 149 million.

We obtained an understanding of management’s 
process to identify new obligations and changes in 
existing obligations.

We analysed significant changes in material 

provisions from prior periods and obtained a detailed 
understanding of these changes and assumptions 
applied. 

In addition, the Group has disclosed significant open 

Our audit procedures related to material provisions 

legal cases and other contingent liabilities in Note 29.

The assessment of the existence of the present legal 
or constructive obligation, the analysis of the probability 
of the outflow of future economic benefits, and the 
analysis of a reliable estimate, require management’s 
judgement to ensure appropriate accounting or 
disclosures.

Due to the level of judgement relating to recognition, 
valuation and presentation of provisions and contingent 
liabilities, this is considered to be a key audit matter.

recognized included:
• Assessment of the recognition criteria for the liability;
• Evaluation of the methodology adopted by 

management for the measurement of the liability;

• Testing of the mathematical accuracy of the 

measurement calculation;

• Assessment of the discount rates applied in the 

measurement; and

• Assessment of the other key measurement 

assumptions and inputs.

We obtained legal letters on the main outstanding legal 
cases.

We reviewed minutes of the board meetings including 

sub committees.

We assessed the appropriateness of the presentation 

of the most significant contingent liabilities in the 
consolidated financial statements.

We have no key audit matters to report with respect to our audit of the parent company financial statements.

There are no significant risks of material misstatement referred to in Article 10(2c) of Regulation (EU) No 537/2014 
with respect to the consolidated financial statements or the parent company financial statements.

How we tailored our group audit scope
We tailored the scope of our audit, taking into account the structure of the group, the accounting processes 
and controls, and the industry in which the group operates.

The Group operates in a significant number of legal entities or “reporting components” globally. 
We determined the nature, timing and extent of audit work that needed to be performed at reporting 
components by us, as the group engagement team, or component auditors operating under our instruction. 
Where the work was performed by component auditors, we issued specific instructions to those auditors 
which included our risk analysis, materiality and global audit approach. We performed audit procedures 
at 28 reporting components in 11 countries that are considered significant based on our overall risk 
assessment and materiality. We have considered that the remaining reporting components do not present 
a reasonable risk of material misstatement for consolidated financial statements and thus our procedures 
related to these reporting components have been limited to targeted audit procedures over significant 
balances and to analytical procedures performed at group level.

By performing the procedures above at reporting components, combined with additional procedures at 
the group level, we have obtained sufficient and appropriate evidence regarding the financial information of 
the group as a whole to provide a basis for our opinion on the consolidated financial statements.

Key Audit Matters 
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our 
audit of the financial statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of our 
audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a 
separate opinion on these matters.

As in all of our audits, we also addressed the risk of management override of internal controls, including 

among other matters consideration of whether there was evidence of bias that represented a risk of 
material misstatement due to fraud.

Key audit matter in the audit of the group

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Valuation of forest assets
Refer to Note 1, Note 2 and Note 12 in the consolidated 
financial statements for the related disclosures

Forest assets comprise of forest land and biological 

assets excluding leased forest land assets. As of 
December 31, 2020 the fair value of the Group’s forest 
assets owned through subsidiaries, joint operations and 
associated companies was EUR 7 093 million, of which 
EUR 5 028 million was related to biological assets and 
EUR 2 065 million was related to forest land.

Forests assets in Sweden are valued by using a market 

approach method based on forest market transactions 
and volume of standing trees in those areas where the 
Group’s forests are located. Market prices between 
areas varies significantly and judgement is applied to 
define relevant areas for market transactions used in the 
valuation. In addition, market transaction data is adjusted 
to consider characteristics and nature of the Group’s 
forest assets and to exclude certain non-forest assets and 
transactions considered as outliers compared to other 
transactions. Biological asset valuation is computed based 
on a discounted cash flow (DCF) method in accordance 
with IAS 41 Agriculture. For forest land the revaluation 
method is applied as defined in IAS 16 Property, plant 
and equipment. Forest land is revalued using a DCF 
method based on estimated future net cash flow streams 
related to trees to-be planted in the future as well as other 
income, such as hunting rights, wind power leases and 
soil material sales. Total value of biological assets and 
forest land agrees to the market transaction based value 
of forest assets as a discount rate implied by the market 
transactions is used in DCF method to value these assets.

The Group’s decision to change the accounting 
principles and valuation method for Nordic forests 
assets at the end of 2020 has been evaluated against 
the requirements set by IFRS standards.

We obtained an understanding of management’s 
forest assets valuation process, evaluated the design 
and tested the operating effectiveness of internal 
controls related to directly and indirectly owned forest 
assets. 

Our audit procedures over valuation of directly owned 

forest asset included:
• Evaluation of the methodology adopted by 

management for the valuation;

• Testing the mathematical accuracy of the model used 

for valuation;

• Assessment of the discount rates applied in the 

valuation;

• Assessment of the other key valuation assumptions; 

and

• Validation of key inputs and data used in the valuation 

model including sales price assumptions, growth 
assumptions and cost assumptions.

In addition, specific to the market transaction based 
valuation in Sweden our audit procedures included:
• Assessment of the definition of relevant areas for 

market transactions used in the valuation;

• Assessment of the adjustments made to the market 

transaction data; and

• Validation of key inputs and data used in the valuation 
model including market transaction data and volume 
of standing trees.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

Responsibilities of the Board of Directors and  
the Managing Director for the Financial  Statements
The Board of Directors and the Managing Director are responsible for the preparation of consolidated 
financial statements that give a true and fair view in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the EU, and of financial statements that give a true and fair view in 
accordance with the laws and regulations governing the preparation of financial statements in Finland and 
comply with statutory requirements. The Board of Directors and the Managing Director are also responsible 
for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements 
that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. 

In preparing the financial statements, the Board of Directors and the Managing Director are 

responsible for assessing the parent company’s and the group’s ability to continue as a going concern, 
disclosing, as applicable, matters relating to going concern and using the going concern basis of 
accounting. The financial statements are prepared using the going concern basis of accounting unless 
there is an intention to liquidate the parent company or the group or to cease operations, or there is no 
realistic alternative but to do so. 

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are 
free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes 
our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit 
conducted in accordance with good auditing practice will always detect a material misstatement when 
it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the 
aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the 
basis of these financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with good auditing practice, we exercise professional judgment and 

maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. We also:
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due 
to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain 
audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not 
detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as 
fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of 
internal control.

• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures 
that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the 
effectiveness of the parent company’s or the group’s internal control. 

• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting 

estimates and related disclosures made by management.

• Conclude on the appropriateness of the Board of Directors’ and the Managing Director’s use of the 
going concern basis of accounting and based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material 
uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the parent 
company’s or the group’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material 
uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures 
in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our 
conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, 
future events or conditions may cause the parent company or the group to cease to continue as a 
going concern.

• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the 

disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events so 
that the financial statements give a true and fair view.

• Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial information of the entities or 

business activities within the group to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. 
We are responsible for the direction, supervision and performance of the group audit. We remain solely 
responsible for our audit opinion.

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We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope 
and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control 
that we identify during our audit.

We also provide those charged with governance with a statement that we have complied with relevant 

ethical requirements regarding independence, and to communicate with them all relationships and other matters 
that may reasonably be thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, related safeguards.

From the matters communicated with those charged with governance, we determine those matters 

that were of most significance in the audit of the financial statements of the current period and are 
therefore the key audit matters. We describe these matters in our auditor’s report unless law or regulation 
precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine that 
a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences of doing so would 
reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.

Other Reporting Requirements 

Appointment
We were first appointed as auditors by the annual general meeting on 28 March 2018.

Other Information 
The Board of Directors and the Managing Director are responsible for the other information. The other 
information comprises the report of the Board of Directors.

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other 
information identified above and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially 
inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears 
to be materially misstated. With respect to the report of the Board of Directors, our responsibility also 
includes considering whether the report of the Board of Directors has been prepared in accordance with 
the applicable laws and regulations.

In our opinion

• the information in the report of the Board of Directors is consistent with the information in the financial 

statements

• the report of the Board of Directors has been prepared in accordance with the applicable laws and 

regulations.

If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of the report of 
the Board of Directors, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Other Statements
We support the proposal that the financial statements are adopted. The proposal by the Board of Directors 
regarding the distribution of profits is in compliance with the Limited Liability Companies Act. We support 
that the Board of Directors and the Managing Director of the parent company should be discharged from 
liability for the financial period audited by us.

Helsinki 9 February 2021

PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy
Authorised Public Accountants

Samuli Perälä
Authorised Public Accountant (KHT)

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

  Unaudited

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso ensures that all material information that has an impact on Stora Enso’s 
share price is simultaneously available to the general public and financial community 
in order to ensure the right share price level in relation to the company’s history, assets 
and future prospects. In its engagement with the capital markets, Stora Enso’s Investor 
Relations aims to support the brand with accurate, consistent and credible financial 
communications. 

Shares and shareholders

Shares and voting rights
The shares of Stora Enso Oyj (hereafter the “Company” or “Stora Enso”) are divided into A and R shares, 
which entitle holders to the same dividend but different voting rights. Each A share and each ten R shares 
carry one vote at a shareholders’ meeting. However, each shareholder has at least one vote.

On 31 December 2020, Stora Enso had 176 254 415 A shares and 612 365 572 R shares in issue, of 

which the Company held no A shares or R shares. The total number of Stora Enso shares in issue was 
788 619 987 and the total number of votes was 237 490 972. 

Share listings
Stora Enso shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and the Nasdaq Stockholm. Stora Enso shares are 
quoted in Helsinki in euros (EUR) and in Stockholm in Swedish crowns (SEK).

American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)
Stora Enso has a sponsored Level I American Depositary Receipts (ADR) facility. Stora Enso ADRs are 
traded over-the-counter (OTC) in the USA. The ratio between Stora Enso ADRs and R shares is 1:1, i.e. one 
ADR represents one Stora Enso R share. Citibank, N.A. acts as the depositary bank for the Stora Enso ADR 
programme. The trading symbol is SEOAY and the CUSIP number is 86210M106.

Share registers
The Company’s shares are entered in the Book-Entry Securities System maintained by Euroclear Finland 
Oy, which also maintains the official share register of Stora Enso Oyj.

On 31 December 2020, 661 986 729 of the Company’s shares were registered in Euroclear Finland, 
111 151 042 in Euroclear Sweden AB and 15 482 216 of the Company’s R shares were registered in ADR 
form in Citibank, N.A.

Distribution by book-entry system, 31 December 2020

Number of shares
Euroclear Finland Oy
Euroclear Sweden AB1
Citi administered ADRs1
Total

Total
661 986 729
111 151 042
15 482 216
788 619 987

A shares
164 737 636
11 516 779
-
176 254 415

R shares
497 249 093
99 634 263
15 482 216
612 365 572

1 Shares registered in Euroclear Sweden and ADRs are both nominee registered in Euroclear Finland.

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Ownership distribution, 31 December 2020

Solidium Oy1
FAM AB2
Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA)
Finnish institutions (excl. Solidium and KELA)
Swedish institutions (excl. FAM)
Finnish private shareholders
Swedish private shareholders
ADR holders
Under nominee names  
(non-Finnish/non-Swedish shareholders)

1 Entirely owned by the Finnish state.
2 As confirmed to Stora Enso. 

Ownership distribution, % of shares held

% of shares
10.7%
10.2%
3.1%
11.4%
6.6%
4.0%
4.2%
2.0%

% of votes % of shareholders
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2.4%
1.7%
42.0%
52.2%
1.0%

27.3%
27.3%
10.1%
8.3%
5.2%
2.4%
2.7%
0.7%

47.9%

16.1%

0.7%

Solidium Oy¹ 10.7%
FAM AB² 10.2%
Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA) 3.1%
Finnish institutions (excl. Solidium and KELA) 11.4%
Swedish institutions (excl. FAM) 6.6%
Finnish private shareholders 4.0%
Swedish private shareholders 4.2%
ADR holders 2.0%
Under nominee names  
(non-Finnish/non-Swedish shareholders) 47.9%

1 Entirely owned by Finnish state. 
2 As confirmed to Stora Enso.

Share capital
On 31 December 2020, the Company’s fully paid-up share capital entered in the Finnish Trade Register was 
EUR 1 342 million. The current accountable par of each issued share is EUR 1.70.

Legend

FAM AB²

Solidium Oy¹

Conversion
According to the Articles of Association, holders of Stora Enso A shares may convert these into R shares at 
any time. The conversion of shares is voluntary. The conversions of a total of 2 419 A shares into R shares 
were recorded in the Finnish Trade Register during the year 2020.

Finnish institutions (excl. Solidium and KELA)

Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA)

10.2% XX%

10.7% XX%

11.4% XX%

3.1% XX%

Value in %

Swedish institutions (excl. FAM)

6.6% XX%

Finnish private shareholders

Swedish private shareholders

ADR holders

Under nominee names  
(non-Finnish/non-Swedish shareholders)

Total

4.0% XX%

4.2% XX%

2.0% XX%

47.9% XX%

100.1%

 73

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

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Changes in share capital 2012–2020

Stora Enso Oyj, 1 Jan 2012
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2011–Nov 2012
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2012
Cancellation of shares owned by the Company, 15 May 2013
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2012–Nov 2013
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2013
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2013–Nov 2014
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2014
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2014–Nov 2015
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2015
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2015–Nov 2016
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2016
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2016–Nov 2017
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2017
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2017–Nov 2018
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2018
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2018–Nov 2019
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2019
Conversion of A shares into R shares, Dec 2019–Nov 2020
Stora Enso Oyj, 31 Dec 2020

No. of A 
shares issued
177 148 772
-1 000
177 147 772

-51 568
177 096 204
-40 000
177 056 204
-524 114
176 532 090
-25 000
176 507 090
-114 770
176 392 320
-79 648
176 312 672
-55 838
176 256 834
-2 419
176 254 415

No. of R 
shares issued
612 389 727
1 000
612 390 727
-918 512
51 568
611 523 783
40 000
611 563 783
524 114
612 087 897
25 000
612 112 897
114 770
612 227 667
79 648
612 307 315
55 838
612 363 153
2 419
612 365 572

Total no. of 
shares
789 538 499
-
789 538 499
788 619 987
 -
788 619 987
-
788 619 987
 -
788 619 987
-
788 619 987
-
788 619 987
-
788 619 987
-
788 619 987
-
788 619 987

Share capital 
(EUR million)
1 342
-
1 342
 -
-
1 342
-
1 342
 -
1 342
-
1 342
-
1 342
-
1 342
-
1 342
-
1 342

For more historical data about the share capital, please visit storaenso.com/investors/shares

Stora Enso’s activities in capital markets during 2020
Stora Enso’s Investor Relations activities cover equity and fixed-income markets to ensure full and fair 
valuation of the Company, continual access to funding sources, and stable bond pricing. Investors and 
analysts are met physically and virtually on a regular basis in Europe and North America. In 2020, the Investor 
Relations (IR) team conducted several individual and group meetings with equity investors, whilst maintaining 
regular contact with equity research analysts at investment banks and brokerage firms. Due to Covid-19, all 
investor meetings were held virtually between March and December. All in all, the IR team met alone or with 
top management 625 (450) investors and arranged 285 (340) meetings including virtual, one-on-one, group 
meetings, conference calls and site visits. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Stora Enso was able to meet more 
investors and analysts compared to the previous year. There were also meetings with fixed-income analysts 
and investors. Senior management and the IR personnel also gave presentations at virtual equity and fixed-
income investor conferences in Scandinavia, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America. 
More than 400 investors and analysts joined Stora Enso’s virtual Capital Markets Day (CMD) on 11 

November 2020. At the CMD, Stora Enso published its updated strategy and financial targets to support the 
Group’s focus on growth and value creation. The presentations of President and CEO Annica Bresky and 
CFO Seppo Parvi covered Stora Enso’s three focus areas for growth (Packaging Materials and Packaging 
Solutions, Building Solutions, and Biomaterials innovations), market growth drivers, the recent forest fair 
valuation method change and a review of all divisions. Stora Enso organises Capital Markets Days regularly 
to provide investors and analysts with information about the Group strategy, performance and businesses.

Disclosure of financially material ESG topics for investors
Investors’ interest in Stora Enso’s environmental, social and governmental (ESG) performance has increased 
further during the past few years. Due to this development, Stora Enso started to report in 2020 against the 
Standards by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) which aims to improve sustainability 
reporting for investors. SASB is an independent non-profit organisation that develops its standards based 
on extensive feedback from companies, investors, and other market participants as part of a transparent, 
publicly-documented process. Reporting according to the industry specific standards aims to improves 
comparability between companies on financially material ESG topics.

Stora Enso’s reporting has been prepared according to the SASB’s Sustainability Accounting Standards 

for Forest Management and Pulp & Paper Products, located within SASB’s Renewable Resources & 
Alternative energy section. Specific indicators in these two Standards relate to financially material topics in 
the industry, such as sustainable forest management and certification, GHG emissions, air quality, energy 
management, water management, and supply chain management. 

In Stora Enso’s online SASB Content Index, the specific standard indicators are listed with references 

to the locations of these disclosures (supported by URL links) in Stora Enso’s annual reporting. These 

references are complemented in the index with additional information, such as explanations on reasons for 
omissions as necessary.

During 2020, Stora Enso also provided feedback to SASB in order to participate in the development 
of their standard setting for renewables industry. Stora Enso participated in SASB’s Pulp & Paper industry 
consultation project, Human capital research project, and Plastic risks and opportunities in Pulp & Paper 
and Chemicals consultation. Stora Enso’s Head of Investor Relations is a member of SASB’s Standard 
Advisory Group (SAG). Stora Enso aims to continuously improve its’ sustainability reporting to inform 
investors about the progress, ambitions and future direction of the company. 

Guidance policy
In connection with Financial statement release for 2020, Stora Enso resumed its annual outlook even though 
the uncertainties due to the ongoing pandemic in the global economy are expected to remain in 2021. 

Closed period
Stora Enso closed period starts when the reporting period ends or 30 days prior to the announcement of 
the results, whichever is earlier, and lasts until the results are announced. The dates are published in the 
financial calendar at storaenso.com/investors. During closed periods, Stora Enso PDMR’s or persons 
entered into the Company’s Closed Period List are not allowed to trade in Company securities. In addition, 
there will be no discussions regarding financial issues with the capital markets or the financial media during 
the closed period. This applies to meetings, telephone conversations or other means of communication.

Shareholdings of other Group-related bodies at 31 December 2020
E.J. Ljungberg’s Education Foundation owned 1 780 540 A shares and 2 336 224 R shares, E.J. Ljungberg’s 
Foundation owned 39 534 A shares and 101 579 R shares, Mr. and Mrs. Ljungberg’s Testamentary 
Foundation owned 5 093 A shares and 13 085 R shares and Bergslaget’s Healthcare Foundation owned 
626 269 A shares and 1 609 483 R shares.

Shareholders
At the end of 2020 the Company had approximately 112 232 registered shareholders, including about 
61 196 Swedish shareholders and about 1 078 ADR holders. Each nominee register is entered in the share 
register as one shareholder.

The free float of shares excluding shareholders with holdings of more than 5% of shares or votes 

is approximately 624 million shares, which is 79% of the total number of shares issued. The largest 
shareholder in the Company is Solidium Oy based in Finland.

Major shareholders as at 31 December 2020
By voting power
1 Solidium Oy1
2 FAM AB2
3 Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA)
4 Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company
5 Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company
6 MP-Bolagen i Vetlanda AB
7 Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company 
8 Erik Johan Ljungberg's Education Foundation
9 SEB Investment Management
10 Bergslaget's Healthcare Foundation
11 The State Pension Fund
12 Unionen (Swedish trade union)
13 Lannebo Funds
14 The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland 
15 OP-Suomi Investment Fund
Total

A shares
62 655 036
63 123 386
23 825 086
4 312 762
5 163 018
4 828 000
2 000 000
1 780 540
-
626 269
-
-
-
-
-
168 314 097

R shares
21 792 540
17 000 000
973 982
16 593 924
1 140 874
1 000 000
8 111 225
2 336 224
12 162 195
1 609 483
5 713 755
3 782 750
3 690 000
3 000 000
2 914 494
101 821 446

% of shares
10.7%
10.2%
3.1%
2.7%
0.8%
0.7%
1.3%
0.5%
1.5%
0.3%
0.7%
0.5%
0.5%
0.4%
0.4%
34.3%

% of votes
27.3%
27.3%
10.1%
2.5%
2.2%
2.1%
1.2%
0.8%
0.5%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
75.2%

Nominee-registered shares3 4

74 882 644

480 357 046

70.4 %

51.8 %

1 Entirely owned by the Finnish State. 2 As confirmed to Stora Enso. 3 As some of the shareholdings on the list are nominee registered, 
the percentage figures do not add up to 100%. 4 According to Euroclear Finland. 
The list has been compiled by the Company on the basis of shareholder information obtained from Euroclear Finland, Euroclear Sweden 
and a database managed by Citibank, N.A (Citi). This information includes only directly registered holdings, thus certain holdings (which 
may be substantial) of shares held in nominee or brokerage accounts cannot be included. The list is therefore incomplete.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Share price performance and volumes

Equity per share 
EUR

Dividend per share 
EUR

Helsinki
The Stora Enso R (STERV) share price increased by 21% during 2020 (29% increase in 2019). Over the 
same period, the OMX Helsinki Index increased by 10% (13% increase in 2019) and the OMX Helsinki 
Basic Materials Index by 9% (29% increase in 2019).

Stockholm
The Stora Enso R (STE R) share price increased by 16% during 2020 (31% increase in 2019). Over the same 
period, the OMX Stockholm 30 Index increased by 6% (26% increase in 2019) and the OMX Stockholm 
Basic Materials Index increased by 23% (29% increase in 2019).

OTC
Stora Enso ADR (SEOAY) share price increased by 32% during 2020 (25% increase in 2019). Over the same 
period, the Standard & Poor’s Global Timber and Forestry Index increased by 18% (16% increase in 2020).

12.0

10.0

8.0

6.0

4.0

2.0

0.0

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0

2017

2018

2019

2020

1
2021

1 Board of Directors’ proposal to the AGM for distribution of 
dividend.

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Share prices and volumes 2020

High

Low

Closing, 31 Dec 2019

Change from previous year

Cumulative trading volume, no. of shares

A share
R share
A share
R share
A share
R share
A share
R share
A share
R share

Helsinki, EUR Stockholm, SEK
161.40
159.95
101.00
80.70
159.20
157.3
12%
16%
3 158 007
187 148 487

16.20
15.85
9.26
7.25
15.90
15.65
17%
21%
4 661 921
605 233 285

OTC, USD

19.27

7.92

19.14

32%

9 456 802

The volume-weighted average price of R shares over the year was EUR 11.52 in Helsinki (EUR 11.05 in 
2019), SEK 120.94 in Stockholm (SEK 116.91 in 2019) and USD 12.56 on the OTC in the USA (USD 12.36 in 
2019). The percentage of R shares traded was 60.7% (57.9% in 2019) in alternative trading venues, 29.6% 
(31.1% in 2019) in Helsinki, 9.2% (10.5% in 2019) in Stockholm and 0.5% (0.5% in 2019) on the OTC in the 
USA. Total market capitalisation on the OMX Helsinki at year-end was EUR 12.4 billion (EUR 10.3 billion).

Alternative trading venues
Stora Enso shares can be also traded outside Nasdaq Helsinki and Nasdaq Stockholm, where the shares 
are listed. During 2020, the three largest alternative trading venues included Cboe APA SI, Cboe BXE OTC 
and Cboe APA OTC. The alternative trading venues’ market share of monthly volume in Stora Enso shares 
varied between 53% and 70%. Of the alternative trading venues, Cboe APA SI had the biggest share of the 
volume with 22% on an annual basis (Cboe BXE had the biggest share of the volume in 2019 with 30%).

Helsinki, Stora Enso A 
Number of shares, 
thousand
5 800
2 500
Value

5 732 138

2016

Year

7.36

2017

7.62

Share price 
(EUR)
2018
20

8.51

2019

9.42

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

15

10

5

0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Volume
Monthly average share price

Stockholm, Stora Enso R 
Number of shares, 
million
50

Share price 
(SEK)
200

160

 74

120

80

40

0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Volume
Monthly average share price

40

30

20

10

0

Share price 
(EUR)
2021
20

0.30

11.7

0.37

0.50

0.41

0.30

2018

2016

2019

2017

0

Volume

Volume

Legend

Legend

2017

2019

2018

2020

2020

Value

25

50

75

2018

2017

2020

2016

2019

Monthly 
average share 
price

Helsinki, Stora Enso R 
Number of shares, 
million
Year
125

New York, Stora Enso ADR 
Number of shares, 
million
5

7.70
7.49
8.35
8.61
8.25
7.94
8.19
* In addition, the AGM approved the proposal that the Board 
8.58
100
of Directors to decide at its discretion on the payment of 
8.59
9.08
dividend up to a maximum of EUR 0.35 per share 
9.35
10.01
10.82
10.72
11.44
11.97
11.75
11.83
11.82
11.39
11.47
12.94
13.38
13.24
14.03
13.69
15.00
15.97
17.31
18.08
15.76
15.61
16.45
14.72
13.67
11.65
12.19
Monthly 
12.70
average share 
12.45
price
13.27
69.87
13.14
68.45
12.52
72.63
13.49
70.78
12.42
68.36
12.85
68.74
12.81
73.20
13.51
76.59
13.51
76.51
13.75
80.72
12.71
86.78
10.95
94.02
11.76
99.12
11.77
95.39
11.66
102.48
12.04
108.95
12.42
108.69
13.69
113.49
14.08
111.97
14.02
108.40
15.47
108.82
122.65
130.53
129.86
137.29
138.30
151.21
163.96
177.50
179.14
153.73
157.12
164.75
146.43
123.57
108.67
114.9
125.8
120.4
122.9
110.4
102.5
108.3
103.7

121
158
165
117
74
83
84
52
63
97
109
131
128
101
105
89
65
5732
79
71
65
140
92
100
142
125
100
141
80
1485
Volume
334
151
Monthly average share price
86
112
84
228
209
104
109
98
12.09
141
12.38
75
8.42
68
14.62
59
13.52
83
6.20
113
6.75
91
6.39
148
13.45
167
19.95
135
15.97
185
12.67
91
12.96
1054
16.21
2409
13.04
64
12.81
114
12.75
76
12.03
131
11.49
73
12.91
162
9.26
11.95
9.73
5.48
10.79
10.03
10.79
7.33
7.62
5.67
10.45
7.46
5.35
7.89
13.08
12.45
9.99
9.94
14.46
14.50
18.71
22.61
23.84
21.45

Volume
Monthly average share price

2020

2018

2019

2017

2016

 75

3

2

0

1

4

2016

2018

2017

2019

2020

16

12

8

4

0

20

15

10

5

0

Share price 
(USD)
25

 76

2020

 77

28.22

29.98

20.08

15.43

23.22

18.21

32.97

17.38

13.28

14.46

9.79

9.56

14.35

12.44

11.92

9.57

117.3

124.1

133.1

128.7

127.4

125.1

97.9

109.6

111.9

115.4

112.9

120.9

139.4

140.9

140.8

149.3

 78

 79

91

S
t
o
r
a
E
n
s
o
2
0
2
0
:

F

i

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a
n
c

i

a

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s
–
S

t
o
r
a
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s
o

i

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a
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a
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Legend

Volume

Monthly 

average share 

price

2016

2017

2018

2019

Legend

2016

2020

2017

2018

2019

2020

Volume

74.01
79.45
61.56
79.12
76.87
64.13
55.60
47.90
54.65
65.85
61.96
44.02
48.70
53.23
49.29
48.99
47.76
49.59
52.41
50.90
41.79
48.05
43.42
37.59
55.86
52.79
59.37
48.26
38.20
56.33
53.58
44.57
39.42
58.16
55.84
47.92
52.23
54.19
61.29
60.29
0.16
60.85
0.18
67.41
0.19
67.16
0.17
51.63
0.34
59.94
0.25
57.27
0.19
46.32
0.20
40.90
0.09
62.08
0.20
55.92
4.18
96.04
0.22
54.11
0.38
40.54
0.60
57.36
0.55
42.15
0.26
31.30
0.32
49.09
0.30
44.17
0.19
37.52
0.30
34.94
0.29
0.66
0.25
0.23
0.42
0.25
2.54
0.61
1.40
0.46
0.49
1.32
0.40
2.10
1.16
3.86
1.19
0.54
0.45
0.57
1.83
2.98
0.55
1.04

0.48

0.41

0.27

0.34

0.26

0.44

2.01

1.04

0.51

0.23

0.32

2.40

0.41

0.64

0.86

0.35

Monthly 

11.99

average share 

price

7.58

7.25

7.81

7.69

7.32

7.34

7.72

8.06

7.98

8.30

8.79

9.67

10.49

10.09

10.79

11.37

11.20

11.66

11.65

11.31

11.43

12.74

13.32

13.09

14.00

13.85

14.92

15.81

17.12

17.50

15.20

14.89

15.83

14.15

12.25

10.60

11.34

11.52

11.68

7.92

10.19

7.72

9.65

8.32

10.26

8.31

9.67

8.27

11.02

8.27

11.49

8.52

12.47

8.99

12.30

8.91

12.02

9.01

11.83

9.45

8.88

10.18

10.02

10.75

10.51

10.43

11.02

11.16

10.90

11.74

11.63

12.44

13.40

13.11

13.55

13.47

13.66

13.41

14.90

13.69

14.87

15.64

15.50

16.92

17.14

18.44

19.37

20.23

20.38

18.53

17.14

18.43

16.51

14.06

11.95

12.87

13.66

13.02

13.08

11.54

10.80

11.48

10.75

12.00

12.72

13.78

13.75

13.03

11.76

10.15

11.83

12.26

11.94

12.61

14.75

15.68

14.59

16.95

19.14

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

SUSTAINABILITY INDICES
CDP's Climate A- list
FTSE4 Good Index
STOXX® Global ESG Leaders 
Indicies
ECPI EMU Ethical Equity index 
ECPI World ESG Equity Index
OMX GES Sustainability Finland
Solactive Europe Corporate 
Social Responsibility Index
Euronext Vigeo World, Europe 
and Eurozone 120 
MSCI ESG indices

Stora Enso is included in at least the following indices

OMX INDICES
OMX Helsinki 
OMX Helsinki 25

STOXX INDICES
STOXX Global 1800
STOXX Europe 600

FTSE INDICES
FTSE RAFI All-World 3000
FTSE RAFI Developed 1000

MSCI INDICES
MSCI Finland
MSCI Nordic countries

OMX Helsinki Large Cap
OMX Helsinki Benchmark
OMX Helsinki Basic Materials 
OMX Helsinki Basic Resources

STOXX Europe Mid 200
STOXX Nordic
EURO STOXX 
EURO STOXX Basic Materials

FTSE RAFI Europe
FTSE Finland 25 Index
FTSE4Good Global

MSCI Europe
MSCI Europe Materials
MSCI World
MSCI World Mid Cap

OMX Helsinki Forestry & Paper

EURO STOXX Basic Resources

OMX Stockholm
OMX Stockholm Benchmark
OMX Stockholm Large Cap
OMX Stockholm Basic Materials 
OMX Stockholm Basic Resources
OMX Stockholm Forestry & Paper
OMX Nordic
OMX Nordic Large Cap
Nasdaq OMX Nordic Materials
VINX Basic Materials
VINX Basic Resources

Read more about sustainability indeces in the Sustainability Report 2020.

Sustainability is central to Stora Enso’s strategy. The emphasis is to keep sustainability information 
widely available on the Group website to benefit and serve different stakeholders in equal manner. As a 
consequence, Stora Enso simultaneously reduces the number of sustainability index survey questionnaires 
in which it participates. The Group is targeting its participation in those questionnaires and enquiries that it 
has assessed to be the most material.

Trading codes and currencies

A share
R share
ADRs
Segment
Sector
Currency
ISIN, A share
ISIN, R share
CUSIP
Reuters
Bloomberg

Helsinki
STEAV
STERV
-
Large Cap
Materials
EUR
FI0009005953
FI0009005961
-

Stockholm
STE A
STE R
-
Large Cap
Materials
SEK
FI0009007603
FI0009007611
-

OTC
-
-
SEOAY
-
-
USD

86210M106
STERV.HE
STERV FH Equity

92

S
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a
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2
0
2
0
:

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S

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a
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k
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s

Stora Enso R Share  
vs Nasdaq Helsinki indices 
1.1.2016 = 100
250

200

150

100

50

0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Stora Enso (EUR)
OMX Helsinki Basic Materials (EUR)
OMX Helsinki (EUR)

Market capitalisation  
on Nasdaq Helsinki 
EUR million
14 000

Data can be found on the last sheet

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Monthly R shares trading volumes 
Number of shares, million

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Helsinki
Stockholm
OTC
Alternative trading venues

 80

Legend

Value

Stockholm OTC

2017

2016

2018

2019

Helsinki

5907
6031
6314
6179
6212
5806
6488
6363
6373
6897
7285
8085
8388
8120
8870
8741
8958
8953
8947
8712
9426
10600
10163
10422
10913
11499
11801
13017
13822
13251
11353
12736
2016 74.01 12.09
13041
79.45 12.38
10615
8.42
61.56
9166
79.12 14.62
8123
76.87 13.52
9409
6.20
64.13
9385
6.75
55.60
8884
6.39
47.90
9208
54.65 13.45
7971
65.85 19.95
8708
61.96 15.97
8673
44.02 12.67
8369
2017 48.70 12.96
9017
53.23 16.21
9410
49.29 13.04
9824
48.99 12.81
10328
47.76 12.75
9493
49.59 12.03
8541
52.41 11.49
7583
50.90 12.91
8755
9.26
41.79
8999
48.05 11.95
8624
9.73
43.42
8572
37.59
5.48
9815
2018 55.86 10.79
10632
52.79 10.03
9988
59.37 10.79
11268
7.33
48.26
12383
7.62
38.20
56.33
5.67
53.58 10.45
7.46
44.57
5.35
39.42
58.16
7.89
55.84 13.08
47.92 12.45
9.99
2019 52.23
54.19
9.94
61.29 14.46
60.29 14.50
60.85 18.71
67.41 22.61
67.16 23.84
51.63 21.45
59.94 28.22
57.27 29.98
46.32 20.08
40.90 15.43
2020 62.08 23.22
55.92 18.21
96.04 32.97
54.11 17.38
40.54 13.28
57.36 14.46
9.79
42.15

2020

Alternative 

trading 

venues

51.94

124.38

95.16

160.44

167.45

83.71

125.87

71.46

95.00

113.95

89.44

92.57

67.34

133.42

118.28

161.58

151.13

98.55

86.01

72.73

94.88

66.74

61.23

83.15

48.49

96.77

110.99

97.15

72.22

101.32

94.53

90.65

72.54

99.38

148.92

99.38

111.26

116.74

175.12

114.91

111.72

122.47

100.20

69.23

107.15

93.70

73.88

67.89

97.49

118.34

167.91

102.70

61.83

165.31

119.46

88.28

89.80

103.25

98.75

94.62

0.16

0.18

0.19

0.17

0.34

0.25

0.19

0.20

0.09

0.20

4.18

0.22

0.38

0.60

0.55

0.26

0.32

0.30

0.19

0.30

0.29

0.66

0.25

0.23

0.42

0.25

2.54

0.61

1.40

0.46

0.49

1.32

0.40

2.10

1.16

3.86

1.19

0.54

0.45

0.57

1.83

2.98

0.55

1.04

0.48

0.41

0.27

0.34

0.26

0.44

2.01

1.04

0.51

0.23

0.32

2.40

0.41

0.64

0.86

0.35

31.30

9.56

49.09 14.35

44.17 12.44

37.52 11.92

34.94

9.57

 81

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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Key share data 2011–2020, total operations (for calculations see Calculation of Key figures)

According to Nasdaq Helsinki
Earnings per share, EUR

– diluted, EUR
– excl. FV, EUR 1

Equity/share, EUR
Dividend and distribution/share, EUR
Payout ratio, %
Dividend and distribution yield, %

A share
R share

Price/earnings ratio (P/E), excl. FV 1

A share
R share

Share prices for the period, EUR

A share
– closing price
– average price
– high
– low
R share
– closing price
– average price
– high
– low

Market capitalisation at year-end, EUR million

A share
R share
Total

Number of shares at the end of period, (thousands)

A share
R share
Total

Trading volume, (thousands)

A share
% of total number of A shares
R share
% of total number of R shares
Average number of shares (thousands)

basic
diluted

2020
0.79
0.79
0.45
11.17
0.302
38

1.9
1.9

35.3
34.8

15.90
12.06
16.20
9.26

15.65
11.52
15.85
7.25

2 802
9 580
12 383

176 254
612 366
788 620

4 662
2.6
605 233
98.8

788 620
789 182

2019
1.12
1.12
0.61
9.42
0.30
27

2.2
2.3

22.2
21.2

13.55
12.88
14.45
10.85

12.97
11.05
13.05
9.10

2 388
7 939
10 328

176 257
612 363
788 620

1 299
0.7
679 475
111.0

788 620
789 533

2018
1.28
1.28
1.26
8.51
0.50
39

4.5
5.0

8.8
8.0

11.05
16.36
18.45
10.75

10.09
14.61
18.29
9.92

1 948
6 175
8 123

176 313
612 307
788 620

3 068
1.7
610 300
99.7

788 620
789 883

2017
0.79
0.79
0.89
7.62
0.41
52

3.1
3.1

14.8
14.9

13.20
11.93
13.79
10.26

13.22
11.54
13.75
9.70

2 328
8 094
10 422

176 392
612 228
788 620

6 768
3.8
571 717
93.4

788 620
790 024

2016
0.59
0.59
0.65
7.36
0.37
63

3.56
3.62

16.0
15.7

10.40
8.50
10.45
6.56

10.21
7.88
10.28
6.50

1 836
6 250
8 085

176 507
612 113
788 620

1 254
0.7
765 122
125

788 620
789 888

2015
1.02
1.02
1.24
6.83
0.33
32

3.9
3.9

6.8
6.8

8.40
8.87
11.01
6.70

8.39
8.70
10.95
6.58

1 483
5 135
6 618

176 532
612 088
788 620

1 641
0.9
798 507
130.5

788 620
789 809

2014
0.13
0.13
0.40
6.43
0.30
231

4.0
4.0

18.7
18.6

7.48
7.29
8.35
5.73

7.44
7.16
8.38
5.71

1 324
4 547
5 871

177 056
611 564
788 620

1 553
0.9
731 067
119.5

788 620
789 210

2013
-0.07
-0.07
0.40
6.61
0.30
-429

4.1
4.1

18.3
18.3

7.31
6.82
7.49
5.42

7.30
5.79
7.54
4.76

1 295
4 464
5 756

177 096
611 524
788 620

1 656
0.9
828 401
135.5

788 620
788 620

2012
0.61
0.61
0.33
7.32
0.30
49

5.3
5.7

17.3
15.9

5.70
6.15
7.15
5.10

5.25
5.08
5.95
4.14

1 010
3 212
4 222

177 148
612 391
789 538

831
0.5
977 746
159.7

788 620
788 620

2011
0.43
0.43
0.63
7.45
0.30
70

5.9
6.5

8.0
7.3

5.03
7.73
9.80
4.70

4.63
6.28
8.99
3.73

891
2 835
3 726

177 149
612 389
789 538

1 402
0.8
1 237 898
202.1

788 620
788 620

1 Earnings per share (EPS) excl. FV was added to the list of non-IFRS measures in 2020 replacing the key figure of EPS excl. IAC.  
Comparatives are recalculated for 2018–2019. For 2011–2017 table includes EPS excl. IAC figures.
2 Board of Directors’ proposal to the AGM for distribution of dividend.
IAC = Items affecting comparability

Read more about incentive programmes in Note 21 and Management interests in Note 7.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Debt investors

Funding strategy
Stora Enso’s funding strategy is based on the Group’s financial targets. Stora Enso should have access 
to sufficient and competitively priced funding at any time to be able to pursue its strategy and achieve its 
financial targets. Stora Enso’s debt structure is focused on the capital markets and commercial banks. 
Stora Enso maintains consistent dialogue with fixed-income community with informative and transparent 
communication and meetings in conferences and roadshows.

Funding is obtained in the currencies of the Group’s investments and assets (primarily CNY, EUR, SEK 

and USD). Commercial paper markets are used for short-term funding and liquidity management.

In 2020, Stora Enso strengthened significantly its liquidity and funding position due to the uncertainty 
in the global economy caused mainly by the Covid-19 pandemic. Stora Enso has EUR 1 655 million cash 
and cash equivalents at 31 December 2020. The company has EUR 600 million Committed Revolving 
Credit Facility fully undrawn, committed bilateral credit facility arrangements with commercial banks up 
to EUR 250 million and an undrawn committed EUR 150 million loan with European Investment Bank that 
can be drawn latest in 2022 for five-year maturity. Additionally, the company has access to EUR 950 million 
statutory pension premium loans in Finland. Stora Enso has a good access to various funding sources.

Public debt structure as at 31 December 2020

Public issues

Private placements

EUR
EUR 300 million 2023
EUR 300 million 2027
EUR 300 million 2028
EUR 500 million 2030
EUR 125 million 2025
EUR 25 million 2027

USD
USD 300 million 2036

SEK
SEK 3000 million 2021
SEK 3000 million 2024
SEK 3100 million 2025

SEK 1000 million 2026

Debt programmes and credit facilities as at 31 December 2020

Commercial paper 
programmes
EMTN (Euro Medium-Term 
Note programme)

Back-up facility

EUR
Finnish Commercial Paper Programme 
EUR 750 million

SEK
Swedish Commercial Paper Programme 
SEK 10 000 million

EUR 4 000 million
EUR 600 million sustainability linked 
revolving credit facility 20231
EUR 150 million Bilateral Committed 
Credit Facility 2021
EUR 100 million Bilateral Committed 
Credit Facility 2022
EUR 150 million committed undrawn EIB 
loan. To be drawn latest 2022, five-year 
maturity

1 Undrawn committed credit facility EUR 600 million. Part of the pricing for the facility agreement is based on Stora Enso's Science 
Based Targets to combat global warming by reducing greenhouse gases, including CO2.

Stora Enso has integrated sustainability agenda to its funding and financial services. The Group has the 
long-term aim to secure funding partners that have sustainability as a fundamental part of their agenda. We 
aim to influence and develop the financial markets to ensure that sustainability becomes an integral part 
of decisions and credit evaluation. For more information, please see Stora Enso’s Sustainability 2020, 
section Investors or visit our website storaenso.com/investors.

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Green Bonds
In 2020, Stora Enso issued two green bonds in 2020: SEK 3 100 million in April and EUR 500 million in 
November. There are no financial covenants connected to these bonds. The bonds are listed on the 
Luxembourg Stock Exchange. In accordance with the Green Bond Framework, proceeds from Green 
Bonds will be used solely to finance or refinance projects (going back up to two years) and activities defined 
under the Eligible Categories presented below.

1. Sustainable Forest Management
2. Renewable, Low-Carbon, and Eco-Efficient Products, Product Technologies, and Processes
3. Energy Efficiency
4. Renewable Energy and Waste to Energy
5. Sustainable Water Management
6. Waste Management and Pollution Control 

Please find additional information here: Green bond impact report 

Rating strategy
Stora Enso Group’s target is to have at least one public credit rating with the ambition to remain investment 
grade and sustain such metrics throughout business cycles. The present rating and outlook from Moody's 
and Fitch Ratings are shown below.

Ratings as at 31 December 2020
Rating agency
Fitch Ratings
Moody's

 Long/short-term rating
BBB- (stable)
Baa3 (stable) / P-3

Valid from
8 August 2018
1 November 2018

Stora Enso’s current credit ratings are: Baa3 with stable outlook from Moody’s and BBB- with stable 
outlook from Fitch Ratings. Both ratings correspond to an Investment Grade rating, and there were no 
changes in the ratings during 2020. 

Stora Enso’s goal is to ensure that rating agencies continue to be comfortable with Stora Enso’s 

strategy and performance. The Company’s strategy is to achieve liquidity well in line with the comfort level 
of the agencies. Review meetings are arranged with the Stora Enso management annually, and regular 
contact is maintained with the rating analysts.

Read more about debt and loans in Note 26. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

  Limited Assurance

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Stora Enso’s operations generate value through taxes for governments around the world. 
In 2020, Stora Enso paid again approximately EUR 1 billion into public sectors, including 
EUR 611 million in collected taxes. 

Stora Enso aims to be transparent with respect to economic value generation. For this purpose, Stora Enso 
makes a voluntary commitment to openly provide details of the taxes paid by the group to governments in 
its main countries of operation. This commitment to our stakeholders is fully in line with Stora Enso’s values 
to ‘Do what’s right’ and ‘Lead’. 

Stora Enso’s tax policy
Stora Enso’s tax policy is approved by the CEO and is reviewed annually, with updates as necessary. 
As a responsible and prudent taxpayer, Stora Enso is committed to ensure that the group observes all 
applicable tax laws, rules and regulations in all jurisdictions where it conducts its business activities. 
Stora Enso follows international transfer pricing guidelines and local legislation. In addition to our legal and 
regulatory requirements, our tax principles comply with our values. Furthermore, we seek to ensure that 
our tax strategy is aligned with our business and commercial strategy. We only undertake tax planning that 
is duly aligned to economic activity. This means that all tax decisions are made in response to commercial 
activity, and tax is only one of many factors that are taken into account when making business decisions.
As with any other business expense, however, we have an obligation to manage our tax costs as 
part of our financial responsibility to societies and shareholders. We are therefore willing to respond to 
tax incentives and exemptions granted by governments on reasonable grounds, and we currently have 
operations in countries that offer favourable tax treatments, where their location is also justified by sound 
commercial considerations. 
Stora Enso has operations in the following locations that offer favourable tax treatments:
•  The joint operation Montes del Plata operates a pulp mill in a Special Economic Zone in Uruguay.
•  Stora Enso’s two forestry companies in Guangxi, China are entitled to exemption from corporate 

income tax and value added tax on their sales, and our related industrial company is entitled to reduced 
tax rates until 2025.

•  Stora Enso conducts business, mainly consisting of sales services, in the United Arab Emirates, 

Singapore and Hong Kong.

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Total taxes borne 2020

Total taxes borne 2019

Finland 23%
Sweden 29%
Germany 5%
Poland 6%
Austria 7%
China 4%
UK 0%
Belgium 7%
Russia 5%
Czech Republic 4%
Other 10%

Finland 19%
Sweden 37%
Germany 5%
Poland 5%
Austria 6%
China 6%
UK 0%
Belgium 6%
Russia 4%
Czech Republic 4%
Other 8%

Total taxes collected 2020

Total taxes collected 2019

Legend

Value in %

Finland 37%
Sweden 24%
Germany 8%
Poland 5%
Finland
Austria 3%
Sweden
China 4%
Germany
Poland
UK 6%
Austria
Belgium 1%
China
Russia 2%
UK
Czech Republic 1%
Belgium
Other 9%
Russia
Czech Republic
Other

23% XX%

29% XX%

5% XX%

6% XX%

7% XX%

4% XX%

0% XX%

7% XX%

5% XX%

4% XX%

10% XX%

Legend

19%

37%

Value in %

Finland 36%
Sweden 21%
Germany 10%
Poland 5%
Finland
Austria 3%
Sweden
China 4%
Germany
Poland
UK 10%
Austria
Belgium 1%
China
Russia 1%
UK
Czech Republic 1%
Belgium
Other 8%
Russia
Czech Republic
Other

5%

5%

6%

6%

0%

6%

4%

4%

8%

•  For logistical and operational reasons, pulp from the group’s joint operations in Brazil and Uruguay is 

traded via a pulp sourcing and marketing company based in the Netherlands.

Total

XX%

100%

Total

100%

•  AS Stora Enso Latvija has been granted a corporate income tax credit relating to an investment project. 

The credit is available for utilization against tax arising on profit distribution in future years.

Our commitment to tax transparency is also reflected in our relationships with tax authorities and 
governments. We seek to work positively, proactively and openly with tax authorities on a global basis, 
aiming to minimise disputes and to build confidence wherever possible. We also work with government 
representatives, mainly through associations, by providing corporate views and impacts at request to aid 
law-making and implementation.

The Stora Enso tax team, reporting to the group CFO, works closely with the businesses and other 
internal stakeholders to identify and manage business and compliance tax risks to ensure a sustainable 
yet business feasible platform for operations. Internal stakeholders are continuously trained on tax related 
matters in order to enhance capabilities and improve overall tax compliance and tax reporting position of 
Stora Enso group. The tax team is involved in business changes already in the planning phase to ensure 

the alignment and appropriate compliance of tax rules and regulations.Tax team monitors changes in tax 
legislation and regularly reviews tax affairs and risk management procedures to ensure that Stora Enso can 
identify, assess and mitigate tax risk. As part of protecting shareholder value, we act with integrity in all tax 
matters and accurately report the Group’s tax position to our shareholders and other stakeholders.
Legend

Value in %

Value in %

Exact value

Legend

24% XX%

37% XX%

Finland
Stora Enso’s tax footprint 
Sweden
In 2020, Stora Enso paid EUR 980 million (1 265 million) in taxes to governments in countries where the 
Germany
group has operations. A total of EUR 369 million (498 million) was paid directly by the group (taxes borne) 
Poland
Austria
while EUR 611 million (767 million) was collected on behalf of governments (taxes collected).
China
UK
Belgium
Russia
Czech Republic
Other

forwards from previous years. The tax losses of EUR 329 million (328 million) carried forward in Finland are 
the result of several factors including high closure and restructuring costs incurred in the past. 

Finland
Sweden
Germany
Poland
Austria
China
UK
Belgium
Russia
Czech Republic
Other

Stora Enso did not pay any corporate income tax in Finland in 2020 because of tax losses carried 

4% XX%

9% XX%

5% XX%

3% XX%

2% XX%

1% XX%

8% XX%

1% XX%

6% XX%

 84

 83

10%

21%

10%

36%

8%

1%

1%

4%

3%

5%

1%

36

21

10

10

5

4

3

1

2

2

7

Total

XX%

100%

0

Total

100%

101

 85

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Taxes paid in major countries of operation

EUR million
Finland
Sweden
Germany
Poland
Austria
China
United Kingdom
Belgium
Russian Federation
Czech Republic
Other
Total

Primary activity 
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales

EUR million
Finland
Sweden
Germany
Poland
Austria
China
United Kingdom
Belgium
Russian Federation
Czech Republic
Other
Total

Primary activity 
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Sales
Production and sales
Production and sales
Production and sales

1 VAT, goods and services taxes and similar turnover related taxes

Year Ended 31 December

Taxes borne

Corporate income tax

Employment taxes

Operational taxes

Total 

2020
0
13
3
11
12
2
0
12
9
8
12
82

2019
0
84
10
13
14
7
0
17
10
12
11
178

2020
76
88
11
6
13
8
1
10
3
7
16
239

2019
76
93
11
7
13
15
1
10
3
7
16
252

2020
10
5
3
5
1
7
0
4
5
0
9
48

2019
20
7
4
5
1
7
0
4
7
0
13
68

2020
86
106
17
22
26
16
1
26
17
15
37
369

Year Ended 31 December

Taxes collected

VAT & similar1

Payroll taxes

Other taxes

Total

2020
35
63
32
18
5
14
35
1
9
0
27
239

2019
37
77
51
25
11
20
73
3
10
0
31
338

2020
144
83
20
11
15
10
2
9
2
5
19
318

2019
143
85
25
10
16
10
2
8
2
5
19
325

2020
47
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
53

2019
96
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
104

2020
226
146
52
29
20
24
37
9
11
5
52
611

2019
96
184
25
25
28
29
1
31
20
19
40
498

2019
276
162
76
35
27
30
75
11
12
5
58
767

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Total taxes paid

2020
312
252
68
52
47
40
38
35
28
20
88
980

2019
372
346
101
60
55
59
76
42
32
24
98
1265

Stora Enso did not pay any corporate income tax in Finland in 2020 because of tax losses carried forwards 
from previous years. The tax losses of EUR 329 million (328 million) carried forward in Finland are the result 
of several factors including high closure and restructuring costs incurred in the past.

Taxes collected include all tax and tax-like payments that Stora Enso has collected on behalf of the 
government, including e.g. payroll taxes as well as VAT and similar sales-related taxes paid by Stora Enso. 
The economic burden for such taxes ends up with the buyer or final consumer. 

All companies within the scope of Stora Enso’s tax footprint are consolidated or joint operations, which 

Stora Enso’s tax footprint figures also reflect governmental incentives granted in the form of reduced tax 

have been consolidated proportionally with Stora Enso’s share amounting to at least 50%. Consolidation 
includes all companies that have either at least 10 employees or a turnover of EUR 5 million or above.
If a Stora Enso company was in a recovery position regarding VAT or energy taxation in a specific 

rates or tax exemption, by reporting lower tax payments. However, governmental support is often granted 
in the form of subsidies, particularly in relation to energy consumption or favoured investments, which are 
not considered in our tax footprint calculations.

country, tax payments for this company have been reported at NIL. 

Taxes borne include all tax and tax-like payments that Stora Enso has paid as own taxes. Tax-like 
payments include other forms of government revenue raised outside of the tax regime, such as payments 
for emission rights or social security payments. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Unaudited

Capacities by mill in 2021

Packaging Materials

Consumer board
Beihai
Fors
Imatra
Ingerois
Skoghall
Total

Location
CHN
SWE
FIN
FIN
SWE

Containerboards
Heinola

Location
FIN

Ostrołeka
Oulu1
Varkaus
Total

1 Oulu kraftliner line ramping up

Barrier coating
Beihai
Skoghall (Forshaga)
Imatra
Total

POL
FIN
FIN

Location
CHN
SWE
FIN

Grade
LPB, CKB, FSB, FBB
FBB
SBS, FBB, LPB
FBB
LPB, CUK

Grade
SC fluting
Testliner, PfR fluting, sack paper, wrapping 
paper, RCF-based liner and fluting
Kraftliner, white-top kraftliner
Kraftliner, white-top kraftliner

Grade
Barrier coating
Barrier coating
Barrier coating

Capacity 1 000 t
510
455
1 195
295
925
3 380

Capacity 1 000 t
300

760
450
405
1 915

Capacity 1 000 t
80
120
455
655

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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Packaging Solutions
Biocomposites

Mill
Hylte
Total Biocomposite

Corrugated packaging
Baltic states
Kaunas
Riga 
Tallinn

Finland
Lahti
Kristiinankaupunki

Poland

Łódz
Mosina
Ostrołeka
Tychy 

Russia

Arzamas
Balabanovo
Balabanovo offset
Lukhovitsy

Sweden

Jönköping
Skene
Vikingstad

Total

China Packaging
Gaobu, Dongguan
Jiashan, Zhejiang
Qian'an, Hebei
Wu Jin, Jiangshu
Total

Formed fiber

Mill
Hylte
Total Formed fiber

Location
SWE

Product

Division
Biocomposite Packaging Solutions

Capacity 1 000 t
15
15

Corrugated packaging

Grade Capacity million m2
155

Corrugated packaging

Corrugated packaging

160

410

Corrugated packaging

395

Corrugated packaging

265

Corrugated packaging

1 385

Location
CHN
CHN
CHN
CHN

Location
SWE

Consumer packaging
Consumer packaging
Consumer packaging
Consumer packaging

Grade  Capacity million pcs Capacity million m2
30
20
25
10
85

390
145
300
75
910

Product

Formed Fiber Packaging Solutions

Division Capacity million pcs
60
60

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

Biomaterials

Mill

Enocell

Skutskär
Sunila
Montes del Plata 
(50% share)
Veracel (50% share)
Total

Location

FIN

SWE
FIN

URU
BRA

Grade
Short, long-fiber and 
dissolving pulp
Short, long-fiber and 
fluff pulp
Long-fiber pulp

Short-fiber pulp
Short-fiber pulp

Division

Capacity 1 000 t

Biomaterials

Biomaterials
Biomaterials

Biomaterials
Biomaterials

490

540
375

740
575
2 720

Chemical Pulp

Mill

Location

Heinola
Kaukopää, Imatra
Nymölla
Ostrołeka
Oulu1
Skoghall
Tainionkoski, Imatra
Varkaus
Veitsiluoto
Chemical Pulp Total 
(incl. Biomaterials)

FIN
FIN
SWE
POL
FIN
SWE
FIN
FIN
FIN

1 Ramping up
* Estimated market pulp volumes 2 500 000 tonnes

Grade
Neutral Sulphite Semi-
Chemical Pulp
Short and long-fiber
Short and long-fiber
Long-fiber
Long-fiber
Long-fiber
Short and long-fiber
Long-fiber
Short and long-fiber

Division

Capacity 1 000 t

Packaging Materials
Packaging Materials
Paper
Packaging Materials
Packaging Materials
Packaging Materials
Packaging Materials
Packaging Materials
Paper

285
825
330
130
550
375
195
310
375

6 095*

Deinked Pulp (DIP)

Mill
Hylte1
Langerbrugge
Maxau
Ostrołeka
Sachsen
Total

Location
SWE
BEL
GER
POL
GER

Grade
DIP
DIP
DIP
Recycled fiber based pulp
DIP

Division
Paper
Paper
Paper
Packaging Materials
Paper

Capacity 1 000 t
145
680
295
700
430
2 250

1 Production of DIP will end latest in Q2 2021

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CTMP

Mill
Beihai
Fors
Kaukopää
Skoghall
Total

Lignin

Mill
Sunila
Total Lignin

Location
CHN
SWE
FIN
SWE

Grade
BCTMP
CTMP
CTMP
CTMP

Division
Packaging Materials 
Packaging Materials 
Packaging Materials 
Packaging Materials 

Capacity 1 000 t
210
220
220
310
960

Location
FIN

Product
Lignin

Division
Biomaterials

Capacity 1 000 t
50
50

Wood Products

Mill
Ala 
Alytus
Amsterdam 
Bad St. Leonhard
Brand
Gruvön1
Honkalahti
Imavere
Impilahti
Launkalne2
Murow
Nebolchi
Näpi
Planá
Uimaharju3
Varkaus
Veitsiluoto4
Ybbs
Zdírec
Total

Location
SWE
LIT
NLD
AUT
AUT
SWE
FIN
EST
RUS
LAT
POL
RUS
EST
CZE
FIN
FIN
FIN
AUT
CZE

 Sawing 
Capacity 
1 000 m3
400
210
-
360
440
370
310
340
160
260
300
180
50
390
240
230
200
700
580
5 720

Further 
Processing 
Capacity 
1 000 m3
50
115
80
105
295
150
70
160
10
70
210
45
180
220
-
35
-
450
220
2 465

Pellet  
capacity 
1 000 t
100
-
-
-
-
100
-
100
25
50
-
40
25
-
-
-
-
-
80
520

CLT capacity 
1 000 m3
-
-
-
80
-
80
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
110
-
270

LVL capacity 
1 000 m3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
75
-
-
-
75

1 Gruvön CLT production ramping up 
2 Launkalne pellets production ramping up 
3 Uimaharju sawmill belongs to division Biomaterials
4 Veitsiluoto sawmill belongs to division Paper

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paper

Mill
Anjala
Hylte
Kvarnsveden
Langerbrugge
Maxau
Nymölla
Sachsen

Veitsiluoto
Total

Location
FIN
SWE
SWE
BEL
GER
SWE
GER

FIN

Grade
Impr. news, book, LWC, wallpaper base
News
SC, impr. news, packaging paper
SC, news
SC
WFU
News, impr. news,directory
LWC, MWC, WFU, speciality paper, 
packaging paper

Capacity 1 000 t
435
245
565
555
530
485
310

790
3 915

Abbreviations used in the tables:
BCTMP  bleached chemi-thermo- 
mechanical pulp
coated kraft back board
cross-laminated timber
chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp
coated unbleached kraftboard
deinked pulp
folding boxboard 
liquid packaging board
laminated veneer lumber
light-weight coated paper
medium-weight coated paper
paper for recycling
solid bleached sulphate board
supercalendered paper
wood-free uncoated paper

CKB 
CLT 
CTMP  
CUK 
DIP 
FBB 
LPB 
LVL 
LWC 
MWC 
PfR 
SBS 
SC 
WFU 

The formula: (Sum of net saleable production 
of two best consecutive months / Available 
time of these two consecutive months) × 
Available time of the year

Financials

  Stora Enso in 2020

  Report of the  

Board of Directors

  Consolidated financial 

statements

  Notes to the Consolidated 

financial statements

  Parent Company Stora Enso 

Oyj financial statements

  Notes to the parent company 

financial statements

  Signatures for the financial 

statements

  Auditor’s report

  Stora Enso in capital markets

  Stora Enso as a taxpayer

  Capacities by mill in 2021

  Information for shareholders

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financials

Stora Enso in 2020

Report of the  
Board of Directors

Consolidated financial 
statements

Notes to the Consolidated 
financial statements

Parent Company Stora Enso 
Oyj financial statements

Notes to the parent company 
financial statements

Signatures for the financial 
statements

Auditor’s report

Stora Enso in capital markets

Stora Enso as a taxpayer

Capacities by mill in 2021

Information for shareholders

  Unaudited

Information for shareholders

Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Stora Enso Oyj’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Friday 19 March 2021 at 4.00 p.m. Finnish time.
Nominee-registered shareholders wishing to attend and vote at the AGM must have shares that would 

entitle to being registered in the Company shareholders’ register on the record date 9 March 2021 and 
must be temporarily registered in the Stora Enso shareholders’ register by 16 March 2021. For shares 
registered through Euroclear Sweden and for holders of ADRs the timetable may vary and earlier dates 
apply. Instructions for submitting notice of attendance is given in the invitation to the AGM, which can be 
consulted on Stora Enso’s website at storaenso.com/agm. 

AGM and dividend in 2021
9 March 
19 March 
22 March 
23 March 
30 March 

Record date for AGM
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Ex-dividend date
Record date for dividend
Dividend payment

Dividend
The Board of Directors proposes to the AGM that a dividend of EUR 0.30 per share will be paid to the 
shareholders for the fiscal year ending 31 December 2020. The dividend payable on shares registered with 
Euroclear Sweden will be forwarded by Euroclear Sweden AB and paid in Swedish crowns. The dividend 
payable to ADR holders will be forwarded by Citibank N.A. (Citi) and paid in US dollars.

Publications dates for 2021
29 January  
Week 6  
23 April  
21 July  
20 October  

Financial results for 2020
Annual Report 2020
Interim report for January-March
Half-year report for January-June
Interim report for January-September

Distribution of financial information
Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020 consists of five sections: Strategy, Sustainability, Financials, Governance 
and Remuneration. You can find the highlights of the year and all reports as downloadable PDF files at 
storaenso.com/annualreport.

Summary, Governance and Remuneration are available in English, Finnish and Swedish. Strategy, 
Sustainability and Financials are available in English. The official financial statements (in Finnish) and a list 
of principal subsidiaries (in English) can be found on the company’s website. 

Interim reports and Half-year reports are published in English, Finnish and Swedish at   

storaenso.com/press.

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Information for holders of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)
The Stora Enso dividend reinvestment and direct purchase plan is administered by Citibank N.A. The 
plan makes it easier for existing ADR holders and first-time purchasers of Stora Enso ADRs to increase 
their investment by reinvesting cash distributions or by making additional cash investments. The plan 
is intended for US residents only. Further information on the Stora Enso ADR programme is available at 
citi.com/DR. 

Contact information for Stora Enso ADR holders
Citibank Shareholder Services
Computershare
P.O. Box 43077
Providence, Rhode Island 02940-3077
Email: citibank@shareholders-online.com

Toll-free number: (877)-CITI-ADR
Direct dial: (781) 575-4555

Contacts
Ulla Paajanen
SVP, Investor Relations
Stora Enso Oyj
P.O. Box 309, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358 40 763 8767, ulla.paajanen@storaenso.com

storaenso.com
group.communications@storaenso.com

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report 2020

Stora Enso complies with 
current governance rules 
and regulations, and applies 
best practices in the field 
of governance. 

Governance

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

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Contents

Responsibility is one of 
Stora Enso’s values and in 
governance terms it translates 
into a strong commitment to 
sound principles of corporate 
governance and sustainability.

Wood can also transform into a textile. Our dissolving 
pulp is used as a raw material for e.g. viscose in textile 
industry, replacing cotton and fossil-based materials, such 
as polyester. The e-TALES by Stora Enso is a portfolio of 
tailor-made solutions for e-commerce packaging, designed 
to meet the needs of end-consumers, online retailers and 
logistics departments. A paperboard tube to reduce plastic in 
primary packaging of cosmetics, which is a new application 
area for our paperboard, Natura Shape™ by Stora Enso.

Corporate Governance in Stora Enso 2020 ........................................... 2
Shareholders’ meetings .............................................................................. 2
Board of Directors (Board) .......................................................................... 3
Board committees ....................................................................................... 7
Management of the Company .................................................................... 8
Internal control and risk management related to financial reporting ....... 10

Members of the Board of Directors ...................................................... 12

Members of the Group Leadership Team .............................................14

Appendix 1 .................................................................................................17 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceGovernance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

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Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

The duties of the various bodies within Stora Enso 
Oyj (“Stora Enso” or the “Company”) are 
determined by the laws of Finland and by the 
Company’s corporate governance policy, which 
complies with the Finnish Companies Act and 
the Finnish Securities Market Act. The rules and 
recommendations of the Nasdaq Helsinki Oy 
and Nasdaq Stockholm AB stock exchanges are 
also followed, where applicable. The corporate 
governance policy is approved by the Board of 
Directors (“Board”). 

Stora Enso complies with the Finnish 
Corporate Governance Code 2020 issued 
by the Securities Market Association (the 
“Code”). The Code is available at cgfinland.fi. 
Stora Enso also complies with the Swedish 
Corporate Governance Code (“Swedish Code”), 
with the exception of the deviations listed in 
Appendix 1 of this Corporate Governance Report. 
The deviations are due to differences between 
the Swedish and Finnish legislation, governance 
code rules and practices, and in these cases 
Stora Enso follows the practice in its domicile. 
The Swedish Code is issued by the Swedish 
Corporate Governance Board and is available at 
corporategovernanceboard.se. 

This Corporate Governance Report is 

available as a PDF document at storaenso.com/
investors/governance. 

General governance issues 
The Board and the President and CEO are 
responsible for the management of the Company. 
Other governance bodies have an assisting and 
supporting role. 

The Stora Enso group prepares Consolidated 

financial statements and Interim Reports 
conforming to International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS), and publishes Annual Reports 
as well as Interim Reports in Finnish, Swedish 
and English language. Stora Enso Oyj prepares 
its Financial statements in accordance with the 
Finnish Accounting Act. 

The Company’s head office is in Helsinki, 

Finland. It also has head office functions in 
Stockholm, Sweden.

Stora Enso has one statutory auditor elected 

by the shareholders at the Annual General 
Meeting (AGM). 

To the maximum extent possible, corporate 

actions and corporate records are taken and 
recorded in English.

Objectives and composition 
of governance bodies 
The shareholders exercise their ownership 
rights through the shareholders’ meetings. 
The decision-making bodies with responsibility 
for managing the Company are the Board and the 
CEO. The Group Leadership Team (GLT) supports 
the CEO in managing the Company. 

Day-to-day operational responsibility rests 
with the GLT members and their operation teams 
supported by various staff and service functions.

Governance bodies

Shareholders’ meeting
Shareholders’ Nomination Board

Board of Directors
Financial and Audit Committee   
Remuneration Committee   
Sustainability and Ethics Committee

President and CEO
Ethics and Compliance  
Management Committee –  
Auditing
Group Leadership Team (GLT)

Auditing

Internal Audit

External Audit

Shareholders’ meetings 
The Annual General Meeting of shareholders 
(AGM) is held annually to present detailed 
information about the Company’s performance 
and to deal with matters such as adopting 
the annual accounts, setting the dividend (or 
distribution of funds) and its payment, and 
appointing the Chair, Vice Chair and the members 
of the Board of Directors as well as the Auditor. 

The AGM shall be held yearly by the end of 
June in Helsinki, Finland. The Finnish Companies 
Act and Stora Enso’s Articles of Association 
specify in detail that the following matters have to 
be dealt with at the AGM:
•  presentation and adoption of the 

annual accounts 

•  presentation of the report of the Board of 

Directors and the Auditor’s report

Shareholders may exercise their voting rights 

•  use of the result and distribution of funds to 

and take part in the decision-making process 
of Stora Enso by participating in shareholders’ 
meetings. Shareholders also have the right to ask 
questions of the Company’s management and 
Board of Directors at shareholders’ meetings. 
Major decisions are taken by the shareholders at 
Annual or Extraordinary General Meetings. At a 
shareholders’ meeting, each A share and each ten 
R shares carry one vote. 

During the years 2020–2021 and the Covid-19 
pandemic, certain of the above mentioned rights 
may be carried out as pre-voting and the right to 
present counterproposals and ask questions in 
advance of the meeting, the answers to which will 
be presented on the Company’s website.
The Board of Directors convenes a 

shareholders’ meeting by publishing a notice 
to the meeting at the Company’s website not 
more than three (3) months before the last day 
for advance notice of attendance mentioned in 
the notice to the meeting and not less than three 
weeks before the date of the meeting. In addition, 
the Company publishes details on the date and 
location of the meeting, together with the address 
of the Company’s website, in at least two Finnish 
and two Swedish newspapers. Other regulatory 
notices to the shareholders are delivered in the 
same way. 

• 

the shareholders
resolution concerning discharge of the 
members of the Board and the CEO 
from liability

•  presentation of remuneration policy and/

or report 

•  decision on the number and the remuneration 
of the members of the Board and the Auditor

•  election of the Chair, Vice Chair and other 
members of the Board and the Auditor
•  any other matters notified separately in the 

notice to the meeting.

In addition, the AGM shall take decisions on 
matters proposed by the Board of Directors. 
A shareholder may also propose items for inclusion 
in the agenda provided that they are within the 
authority of the shareholders’ meeting and the 
Board of Directors was asked to include the items 
in the agenda no later than on the date set out 
by the Company, which must be not earlier than 
four weeks before the publication of the notice to 
the meeting and which will be announced at the 
Company’s website no later than by the end of the 
financial year preceding the AGM.

An Extraordinary General Meeting of 
Shareholders is convened when considered 
necessary by the Board of Directors or 
when requested in writing by the Auditor or 
shareholders together holding a minimum of 
one tenth of all the shares to discuss a specified 
matter which they have indicated.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

In 2020
Stora Enso’s AGM was held on 4 June 
2020 in Helsinki, Finland. The AGM was 
held with exceptional procedures based 
on a temporary legislative act approved 
by the Finnish Parliament to limit the 
spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. This 
meant that shareholders were able to 
participate in the meeting only through 
voting in advance as well as making 
counterproposals and presenting 
questions in advance. The AGM had 
originally been called to be held on 19 
March 2020, however, had to be cancelled 
from being held at such date due to the 
Covid-situation with following restrictive 
national measures arising in Finland 
during the same week. Of all issued and 
outstanding shares in the Company a total 
of 59.3% of all shares (59.4% in 2019) 
and a total of 80.7% of all votes (80.9%) 
were represented at the meeting, with 
91.4% of all A shares (91.6%) and 50.1% 
of all R shares (50.1%) represented. All 
Board members, President and CEO, 
CFO and EVP Legal as well as the 
Company’s Auditor were present at the 
meeting via remote access. The AGM in 
addition to regular matters authorised 
the Board to decide on a share issue or 
share repurchase covering a maximum 
of 2 000 000 R shares in order to carry 
out the Company’s compensation or 
remuneration schemes. No Extraordinary 
General Meetings of Shareholders were 
convened in 2020.

Shareholders’ Nomination Board 
Shareholders at the Annual General Meeting 
(AGM) have established a Shareholders’ 
Nomination Board to exist until otherwise 
decided and to annually prepare proposals 
to the shareholders’ meeting concerning: 
the number of members of the Board; 
• 
the Chair, Vice Chair and other members 
• 
of the Board; 
the remuneration for the Chair, Vice Chair 
and members of the Board; 
the remuneration for the Chair and 
members of the committees of the Board.

• 

• 

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The AGM has approved the Charter of the 
Shareholders’ Nomination Board and shall 
approve any proposed amendments of the 
Charter, other than technical updates.

The Shareholder’s Nomination Board 

according to its Charter comprises four members:
• 
• 
• 

the Chair of the Board; 
the Vice Chair of the Board; 
two members appointed annually by the 
two largest shareholders (one each) as of 
31 August.

The Board through its Chair shall ensure that 
the annual appointment of the members to the 
Shareholders’ Nomination Board is carried out 
as set out in the Charter as decided by the AGM. 
The Board Chair shall annually convene the first 
meeting of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board, 
which shall elect its Chair amongst its members 
that annually are appointed by the Company’s two 
largest shareholders.

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board shall 
serve until further notice, unless the AGM decides 
otherwise. Its members are elected annually and 
their term of office shall end when new members 
are elected to replace them.

Board of Directors
Stora Enso is managed by the Board acting in 
accordance with the Finnish Companies Act as 
well as other applicable legislation.

According to the Company’s Articles of 
Association, the Board comprises six to eleven 
ordinary members appointed by the shareholders 
at the AGM for a one-year term. The majority 
of the directors shall be independent of the 
Company. In addition, at least two of the directors 
comprising this majority shall be independent 
of significant shareholders of the Company. 
A significant shareholder is a shareholder 
that holds at least 10% of all the Company’s 
shares or the votes carried by all the shares or a 
shareholder that has the right or the obligation to 
purchase the corresponding number of already 
issued shares. The independence is evaluated 
yearly in accordance with the Finnish Corporate 
Governance Code.

All directors are required to deal at arm’s 
length with the Company and its subsidiaries 
and to disclose circumstances that might be 
perceived as a conflict of interest. 

The shareholders at the AGM decide 
the remuneration of the Board members 

In 2020
The Shareholders’ Nomination Board in 2020 comprised four members: Jorma Eloranta (Chair of 
the Board), Hans Stråberg (Vice Chair of the Board) and two other members appointed by the two 
largest shareholders, namely Harri Sailas (Solidium Oy) and Marcus Wallenberg (FAM AB). Marcus 
Wallenberg was elected Chair of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board.

The main tasks of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board were to prepare the proposals for the 
AGM 2021 concerning Board members and their remuneration.The Shareholders’ Nomination Board 
during its working period 2020–2021 convened four (4) times. Each member of the Shareholders’ 
Nomination Board attended all the meetings. Jorma Eloranta and Hans Stråberg did not participate 
in the preparations or the decision-making regarding Board remuneration. 

In its proposal for the AGM 2021, the Shareholders’ Nomination Board proposes that of the 
current members of the Board of Directors – Håkan Buskhe, Elisabeth Fleuriot, Hock Goh, Mikko 
Helander, Christiane Kuehne, Antti Mäkinen and Richard Nilsson be re-elected members of the 
Board of Directors until the end of the following AGM and that Helena Hedblom and Hans Sohlström 
be elected new members of the Board of Directors for the same term of office. It is proposed that 
Antti Mäkinen be elected Chair of the Board and Håkan Buskhe Vice Chair of the Board. Jorma 
Eloranta and Hans Stråberg had informed the Shareholders’ Nomination Board that they were 
not available for re-election. The Shareholders’ Nomination Board also proposes that the annual 
remuneration for the Chair, Vice Chair and members of the Board of Directors as well as for the 
Chairs and members of Board Committees be maintained at the 2020 level.

For the purpose of carrying out its tasks, the Shareholders’ Nomination Board has received 
the results of the yearly evaluation of the Board of Directors as well as the assessment of each 
director’s independence of the Company and of significant shareholders. The Board performance 
evaluation material has also included a report on Board member interviews by the Chair of the 
Board of Directors. The Shareholders’ Nomination Board has taken the results of the Board 
evaluation and the requirements relating to director independence into account in its work. The 
Shareholders’ Nomination Board further considers the principles of the Board Diversity Policy in 
preparing its proposal. The Shareholders’ Nomination Board has a Charter that defines its tasks and 
responsibilities in more detail.

Remuneration 
No remuneration is paid for members of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board as decided by the AGM. 
The Shareholders’ Nomination Board Charter is presented at storaenso.com/investors/governance.

Composition of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board in 2020

Jorma Eloranta¹, member
Chair of Stora Enso’s Board of Directors
Marcus Wallenberg, Chair
Chair of Stora Enso’s Shareholders’ Nomination 
Board. Born 1956. B.Sc. (Foreign Service). Chair of 
the Board of Directors of FAM AB.

Hans Stråberg¹, member
Vice Chair of Stora Enso’s Board of Directors
Harri Sailas, member
Member of Stora Enso’s Shareholders’ Nomination 
Board. Born 1951. M.Sc. (Econ.). Chair of the Board of 
Directors of Solidium Oy.

1 Curriculum vitae of Jorma Eloranta and Hans Stråberg, see page 12.

(including the remuneration of the members of 
the Board committees). 

The Board supervises the operation and 

management of Stora Enso and decides 
on significant matters relating to strategy, 
investments, organisation and finance. 

The Board is responsible for overseeing 
management and for the proper organisation 
of the Company’s operations. It is likewise 
responsible for overseeing the proper 
supervision of accounting and control of 
financial matters.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

The Board has defined a working order, the 
principles of which are published on page 6 of this 
report and on the Company’s website. 

The AGM elects the Chair and Vice Chair of the 
Board. Should the Chair or Vice Chair of the Board 
of Directors resign or become otherwise unable to 
act as Chair or Vice Chair during their term of office, 
the Board may elect a new Chair or Vice Chair from 
among its members for the remaining term of office. 
The Board annually agrees on focus areas 
for the Board’s work during the upcoming year 
constituting the Board Agenda. 

The Board appoints the CEO, Chief Financial 
Officer (CFO) and other GLT members. The Board 
approves the main organisational structure of 
the Company. 

The Board reviews and determines the 
remuneration of the CEO, which is described 
in the Annual Report and on the Company’s 
website. The Board and each of its Committees 
evaluates its performance annually. The results of 
the Board’s evaluation are reviewed by the Board 
and shall be communicated to the Shareholders’ 
Nomination Board, which shall take the results 
of the Board evaluation into account in its work. 
The Board also reviews the corporate governance 
policy annually and amends it when required. 
The Board’s work is supported through 

its committees – the Financial and Audit 
Committee, the Remuneration Committee and 
the Sustainability and Ethics Committee. Each 
committee’s Chair and members are appointed by 
the Board annually. 

The Board meets at least five times 
a year. The Board members meet regularly 
without management in connection with 
the Board meetings.

Board Diversity Policy
The Company has established a Board Diversity 
Policy setting out the principles concerning 
the diversity of the Board. The Shareholders’ 
Nomination Board shall in connection with 
preparing its proposals for the nomination of 
directors to the AGM consider the principles of 
the Company’s Board Diversity Policy.

Directors shall be nominated on the basis 

of their merits and with consideration of the 
benefits of diversity and the principles that the 
Company refers to as Diversity of Thought, 
including but not limited to criteria of diversity 
such as gender, age, nationality and individual 
differences both in professional and personal 
experiences. The merits of directors include 
knowledge of the operational environment of the 
Company, its markets and of the industry within 
which it operates, and may include elements 
such as financial, sustainability or other specific 
competency, geographical representation and 
business background as required in order to 
achieve the appropriate balance of diversity, 
skills, experience and expertise of the Board 
collectively. The foremost criteria for nominating 
director candidates shall be the candidates’ skills 
and experiences, industrial knowledge as well as 
personal qualities and integrity. The composition 
of the Board as a whole shall reflect the 
requirements set by the Company operations and 
its development stage. The number of directors 
and the composition of the Board shall be such 
that they enable the Board to see to its duties 
efficiently. Both genders shall be represented 
on the Board and the aim of the Company 
shall be to strive towards a good and balanced 
gender distribution.

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board has 
taken the principles of the policy into account in 
its work. The Shareholders’ Nomination Board 
finds that the composition of the Board as 
proposed to the AGM 2021 reflects diversity and 
a good variety of skills and experiences among 
the Board members following the principles 
set out in the Board Diversity Policy. The aim 
of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board going 
forward is to continuously evaluate the long-term 
competencies that would benefit the Board work 
as well as ensure that a Diversity of Thought is 
maintained on the Board. The aim is to maintain 
or further strengthen a good and balanced 
gender distribution.

The Board Diversity Policy is presented at 

storaenso.com/investors/governance.

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In 2020
The Board had nine members at the end of 2020, all of them independent of the Company. 
The Board members are also independent of significant shareholders of the Company with 
the exception of Richard Nilsson (Investment Manager at FAM AB), Antti Mäkinen (CEO of Solidium) 
and Håkan Buskhe (CEO of FAM AB). Hans Stråberg having served on the Board for more than ten 
years, is based on an overall evaluation concluded independent of the Company.

The Board members nominated at the AGM in 2020 were Jorma Eloranta (Chair), Hans Stråberg 

(Vice Chair), Håkan Buskhe, Elisabeth Fleuriot, Hock Goh, Mikko Helander, Christiane Kuehne, 
Antti Mäkinen and Richard Nilsson. The Board convened 14 times during the year. The members’ 
participation rate in meetings amounted to 98%.

In its meeting after the AGM on 4 June 2020 the Board discussed focus areas for its work. 
The Board agreed that these areas for the year to come should be (1) Strategy, and (2) Operational 
performance in the present market situation. Various matters have been discussed, reviewed and 
decided in the Board based on the agenda. Further, the CEO has on a monthly basis reported 
progress on the same to the Board. 

The Board has conducted an internal self-evaluation relating to the Board’s work, which together with 
the evaluation of the Board members’ independence has been provided to the Shareholders’ Nomination 
Board for information. The Board performance evaluation has also included Board member interviews 
performed by the Board Chair, the result of which has been reported to the Shareholders’ Nomination 
Board. Overall assessment of the Board’s work and performance – even during Covid-19 pandemic – has 
been positive. The Board has worked according to all applicable rules and regulations. For detailed 
information about the Board members and their share ownerships, see pages 12–13.

Remuneration 
Board remuneration is decided by the AGM each year. The AGM 2020 decided on an annual 
remuneration of EUR 197 000 for the Board Chair, EUR 112 000 for the Vice Chair and EUR 76 000 
for other members, which is paid partly in Company shares as set out in the resolution of the AGM. 
In addition, remuneration may be paid based on Board Committee memberships.

Board Diversity in 2020
The Board has during 2020 been composed of nine members representing five different 
nationalities and a diverse range of experience from global companies and industrial sectors. 
All Board members have university degrees from different fields like engineering, technology, finance 
and law. All members have vast experience from global companies either from earlier operative 
positions or through board memberships. A detailed description of the educational and professional 
backgrounds of the Board members can be found on pages 12–13.

The Board members represent a good knowledge of the operational environment of the Company as 

well as particular experience of amongst others sustainability, financial competence and the business 
environment relevant to the operations of the Company. The age of the Board members during 2020 
varied from 49 years to 69 years and the Board was composed of two women and seven men.

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board has in 2020 considered its previous evaluation of competencies 
that may be further strengthened in the long term Board succession planning. In its proposal for the AGM 
2021 the Shareholders’ Nomination Board has proposed a Board composition that includes three women 
and six men in the age range of 47 years to 65 years and representing a total of five different nationalities. 
The proposed new Board members Helena Hedblom and Hans Sohlström would bring strong leadership 
and management as well as industrial competence and experience to the Board and would in the view of 
the Shareholders’ Nomination Board add strong value to the Board as a collective.

The aim of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board going forward is to continuously evaluate 
the long-term competencies that would benefit the Board work as well as ensure that a Diversity 
of Thought is maintained on the Board. The aim is to maintain or further strengthen a good and 
balanced gender distribution.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Board skills matrix

Name
Jorma Eloranta
Hans Stråberg
Håkan Buskhe
Elisabeth Fleuriot
Hock Goh
Mikko Helander
Christiane Kuehne
Antti Mäkinen 
Richard Nilsson

 yes 

 no

Independent of

Committee memberships 2020

Director since Principal skills
2016
2009
2020
2013
2012
2019
2017
2018
2014

Global Business, Business Leadership, Operative Management, Governance
Global Business, Business Leadership, Operative Management, Industry
Innovation, Global Business, Business Leadership, Industry
Global Business, Operative Management, Business Leadership, Sustainability
Global Business, Operative Management, Business Leadership, Sustainability
Global Business, Business Leadership, Operative Management, Industry
Global Business, Operative Management, Business Leadership, Sustainability
Finance, Operative Management, Governance
Finance, Industry, Governance, Global Business

Company

Owners

FAC
Member

Member
Member

Chair

SECo

Member

Member
Chair

RemCo
Chair
Member

Member

Other current 
listed boards*

3
2
1
3

2

The table sets out the primary skills of each Board member. The fact that an item is not highlighted for a Board member does not mean that such member does not possess that qualification or skill.
*at 31 December 2020

Principal skills 

Innovation
Finance
Global Business
Sustainability
Operative Management
Governance
Business Leadership
Industry

Number of Board members

0

2

4

6

8

Principal skills  

Board diversity in figures

Tenure 
Number of persons

Gender 
Number of persons

Age* 
Number of persons

Male
Female

1–2 years
3–5 years
6–9 years
≥10 years

40–50
51–60
61–65
>65

*at 31 December 2020

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Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Principal skills  

Innovation
Finance
Global Business
Sustainability
Operative Management
Governance
Business Leadership
Industry

1

2

8

3

7

3

7

4

 1

Legend

1–2 years

3–5 years

6–9 years

≥10 years

Exact value

2

3

3

1

Legend

Male

Female

Exact value

7

2

Legend

40–50

51–60

61–65

>65

Exact value

1

3

4

1

 1

 1

 1

1332271431Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Working order of the Board
The working order describes the working 
practices of the Board. A summary of key 
contents is presented below.

Board meetings 
•  occur regularly, at least five times a year, 

according to a schedule decided in advance; 

•  special Board meetings, if requested by a 

Board member or the CEO, be held within 14 
days of the date of request; 

•  agenda and material shall be delivered to 

Board members one week before the meeting.

Information
• 

the Board shall receive information monthly 
concerning financial performance, the market 
situation and significant events within the 
Company’s and the group’s operations; 
•  Board members shall be informed about all 

significant events immediately.

Matters to be handled at Board meetings
•  matters specified by the Finnish 

Companies Act;

•  approval of business strategy;
•  organisational and personnel matters:

The Board of Directors’ and management’s annual working cycle

Board meeting 
SECo, FAC, RemCo

Inside Committee meeting

Ethics and Compliance 
Management Committee meeting 

Board meeting (Q3) 
FAC, RemCo

Inside Committee meeting

Board meeting (strategy) 
SECo, FAC

Inside Committee meeting

Ethics and Compliance 
Management Committee meeting

Board meeting (Q2)  
FAC

Inside Committee meeting

Q4

Q1

Q3

Q2

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 – decisions concerning the basic top 

•  economic and financial matters:

management organisation;

 – decisions concerning the composition of 

 – approval and review of annual budget; 
 – approval of loans and guarantees, excluding 

intra-group loans and guarantees; 

 – approval of share repurchases, if any, as 

well as report of share repurchases;
 – approval of Group Risk Management 

Policy according to Financial and Audit 
Committee’s proposal; 

• 

investment matters:
 – approval of investment policy of the group;
 – approval of major investments;
 – approval of major divestments; 
 – receive relevant analyst meeting 

presentations and analyst reports;

•  other matters:

 – report of the CEO on the group’s operations;
 – reports of the Remuneration Committee, 

Financial and Audit Committee and 
Sustainability and Ethics Committee by the 
chairs of the respective committees. The 
recommendations and proposals by the 
Shareholders’ Nomination Board shall be 
reported to the Board by the Chair of the 
Board;

 – approval and regular review of the 

Corporate Governance Policy and the 
charters of the Board Committees;

 – annual self-assessment of Board work and 
performance as well as independence; 

•  other matters submitted by a member of the 

Board or the CEO.

the GLT; 

 – remuneration of the CEO; 
 – appointment and dismissal of the CEO 
and approval of heads of divisions and 
other members based on CEO’s proposal 
belonging to the GLT;

 – appointment of Committee Chairs and 

members; 

 – remuneration of GLT members based on 

CEO’s proposal;

 – review talent management and succession 

planning process (in particular CEO);

Ethics and Compliance 
Management Committee meeting

Inside Committee meeting

Board meeting (Full year and  
Q4 + annual governance update)  
SECo, FAC, RemCo

Inside Committee meeting

Annual General Meeting 
Board meeting 
SECo

Ethics and Compliance 
Management Committee meeting 

Inside Committee meeting

Board meeting (Q1) 
FAC, RemCo

Quarterly
 - Meetings with auditors
 - Divisional Business & Innovation Review meetings

Monthly
 - GLT meetings 
 - Investment Working Group meetings

SECo = Sustainability and Ethics Committee
FAC = Financial and Audit Committee
RemCo = Remuneration Committee

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

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Sustainability and Ethics Committee
The Board has a Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee which is responsible for overseeing 
the Company’s sustainability and ethical business 
conduct, its strive to be a responsible corporate 
citizen, and its contribution to sustainable 
development. The Committee regularly reviews 
Stora Enso’s Sustainability Strategy and Ethics 
and Compliance Strategy and, in accordance with 
Stora Enso’s corporate governance structure, 
oversees their effective implementation as well 
as reviews the Company’s external sustainability 
reporting. In its work the Committee takes into 
consideration Stora Enso’s Purpose and Values 
as well as the Stora Enso Code and Business 
Practice Policy.

The Committee comprises two to 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 handling 
sustainability and ethics matters. 

The Committee meets regularly, at least two 
times a year. The Chair of the Committee presents 
a report on each Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee meeting to the Board. The tasks and 
responsibilities of the Committee are defined 
in its charter, which is approved by the Board. 
Sustainability and Ethics Committee members 
may receive remuneration solely based on their 
role as directors. The compensation is decided by 
the shareholders at the AGM.

Board committees 
The tasks and responsibilities of the Board 
committees are defined in their charters, which 
are approved by the Board. All the committees 
evaluate their performance annually, are allowed 
to use external consultants and experts when 
necessary and shall have access to all information 
needed. Each committee’s Chair and members 
are appointed by the Board annually.

Financial and Audit Committee 
The Board has a Financial and Audit Committee 
to support the Board in maintaining the integrity 
of the Company’s financial reporting and the 
Board’s control functions. It regularly reviews 
and monitors the system of internal control 
and internal audit as well as its efficiency, 
management and reporting of financial risks, the 
audit process, the Company’s procedures for 
monitoring related party transactions and the 
annual corporate governance statement. It makes 
recommendations regarding the appointment 
of external auditor for the Parent Company and 
the main subsidiaries and monitors the auditor’s 
independence.

The Committee comprises three to five 
Board members, who are independent and not 
affiliated with the Company. The members of 
the Committee must have sufficient expertise 
and experience to be able to challenge and 
evaluate the Company’s internal accounting 
function and internal and external audit functions. 
At least one member must have the relevant 
expertise in accounting and auditing as required 
by applicable regulation. The Financial and 
Audit Committee meets regularly, at least four 
times a year. The Committee members meet the 
external and internal auditors regularly without 
the management being present. The Chair of the 
Committee presents a report on each Financial 
and Audit Committee meeting to the Board. The 
tasks and responsibilities of the Financial and 
Audit Committee are defined in its charter, which 
is approved by the Board. Financial and Audit 
Committee members may receive remuneration 
solely based on their role as directors. The 
compensation is decided by the shareholders 
at the AGM.

In 2020
The Financial and Audit Committee 
comprised four members in 2020: Richard 
Nilsson (Chair), Jorma Eloranta, Elisabeth 
Fleuriot and Hock Goh.1 The Committee 
convened eight times. The members’ 
participation rate in meetings amounted 
to 96%.

The main task of the Committee is 
to support the Board in maintaining the 
integrity of Stora Enso’s financial reporting 
and the Board’s control functions. To fulfil 
its task the Committee regularly reviews 
the Company’s system of internal control, 
management and reporting of financial 
and enterprise risks as well as the audit 
process. Furthermore, the Committee 
has increased its focus on IT security and 
closely monitors related risks. A review 
of the forest land valuation method has 
been in focus during the year as well as 
internal controls and cyber security. The 
Committee further reviews relevant material 
compliance related cases relating to the 
integrity of financial reporting or fraud 
investigations that have been reported to 
Internal Audit and Ethics and Compliance 
during the year. 

Remuneration
Chair EUR 21 200 per annum and 
member EUR 14 800 per annum as 
decided by the AGM.

The Financial and Audit Committee 
Charter is presented at storaenso.com/
investors/governance.

1 The Committee prior to the AGM on 4 June 2020 
comprised the following three members: Richard 
Nilsson (Chair), Jorma Eloranta and Elisabeth Fleuriot.

Remuneration Committee
The Board has a Remuneration Committee 
which is responsible for recommending 
and evaluating executive nominations and 
remunerations (including reviewing and 
recommending the CEO’s remuneration), 
evaluating the performance of the CEO, and 
making recommendations to the Board relating 
to management remuneration issues generally, 
including equity incentive remuneration plans. 

The Remuneration Committee also reviews the 
Remuneration Report and the Remuneration 
Policy. There is a Remuneration Committee 
representative present at the AGM to answer 
questions relating to the management 
remuneration. The Board appoints the CEO and 
approves his/her remuneration as well as the 
nomination and compensation of other members 
of the Group Leadership Team (GLT). 

The Committee comprises three to four 
Board members, who are independent and not 
affiliated with the Company. The Remuneration 
Committee meets regularly, at least once a 
year. The Chair of the Remuneration Committee 
presents a report on each Remuneration 
Committee meeting to the Board. The tasks and 
responsibilities of the Remuneration Committee 
are defined in its charter, which is approved by 
the Board. Remuneration Committee members 
may receive remuneration solely based on their 
role as directors. The compensation is decided by 
the shareholders at the AGM.

In 2020
The Remuneration Committee comprised 
three members in 2020. The members were 
Jorma Eloranta (Chair), Antti Mäkinen and 
Hans Stråberg. The Committee convened 
six times. The members’ participation rate 
in meetings amounted to 100%.

The main task of the Committee is 
to recommend, evaluate and propose 
executive nominations and remunerations, 
review the Company’s remuneration 
reporting, and to make recommendations 
to the Board relating to management 
remuneration in general, including short 
and long term incentive programmes. The 
Committee has further reviewed the external 
reporting on executive remuneration and 
in particular the new formatted Stora Enso 
Remuneration Report, which will be 
presented to the AGM 2021. 

Remuneration
Chair EUR 10 600 and member EUR 6 400 
per annum as decided by the AGM. 

The Remuneration Committee Charter 

is presented at storaenso.com/investors/
governance.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

In 2020
The Sustainability and Ethics Committee comprised three members in 2020: Christiane Kuehne 
(Chair), Håkan Buskhe and Mikko Helander.1 The Committee convened four times. The members’ 
participation rate in meetings amounted to 100%.

The Committee in each of its meetings reviews the areas relevant for the Committee’s work, 

including safety and sustainability matters as well as ethics and compliance matters. The Committee 
further reviews safety status and sustainability and ethics and compliance KPI’s, sustainability 
reporting as well as relevant sustainability and safety initiatives and processes carried out during the 
year. An important part of the Committee’s work consists of overseeing reported compliance cases. 

Remuneration
Chair EUR 10 600 and member EUR 6 400 per annum as decided by the AGM. 

The Sustainability and Ethics Committee Charter is presented at storaenso.com/investors/

governance.

1 The Committee prior to the AGM on 4 June 2020 comprised the following three members: Christiane Kuehne (Chair), Hock 
Goh and Göran Sandberg.

Ad-Hoc Strategy Committee
The Board agreed to form a temporary Ad-Hoc 
Committee to discuss, prepare and assist 
Management in making a strategy proposal that 
was brought to the Board for approval.

In 2020
The Ad-Hoc Strategy Committee comprised 
four members in 2020: Jorma Eloranta 
(Chair), Håkan Buskhe, Antti Mäkinen and 
Annica Bresky. The Committee convened 
four times. The members’ participation rate 
in meetings amounted to 100%.

The Committee’s role was advisory and 
it had no decision-making power in respect 
of the strategic issues discussed.

Remuneration
No separate remuneration was paid to the 
Ad-Hoc Strategy Committee members.

Group Leadership Team as at 31 December 2020

President and CEO
Annica Bresky

CFO, Deputy to 
the CEO, Country 
Manager Finland
Seppo Parvi

Packaging 
Materials
Hannu Kasurinen

Packaging 
Solutions1
David Ekberg

Biomaterials
Markus 
Mannström

Wood Products2
Lars Völkel

Forest
Jari Suominen

Paper
Kati ter Horst

Communications 
and Marketing
Ulrika Lilja

HR3
Katariina Kravi

IT and 
Digitalisation4
Teemu Salmi

Legal, Country 
Manager Sweden
Per Lyrvall

Sourcing  
and Logistics
Johanna 
Hagelberg

Strategy  
and Innovation5
Tobias Bäärnman

Sustainability6
Annette Stube

1 Acting Head of Packaging Solutions until 31 March 2020. Member of GLT as of 1 April 2020.
2 Seppo Toikka, acting Head of Wood Products until 30 June 2020, not a member of GLT.
3 Malin Bendz, EVP HR, was a member of GLT until 15 January 2020. Per Lyrvall, acting Head of HR 16 January–31 August 2020.
4 Member of GLT as of 1 November 2020.
5 Member of GLT as of 1 November 2020.
6 Noel Morrin, EVP Sustainability, was a member of GLT until 31 August 2020.

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Management of the Company 

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 
The CEO is in charge of the day-to-day 
management of the Company in accordance with 
the Finnish Companies Act and the instructions 
and orders issued by the Board. It is the duty of 
the CEO to ensure that the Company’s accounting 
principles comply with the law and that financial 
matters are handled in a reliable manner.

The Board approves the main organisation, 

including the functions reporting to the CEO. 
At the end of 2020 the CEO was directly in charge of 
the following functions, which also reported to her:
•  Divisions (Packaging Materials, Packaging 
Solutions, Biomaterials, Wood Products, 
Forest and Paper)

•  CFO (responsible for Accounting, Controlling, 
Efora, Enterprise Risk Management, Internal 
Audit, Investor Relations, Tax, Treasury) 
• 
IT and Digitalisation
•  Human Resources 
•  Legal, General Counsel 
•  Communications and Marketing
•  Sustainability 
•  Sourcing and Logistics
•  Strategy and Innovation (responsible for 

Innovation and R&D, special strategic projects, 
Corporate Finance and M&A, Investment 
Process, Energy Services)

The CEO is also responsible for preparatory work 
with regard to Board meetings. In addition, the 
CEO supervises decisions regarding key personnel 
and other important operational matters. One of 
the GLT members acts as deputy to the CEO as 
defined in the Finnish Companies Act.

Group Leadership Team (GLT) 
The GLT is chaired by the CEO. The GLT members 
are appointed by the CEO and approved by the 
Board. At the year end 2020, the fifteen GLT 
members were the CEO, the CFO, the heads of 
the divisions, Communications and Marketing, 
HR, IT and Digitalisation, Legal (who is also 
General Counsel), Sourcing and Logistics, 
Strategy and Innovation, and Sustainability.

The GLT assists the CEO in supervising the 
Group and divisional performance against agreed 
targets, portfolio strategy, ensuring the availability 
and value-creating allocation of Group funds and 
capital, and statutory, governance, compliance 
and listing issues and policies.

The GLT meets regularly every month, and 

as required.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

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In 2020
The GLT had 15 members at the end of 
2020. The GLT convened 12 times during 
the year. Important items on the agenda in 
2020 were Covid-19 related scenarios and 
mitigation actions, safety issues, financial 
performance, strategy and transformation, 
sustainability, customer-driven innovation, 
reviewing the operations of the Group, 
planning and following up investment and 
other strategic projects, digitalisation, 
and preparatory work for Board meetings. 
The GLT further held a total of 26 Covid-
19 related additional meetings as well 
as 6 additional meetings to prepare the 
Company’s new strategy.

Divisions and other functions
The divisions are responsible for their respective 
line of business and are organised and resourced 
to deal with all business issues. The CEO steers 
the divisions through quarterly and as needed in 
Business Performance Reviews as well as the 
GLT meetings.

Strategic investment projects are approved 

on group level following the mandate by the 
CEO and Board of Directors. Each Division will in 
addition be granted an annual allocation intended 
for smaller annual replacement and development 
needs in relation to investments. All projects are 
reviewed by the Investment Working Group (IWG) 
comprising group and division representatives 
and headed by the CFO (also the allocation 
proposals are made by IWG). 

Innovation and R&D is organised in two 

structures. On group level the long term research 
and company wide collaborations with academia 
and external R&D providers are managed by a 
small team of experts. The innovation related 
to current and future offering of the businesses 
are executed within the divisions to drive market 
and customer focus. The progress of innovation 
efforts is evaluated in quarterly Business and 
Innovation Reviews with the CEO, CFO, Head 
of Innovation and R&D, the division Head and 
the division Innovation Head. The portfolio of 
potential transformational innovation projects is 
reviewed on a quarterly basis by the CEO, CFO, 
CSIO and the heads of divisions. Innovation 
funding is supported from group level by both 

the innovation and the digitalisation fund, 
where divisions make proposals, which are then 
reviewed and decided by IWG. 

At Stora Enso, sustainability work is led by the 

Executive Vice President (EVP), Sustainability, 
who reports directly to the CEO and is part of the 
Group Leadership Team (GLT). The CEO holds 
the ultimate responsibility for the successful 
implementation of our sustainability strategy. 
Everyday sustainability topics are managed by 
the Group Sustainability team together with the 
Human Resources, Legal, Wood Supply, Group 
OHS, and Sourcing and Logistics functions, as 
well as the company’s six business divisions. 
Each of the business divisions has its own Head 
of Sustainability, who reports directly to the 
EVP of the division. Other key functions, such 
as Sourcing and Logistics, have sustainability 
organisations to support their management 
teams. The everyday implementation of 
Stora Enso’s Sustainability Agenda is the 
responsibility of line management supported by 
functional experts at all levels.

Stora Enso’s sustainability work is steered 
by the Sustainability Council, which includes 
members from the business divisions, Sourcing 
and Logistics function, and subject matter 
experts from the Group Sustainability team. 
Chaired by the EVP, Sustainability, its work 
involves sharing good practices and identifying 
longer-term opportunities and challenges 
that may require a Group-wide response. 
The Sustainability Council met ten times during 
2020. The GLT is periodically informed of 
specific sustainability developments, as is the 
Board of Directors when appropriate, through its 
Sustainability and Ethics Committee.

The Company has user boards for certain 
cross-functional service functions (Logistics, 
IT, Energy and parts of Wood Supply). These 
user boards consist of representatives of the 
divisions using these services. The user boards 
supervise and steer the operations of the 
respective functions.

The Company has established proper 

disclosure policies and controls, and process for 
quarterly and other ongoing reporting.

Other supervisory bodies and norms

Auditor 
The AGM annually elects one auditor for 
Stora Enso. The Financial and Audit Committee 

monitors the auditor selection process and gives 
its recommendation as to who should serve as 
auditor to the Board for the purpose of making 
the proposal to the shareholders at the AGM. The 
auditor shall be an authorised public accounting 
firm, which appoints the responsible auditor.

Auditor’s fees and services

EUR million

Audit fees
Audit-related
Tax fees
Other fees
Total

Year Ended 31 December

2020

2019

4 
0 
0 
0 
4 

4 
0 
0 
0 
4 

In 2020
The Board in 2020 on the recommendation 
of the Financial and Audit Committee 
proposed that PricewaterhouseCoopers 
Oy be re-elected auditor by the AGM 
2020 for the third year as the Company’s 
auditors. The AGM 2020 elected 
PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy as auditor 
for a term of office expiring at the end of 
the AGM 2021.

Internal Audit
Stora Enso’s Internal Audit is an independent, 
objective assurance and consulting activity 
designed to add value and improve the 
operations of Stora Enso. Internal Audit helps 
the organisation to accomplish its objectives by 
providing a systematic, disciplined approach 
to evaluate and improve the effectiveness 
of internal control, risk management and 
governance processes.

Internal Audit reports regularly about the 
status of the audits and audit findings to the 
Financial and Audit Committee, Board of 
Directors. Administratively Internal Audit reports 
to the CFO. The Financial and Audit Committee 
approves the appointment of the Head of Internal 
Audit following the recommendation by the CEO.

Internal Audit plan is risk and assurance-based 

and focuses to the core-processes in Stora Enso 
value chain, supporting processes at the Group 

and site levels and key strategic investments 
in different divisions. As part of process audits 
and also separately, Internal Audit reviews IT 
and cyber security management throughout 
the company on a regular basis. Internal Audit 
co-operates with other assurance functions 
during the year in order to avoid overlapping with 
assurance activities and to be able to identify 
gaps. Internal audit executes during the year 
possible special engagements based on separate 
request and agreed with management and 
Financial and Audit Committee. Financial and 
Audit Committee approves Internal Audit Annual 
Plan and Charter. 

Ethics and Compliance Management Committee 
Stora Enso’s Ethics and Compliance Management 
Committee supervises and monitors legal and 
regulatory ethics and compliance related policies, 
implementation and maintenance of processes 
and tools regarding the same, and concrete 
compliance issues and cases in the field of 
business practices. The Ethics and Compliance 
Management Committee consists of the General 
Counsel (Chair), CEO, CFO, Head of HR, Head 
of Communications and Marketing, Head of 
Sustainability and Head of Internal Audit with the 
Legal Counsel dedicated to compliance matters 
being the secretary. The Ethics and Compliance 
Management Committee shall convene at least 
four times every year.

Ethics and Compliance 
Stora Enso is committed to taking responsibility 
for its actions, to complying with all applicable 
laws and regulations wherever it operates, and 
to creating and maintaining ethical relationships 
with its customers, suppliers and other 
stakeholders. The Stora Enso Code is a single 
set of values defined for all employees, to provide 
guidance on the Company’s approach to ethical 
business practices, environmental values, and 
human and labour rights. These same values 
are applied wherever Stora Enso operates. In 
2011 the company established its Business 
Practice Policy to complement the Code, which 
further sets out Stora Enso’s approach to ethical 
business practices and describes the processes 
for reporting on violations thereof. The Business 
Practice Policy was revised in 2016 in order to 
streamline and simplify policies and guidelines. 
Continuous e-learning, communication, face-to-
face training and sign-off are organised in order 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board  
of Directors

Members of the Group  
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

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to ensure that these are part of the everyday 
decision-making and activities at Stora Enso.
Stora Enso uses an index to monitor and 
evaluate employee perceptions of the work on 
topics covered by the Stora Enso Code. The index 
is based on employee responses to related 
questions in the annual employee survey. After 
a slight decrease with one unit in 2019 (84) the 
index increased to 86 in 2020. The target is to 
continue the positive trend and continued efforts 
will therefore be put on communication and 
training in 2021. 

In order to enhance the supervision and 
monitoring of legal and regulatory compliance 
related policies and issues, Stora Enso 
has established its Ethics and Compliance 
Management Committee. In addition, Compliance 
Forums, comprising of heads of key functions, in 
divisions, group functions and Chinese operations 
play an important role in risk assessing and 
monitoring compliance within their respective 
areas. The Compliance Forums use the Ethics and 
Compliance Self-Assesment Tool (T.E.S.T.) to give 
them a better overview of the progress their units 
are making in policy implementation, compliance 
measures taken, and possible gaps and risks in 
compliance. Results of the T.E.S.T. are covered in 
Compliance Forums and action plans developed 
and followed up accordingly.

Stora Enso’s employees are encouraged to 

report any suspected cases of misconduct or 
unethical behaviour to their own supervisor, or to 
Human Resources or Legal functions. Stora Enso 
uses an additional external service, The Speak Up 
Hotline, through which employees and any third 
party globally can anonymously report potential 
non-compliance cases by phone, mail, or online. 
This service, which covers all of Stora Enso’s 
units, is available 24/7.

Insider administration 
The Company complies with EU and Finnish 
insider regulation as well as the guidelines of 
Nasdaq Helsinki Oy. The Company’s internal 
insider guidelines are published and distributed 
throughout the group. Stora Enso’s legal function 
and the General Counsel are responsible for the 
procedures relating to inside administration, 
including monitoring compliance with applicable 
regulation, keeping of inside lists and internal 
training. The Company has established an 
Inside Committee composed of the CEO, CFO 
as well as representatives of Communications 

and Marketing, IR and Legal for the purpose of 
continuously reviewing pending projects and the 
existence of inside information in the Company.
The Company expects the management and 

all its employees to act in the way required of 
an insider. All unpublished information relating 
to the Company’s present and future business 
operations shall be kept strictly confidential.

Persons discharging managerial 

responsibilities (PDMR’s) in Stora Enso are the 
members of the Board, the CEO and the CFO, as 
well as other members of the Group Leadership 
Team (GLT). PDMR’s, as well as their closely 
related persons, are subject to a duty to notify the 
Company and the Finnish Financial Supervisory 
Authority of all transactions with the securities of 
the Company.

The Company also keeps a list of persons that 

are involved in the preparation of interim reports 
and financial results, which is approved by the 
General Counsel (Closed Period List). Persons 
included in the list are e.g. members of the Division 
management teams, members of Financial 
Communications and Investor Relations as well as 
the heads and certain team members of Treasury, 
Group Accounting and Controlling and Legal.

Persons, who participate in the development 

and preparation of a project that constitutes 
inside information, are considered project 
specific insiders. A separate project-specific 
insider register is established when required by 
the decision of the General Counsel or Assistant 
General Counsel.

The insider guidelines do not permit 

Stora Enso PDMR’s or persons involved in the 
preparation of interim reports or financial results 
and entered into the Closed Period List to buy or 
sell any of the Company’s securities (i.e. shares, 
options and synthetic options) during the closed 
period defined below or when they possess 
information that could have a material impact on 
the Stora Enso share price.

Closed period 
Stora Enso closed period starts when the 
reporting period ends or 30 days prior to the 
announcement of the results, whichever is earlier 
and lasts until the results are announced. The 
dates are published in the financial calendar at 
storaenso.com/investors. 

During closed periods Stora Enso PDMR’s or 
persons entered into the Company’s Closed Period 
List are not allowed to trade in Company securities.

Guidelines for Related Party Transactions
The principles applicable to monitoring of 
Stora Enso related party transactions are set 
out in Stora Enso’s Guideline for Related Party 
Transactions. The Guideline defines Stora Enso 
related parties and sets out the decision-making 
order and principles for monitoring related 
party transactions including a description 
of Stora Enso internal controls with regards 
to related party transactions. Information on 
material transactions with related parties is set 
out in Note 31 of Stora Enso’s consolidated 
financial statements. 

Stora Enso business activities may include 
regular or less frequent transactions with related 
parties. Transactions with related parties shall 
always promote the purpose of the Company and 
be concluded on acceptable terms and in the 
interest of the Company, as well as in compliance 
with prevailing regulation. Internal controls 
have been designed to ensure that related party 
transactions are duly monitored and identified.

Related party transactions, which are part of 
the ordinary course of business and undertaken 
on market terms are approved in accordance 
with the Company’s internal guidelines. Any 
transaction which would not meet these terms 
must be reported to the Financial and Audit 
Committee and approved by the Board of 
Directors. The Board of Directors is responsible 
for overseeing the processes established for 
monitoring related party transactions.

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting 

Internal control over financial reporting 
The system of internal control related to financial 
reporting in the Stora Enso group is based upon 
the framework issued by the Committee of 
Sponsoring Organisations (COSO) and comprises 
five principal components of internal control: the 
control environment, risk assessment, control 
activities, information and communication, 
and monitoring.

The internal controls related to financial 
reporting are designed to provide reasonable 
assurance regarding the reliability of financial 
reporting and the preparation of financial 
statements in accordance with applicable 
laws and regulations, generally accepted 
accounting principles and other requirements 
for listed companies.

Control environment 
Stora Enso’s control environment sets the tone of 
the organisation providing the company purpose 
and values, policies, processes and structures 
as a foundation for carrying out internal control 
across the organisation. Stora Enso has a formal 
Code that sets forth its rules. To complement the 
Code, Stora Enso has a Business Practice Policy, 
which further sets out Company’s approach to 
ethical business practices and describes the 
processes for reporting on violations thereof. All 
employees are expected to comply with the Code 
and the Business Practice Policy. Continuous 
e-learning, face-to-face training and sign-off are 
organised in order to ensure that these are part 
of the everyday decision-making and activities at 
Stora Enso.

The Board, supported by the Financial and 
Audit Committee, has the overall responsibility 
for setting up an effective system of internal 
control and risk management. Responsibility for 
maintaining effective risk management and internal 
controls over financial reporting is delegated 
to the CEO. The GLT and senior management 
issue corporate guidelines in accordance with 
Stora Enso’s policy management process. These 
guidelines stipulate responsibilities and authority 
and constitute the control environment for specific 
areas, such as finance, accounting, investments, 
purchasing and sales. These responsibilities 
have been described in Stora Enso’s Risk and 
Internal Control Policy which also outlines the 
responsibilities of the first and second line of 
defense. Group Internal Control function, under 
the CFO’s supervision, is responsible for group-
wide internal control governance and processes, 
whereas divisions, various support and service 
functions are accountable for operating effective 
internal controls.

Risk assessment 
Stora Enso’s management specifies objectives 
relating to the preparation of financial statements. 
The Company applies an annual process to 
establish the overall materiality and to identify 
significant financial statements accounts and 
disclosures. Relevant objectives and risks 
for processes are identified and evaluated to 
determine Stora Enso’s minimum internal control 
requirements for all business units and support 
functions. The assessment of risks includes risks 
related to fraud and irregularities as well as the 
risk of loss or the misappropriation of assets. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Information on the development of essential risk 
areas and executed and planned activities in 
these areas are regularly communicated to the 
Financial and Audit Committee. A comprehensive 
description of Stora Enso’s risk management can 
be found at storaenso.com/investors.

Control activities 
Stora Enso’s control activities are the policies, 
guidelines, procedures and organisational 
structures in place to ensure that management 
directives are carried out and that necessary 
action is taken to address risks related to the 
achievement of objectives relating to financial 
reporting. Stora Enso’s minimum internal control 
requirements are aimed at preventing, detecting 
and correcting material accounting and disclosure 
errors and irregularities and are performed on all 
company levels. They include a range of activities 
such as approvals, authorisations, verifications, 
reconciliations, reviews of operating performance, 

the security of assets and the segregation of 
duties as well as general IT controls.

for anonymous reporting of violations related to 
accounting, internal controls and auditing matters.

Information and communication 
The Company’s information and communication 
channels support the completeness and 
correctness of financial reporting. For example, 
the management communicates information 
about Stora Enso’s financial reporting objectives, 
financial control requirements, policies and 
procedures regarding accounting and financial 
reporting to all employees concerned. The 
management also communicates regular 
updates and briefings regarding changes in 
accounting policies and reporting and disclosure 
requirements. Subsidiaries and operational units 
make regular financial and management reports 
to the management, including the analysis of and 
comments on financial performance and risks. 
The Board receives monthly financial reports. The 
Company has internal and external procedures 

Monitoring 
The Company’s financial performance is reviewed 
at each Board meeting. The Financial and Audit 
Committee reviews all Interim Reports and the 
Board approves them before they are released 
by the CEO. The annual financial statements 
and the Report of the Board of Directors are 
reviewed by the Financial and Audit Committee 
and approved by the Board. The effectiveness 
of the process for assessing risks and the 
execution of control activities are monitored 
continuously at various levels. Information on 
the development of essential risk areas and 
executed and planned activities in these areas 
are regularly communicated to the Financial and 
Audit Committee. Monitoring involves both formal 
and informal procedures applied by management 
and processes owners, including reviews of 

results which are compared against the set 
budgets and plans, analytical procedures and key 
performance indicators. Stora Enso is utilizing 
an internal control tool to facilitate and automate 
internal control processes, control performance, 
continuous controls monitoring and quarterly 
internal control reporting to management. In 
2020 Stora Enso has increased control validation 
testing scope and continued harmonising control 
performance over financial reporting.

In addition to the Group Internal Control 

function, Stora Enso Internal Audit has an 
independent oversight role on internal control 
governance. Internal Audit regularly evaluates 
the implementation level of policies and 
guidelines as well as the effectiveness and 
efficiency of Stora Enso’s governance, risk 
management and system of internal control 
over financial reporting according to the Internal 
Audit charter, approved by The Financial and 
Audit Committee.

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Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board  
of Directors

Members of the Group  
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Members of the Board of Directors

Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Jorma Eloranta
Born 1951. M.Sc. (Tech.),  
D.Sc. (Tech.) h.c.

Position
Chair of Stora Enso’s Board of 
Directors since April 2017, Vice Chair 
April 2016–April 2017. Member of 
Shareholders’ Nomination Board since 
April 2016. Chair of the Remuneration 
Committee since April 2017 and 
member since April 2016. Member of 
the Financial and Audit Committee 
since April 2017.

Board memberships
Chair of the Board of Finnish Fair 
Foundation. Vice Chair of the Supervisory 
Board in Finnish Naval Foundation. Chair 
of the Board and CEO of Pienelo Ltd.

Principal work experience  
and other information
President and CEO of Metso 
2004–2011, President and CEO of 
Kvaerner Masa-Yards 2001–2003 and 
President and CEO of Patria Industries 
Group 1997–2000. Executive Vice 
President of Finvest Group and Jaakko 
Pöyry Group 1996 and President of 
Finvest 1985–1995.

222 400

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes

14/14
8/8 
6/6 

1 150 A shares, 
34 285 R shares

Hans Stråberg
Born 1957. M.Sc. (Eng.).

Position
Vice Chair of Stora Enso’s Board 
of Directors since April 2017 and 
member since April 2009. Member 
of Shareholders’ Nomination Board 
since April 2017. Member of the 
Remuneration Committee since 
March 2010.

Board memberships
Chair of the Board of Atlas Copco 
AB, Roxtec AB, CTEK Holding AB 
and AB SKF. Member of the Board 
of Investor AB, Mellby Gård AB, 
and Anocca AB. 

Principal work experience  
and other information
President and CEO of AB Electrolux 
2002–2010. Several management 
positions at Electrolux in Sweden 
and the USA 1983–2002.

Håkan Buskhe
Born 1963. M.Sc. (Eng.),  
Licentiate of Engineering.

Position
Member of Stora Enso’s Board of 
Directors since June 2020. Member 
of the Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee since June 2020.

Board memberships
Chair of the Board of Directors of IPCO 
AB. Member of the Board of AB SKF, 
Munters Group and Kopparfors Skogar.

Principal work experience  
and other information
CEO of FAM AB. CEO and President 
of SAAB AB 2010–2019 and E.ON 
Nordic 2008–2010. Executive positions 
in E.ON Sweden 2006–2008, CEO of 
the logistics company Schenker North 
2001–2006, as well as several positions 
in Storel AB 1998–2001, Carlsberg 
A/S 1994–1998 and Scansped AB 
1988–1994.

Elisabeth Fleuriot
Born 1956. M.Sc. (Econ.).

Position
Member of Stora Enso’s Board of 
Directors since April 2013. Member 
of the Financial and Audit Committee 
since March 2019.

Board memberships
Board member and Chair of CSR 
Committee at G4S. Chair of the Board 
of Ynsect and Foundation Caritas.

Principal work experience  
and other information
Senior advisor at Astanor Venture 
Capital. President and CEO of Thai 
Union Europe Africa 2013–2017. 
Senior Vice President, Emerging 
Markets and Regional Vice President, 
France, Benelux, Russia and Turkey, 
in Kellogg Company 2001–2013. 
General Manager, Europe, in Yoplait, 
Sodiaal Group 1998–2001. Several 
management positions in Danone 
Group 1979–1997. 

118 400

14/14

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes

6/6 

45 389 R shares

6/63

82 400

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes/no5

2/24 
2 781 R shares

90 800

12/14
7/8 

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes

26 512 R shares

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FAC = Financial and Audit Committee 
RemCo = Remuneration Committee 
SECo = Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee

 Chair 

 Member

1 Detailed description of remuneration 
for Board and Committee memberships 
as decided by the AGM in 2020 in 
Remuneration Report on page 4.
2 Shares held by Board members and 
related parties. Board members’ related 
parties held no Stora Enso shares.
3 Meetings attended out of the meetings 
held after election as Board member.
4 Meetings attended out of the meetings 
held after election as SECo member.
5 Håkan Buskhe is independent of 
the company but not of its significant 
shareholders due to his position as the 
CEO of FAM AB.
6 Meetings attended out of the meetings 
held after election as FAC member.

The independence is evaluated in 
accordance with Recommendation 10 of 
the Finnish Corporate Governance Code. 
The full recommendation can be found 
at cgfinland.fi. A significant shareholder 
according to the recommendation is 
a shareholder that holds at least 10% of 
all company shares or the votes carried 
by all the shares or a shareholder that 
has the right or the obligation to purchase 
the corresponding number of already 
issued shares.

Hock Goh
Born 1955. B. Eng. (Hons) in 
Mechanical Engineering.

Position
Member of Stora Enso’s Board of 
Directors since April 2012. Member 
of the Financial and Audit Committee 
since June 2020.

Board memberships
Member of the Board of AB SKF, 
Santos Australia and Vesuvius Plc.

Principal work experience  
and other information
Operating Partner of Baird Capital 
Partners Asia 2005–2012. President of 
Network and Infrastructure Solutions, 
Schlumberger Ltd 2002–2005 and 
President Asia, Schlumberger Ltd 
1998–2002. 

90 800

14/14
4/46 

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes

31 265 R shares

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Mikko Helander
Born 1960. M.Sc. (Tech.).

Christiane Kuehne
Born 1955. LL.M., B.B.A.

Antti Mäkinen
Born 1961. LL.M. 

Richard Nilsson
Born 1970. B.Sc. (BA and Econ.).

Position
Member of Stora Enso’s Board of 
Directors since March 2019. Member 
of the Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee since June 2020. 

Position
Member of Stora Enso’s Board of 
Directors since April 2017. Chair 
of the Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee since March 2019. 

Position
Member of Stora Enso’s Board of 
Directors since March 2018. Member 
of the Remuneration Committee since 
March 2019.

Board memberships
Vice Chair of the Board of the 
Confederation of Finnish Industries 
EK. Vice Chair of the Board of Finnish 
Commerce Federation as of 1 January 
2021. Chair of the Board of Rajamme 
Vartijain Säätiö foundation. Member of 
the Finnish Chambers of Commerce 
and Climate Leadership Coalition. 
Member of the Delegation of Finnish 
Business and Policy Forum EVA. 
Member of the supervisory Board of 
Finnish Fair Foundation.

Principal work experience  
and other information
President and CEO of Kesko Oyj 
since 2015. CEO of Metsä Board Oyj 
2006–2014 and Metsä Tissue Oyj 
2003–2006. Several management 
positions in Valmet Oyj 1984–1990 
and 1993–2003. Managing Director of 
Kasten Hövik Oy 1990–1993.

82 400

14/14

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes

2/23 
7 079 R shares

Board memberships
Member of the Board of James Finlays 
Ltd, Wetter Foundation and Foundation 
Pierre du Bois. 

Principal work experience  
and other information
Operative roles within the Nestlé Group 
1977–2015. Her last operative role 
at Nestlé was as Head of Strategic 
Business Unit Food with strategic 
responsibility for the food business of 
Nestlé at global level.

86 600

14/14

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes

4/4 
11 073 R shares

Board memberships
Member of the Board of Rake Oy, 
Metso Outotec Oyj and Sampo Oyj. 
Chair or a member of the shareholders’ 
nomination boards of several 
listed companies.

Principal work experience  
and other information
CEO of Solidium Oy since 2017. 
Several leading management positions 
within Nordea Corporate & Investment 
Banking, most notably as Head of 
Corporate Finance in Finland, Head 
of Strategic Coverage unit and as 
Co-Head for Corporate & Investment 
Banking, Finland 2010–2017. CEO of 
eQ Corporation and its main subsidiary 
eQ Bank Ltd. 2005–2009.

14/14

82 400

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes/no4

6/6 

7 498 R shares

Position
Member of Stora Enso´s Board of 
Directors since April 2014. Chair of 
the Financial and Audit Committee 
since April 2016 and member since 
April 2015.

Board memberships
Member of the Board of Directors 
of IPCO AB and group companies, 
and Cinder Invest AB.

Principal work experience  
and other information
Investment Manager at FAM AB since 
2008. Pulp & paper research analyst 
at SEB Enskilda 2000–2008, Alfred 
Berg 1995–2000 and Handelsbanken 
1994–1995.

97 200

14/14
8/8 

Total remuneration 
2020, EUR1
Meeting attendance
FAC attendance
RemCo attendance
SECo attendance
Shareholding 
in Stora Enso2
Independent member Yes/no5

23 615 R shares

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FAC = Financial and Audit Committee 
RemCo = Remuneration Committee 
SECo = Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee

 Chair 

 Member

1 Detailed description of remuneration 
for Board and Committee memberships 
as decided by the AGM in 2020 in 
Remuneration Report on page 4.
2 Shares held by Board members and 
related parties. Board members’ related 
parties held no Stora Enso shares.
3 Meetings attended out of the meetings 
held after election as SECo member.
4 Antti Mäkinen is independent of the 
company but not of its significant 
shareholders due to his position as the 
CEO of Solidium Oy.
5 Richard Nilsson is independent of 
the company but not of its significant 
shareholders due to his employment at 
FAM AB.

The independence is evaluated in 
accordance with Recommendation 10 of 
the Finnish Corporate Governance Code. 
The full recommendation can be found 
at cgfinland.fi. A significant shareholder 
according to the recommendation is 
a shareholder that holds at least 10% of 
all company shares or the votes carried 
by all the shares or a shareholder that 
has the right or the obligation to purchase 
the corresponding number of already 
issued shares.

Göran Sandberg was Member of 
Stora Enso’s Board of Directors since 
April 2017 until his resignation on 4 June 
2020. Sandberg has participated in all 
Board and relevant Committee meetings 
held during 2020 prior to his resignation. 
He was independent of the company 
but not of its significant shareholders 
due to his position as executive director 
of majority shareholders of FAM AB, 
a significant shareholder of the company. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Members of the Group Leadership Team

Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Annica Bresky
Born 1975. M.Sc. (Engineering), MBA.

Seppo Parvi
Born 1964. M.Sc. (Econ.).

Tobias Bäärnman
Born 1977. M.Sc. (Econ.).

David Ekberg
Born 1975. B.Sc. (Business Administration).

Position
President and Chief Executive Officer 
(CEO). Member of the GLT since 2017. 
Joined the company in 2017. President and 
CEO since 1 December 2019.

Position
Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Deputy CEO. 
Country Manager Finland and member of 
the GLT since 2014. Joined the company 
in 2014.

Position
Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. 
Member of the GLT since 1 November 
2020. Joined the company in 2017.

Position
Executive Vice President, Packaging 
Solutions. Member of the GLT since 1 April 
2020. Joined the company in 2017.

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Executive Vice President, Consumer 
Board Division 2017–2019. President and 
CEO of Iggesund Paperboard AB, part of 
the Swedish Holmen Group 2013–2017. 
Mill Director at BillerudKorsnäs AB 
2010–2013. Prior to that engineering and 
superintendent positions at Stora Enso’s 
Kvarnsveden Mill in 2001–2010. Member of 
the Board of AB Fagerhult.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
14 511 R shares

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
CFO and EVP, Food and Medical Business 
Area at Ahlstrom Corporation 2009–2014. 
CFO for Metsä Board (M-real) 2006–2009. 
Prior to that various line management 
positions at the packaging company 
Huhtamäki, including responsibilities 
such as paper manufacturing within Rigid 
Packaging Europe and General Manager 
for Turkey. Chair of the Board of the 
Finnish Forest Industries Federation as 
of 1 January 2021. Deputy Chair of the 
Board of Pohjolan Voima Oy. Member of 
the Board of Ilmarinen and East Office of 
Finnish Industries Oy.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
46 401 R shares

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
SVP Controlling, Strategy and IT for 
Consumer Board division 2017–2019. 
Prior to that Finance Director at Iggesund 
Paperboard and various positions at Statoil 
and Procter and Gamble.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
0

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Acting Head of Stora Enso Packaging 
Solutions until 31 March 2020. Senior 
Vice President and Head of Business 
Unit Nordic Packaging at Stora Enso 
2018–2019. Senior Vice President and 
Head of Finance and IT Packaging Solution 
at Stora Enso 2017–2018. Executive Vice 
President / CFO / COO at Climeon AB 
2015–2017. Several management positions 
at Ericsson Group 1997–2015.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
625 R shares

Johanna Hagelberg
Born 1972. M.Sc. (Industrial Eng. & 
Mgmt) and M.Sc. (Eng. and Mgmt of 
Manufacturing Systems).

Position
Executive Vice President, Sourcing and 
Logistics. Member of the GLT since 2014. 
Joined the company in 2013.

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
SVP Sourcing, Stora Enso Printing and 
Living 2013–2014. Chief Procurement 
Officer at Vattenfall AB 2010–2013. Prior 
to that leading Sourcing positions at 
NCC, RSA Scandinavia and within the 
Automotive Industry. Member of the Board 
of Bufab AB.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
24 795 R shares

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Kati ter Horst
Born 1968. MBA (International Business), 
M.Sc. (Econ.).

Position
Executive Vice President, Paper Division. 
Member of the GLT since 2014. Joined 
the company in 1996.

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Senior Vice President, Paper Sales, 
Stora Enso Printing and Living until 2014. 
Prior to that several managerial positions 
in the paper business. Chairman of the 
Board of EURO-GRAPH asbl. Member 
of the Board of Outokumpu Oyj, Finnish 
Forest Industries Federation and Climate 
Leadership Coalition.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
56 467 R shares

Hannu Kasurinen
Born 1963. M.Sc. (Econ.).

Katariina Kravi
Born 1967. LL.M., Trained on the Bench.

Ulrika Lilja
Born 1975. M.Sc. (BA and Econ.).

Per Lyrvall
Born 1959. LL.M.

Position
Executive Vice President, Packaging 
Materials Division. Member of the GLT 
since 2019. Joined the company in 1993.

Position
Executive Vice President, HR. Member of 
the GLT since 1 September 2020. Joined 
the company 1 September 2020.

Position
Executive Vice President, Communications 
and Marketing. Member of the GLT since 
2014. Joined the company in 2014.

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Several leadership positions in Stora Enso, 
including EVP and SVP, Liquid Packaging 
and Carton Board in Consumer Board 
Division, Group Treasurer, SVP of Strategy 
and EVP of Wood Products Division.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
35 486 R shares

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
EVP, HR and Chief People and Culture 
Officer at Tieto Oyj 2012–2020. Prior to 
that several HR management positions 
at Nokia.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
0

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Senior Vice President Communications, 
Stora Enso Printing and Living in 2014. 
Director of External Communications 
at SSAB 2010–2013. Prior to that 
several leading communications 
positions at OMX Stockholm Stock 
Exchange and Neonet. Member of 
the Board of Swedish Association of 
Communication Professionals.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
20 067 R shares

Position
Executive Vice President, Legal, General 
Counsel. Country Manager Sweden since 
2013. Member of the GLT since 2012. 
Joined the company in 1994. 

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Legal Counsel 1994–2008. Prior to joining 
Stora Enso legal positions at Swedish 
courts, law firms and Assi Domän. Member 
of the Board of Montes del Plata. Deputy 
Member of the Board of Skogsindustrierna.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
69 199 R shares directly, 1 257 R shares 
through related persons (spouse) 

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Markus Mannström
Born 1963. M.Sc. (Paper Tech.).

Teemu Salmi
Born 1973. B.Sc. (Computer Science).

Annette Stube
Born 1967. Master’s degree in psychology.

Jari Suominen
Born 1969. M.Sc. (BA).

Position
Executive Vice President, Biomaterials 
Division. Member of the GLT since 2015. 
Joined the company in 2001.

Position
CIO, Head of IT & Digitalisation. Member 
of the GLT since 1 November 2020. Joined 
the company in 2017.

Position
Executive Vice President, Sustainability. 
Member of the GLT since 1 September 2020. 
Joined the company 1 September 2020.

Position
Executive Vice President, Forest Division. 
Member of the GLT since 2014. Joined 
the company in 1995.

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of 
the company 2015–2017. Member 
of the Renewable Packaging division 
management team 2009–2014. Member 
of the Board of Teollisuuden Voima Oyj, 
Montes del Plata, Veracel and Tree to 
Textile. Deputy Member of the Board of 
Pohjolan Voima Oy.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
25 251 R shares

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Various executive positions at Ericsson, 
most recently as SVP and Head of business 
unit IT & Cloud in Middle East & Africa. 

Shareholding in Stora Enso
6 620 R shares

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Head of Sustainability in A.P. Moller–
Maersk 2008–2020. Prior to that Director 
of Sustainability programmes in Novo 
Nordisk. Member of the Board of Fortum.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
0

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
Executive Vice President, Wood Products 
Division until 2019. Senior Vice President, 
Head of Building and Living Business Area 
until 2014. Prior to that several managerial 
positions in paper and wood products 
businesses. Chair of Finnish Wood 
Products Industry Association. Member 
of the supervisory board of Varma Mutual 
Pension Insurance Company. Deputy 
Member of the Board of East Office of 
Finnish Industries Oy.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
49 002 R shares

Lars Völkel
Born 1975. M.Sc. (BA), leadership degree 
from Hult Ashridge Business School.

Position
Executive Vice President, Wood Products 
Division. Member of the GLT since 1 July 
2020. Joined the company 1 July 2020.

Board memberships, principal work 
experience and other information
CEO of Ambibox GmbH 2018–2020. CEO 
of Franke Kitchen Systems 2014–2017. 
EVP Luxury retail & CEO of Poggenpohl 
at Nobia 2011–2014. Has held various 
managerial positions at Electrolux incl. 
VP Western Europe.

Shareholding in Stora Enso
0

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Malin Bendz, EVP HR, was a member of GLT until 15 January 2020. Per Lyrvall, acting Head of HR 16 January–31 August 2020.
Seppo Toikka, acting Head of Wood Products until 30 June 2020. Was not a member of GLT.
Noel Morrin, EVP Sustainability, was a member of the GLT until 31 August 2020.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governance

Corporate Governance  
in Stora Enso 2020

  Shareholders’ meetings

  Board of Directors (Board)

  Board committees

  Management of the Company

Internal control and risk management 
related to financial reporting

Members of the Board 
of Directors

Members of the Group 
Leadership Team

  Appendix 1

Appendix 1 

Due to differences between the Swedish and Finnish legislation, governance code 
rules and corporate governance practices Stora Enso’s Corporate Governance deviates 
in the following aspects from the Swedish Corporate Governance Code: 

Rule 1.3 The company’s nomination committee is 
to propose a chair for the annual general meeting. 
The proposal is to be presented in the notice of 
the meeting. 
•  According to Finnish annual general meeting 
(AGM) practice, the Chair of the Board of 
Directors opens the meeting and proposes 
the chair for the AGM. The proposed chair is 
normally an attorney-at-law. 

Rule 9.9 Guidelines regarding remuneration to 
the board and executive management are also 
to cover salary and other remuneration to other 
members of the executive management. 
•  According to the Finnish Code, 

the remuneration guidelines (called policy 
according to the Finnish Code) is not to cover 
other executives than the CEO and Deputy 
CEO, and shall cover all Board remuneration.

Rule 10.5 The remuneration report is to contain 
a reference to where in the company’s annual 
report the information required by Chapter 5, 
Sections 40–44 of the Swedish Annual Accounts 
Act (1995:1554) is to be found. 
•  The Company reports in accordance with 
the Finnish accounting regulation and 
does therefore not include this note in it’s 
remuneration report.

Rule 2.1 The nomination committee is also to 
make proposals on the election and remuneration 
of the statutory auditor. 
•  According to the Finnish Code, the 

Financial and Audit Committee shall make 
a recommendation on the auditor election for 
the Board, which shall give its proposal on 
the matter to the AGM.

Rule 9.6 The shareholders’ meeting is to decide 
on all share and share-price related incentive 
schemes for the executive management. 
•  The company’s incentive schemes are 

established by the Board of Directors. If the 
programmes include the issuance of new 
shares or disposal of shares held by the 
Company then such issuance of share or 
an authorisation to the Board of Directors to 
decide on such issuance of shares will be 
subject to shareholder approval. 

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report 2020

Remuneration

Part of Stora Enso’s Annual Report 2020

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Remuneration

  Introduction

Letter from the Remuneration 
Committee Chair

Decision-making procedure

Remuneration development

Remuneration policy summary

Remuneration Report 2020

Introduction

This report has been prepared in 
accordance with the Finnish Corporate 
Governance Code of 2020, which is 
available at cgfinland.fi. Stora Enso also 
complies with the Swedish Corporate 
Governance Code (“Swedish Code”), 
with the exception of the deviations 
listed in Appendix 1 of the Corporate 
Governance Report. The deviations are 
due to differences between the Swedish 
and Finnish legislation, governance code 
rules, and practices. Where differences 
exist, Stora Enso follows the practice 
in its domicile. The Swedish Code 
is issued by the Swedish Corporate 
Governance Board and is available at 
corporategovernanceboard.se.

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Letter from the Remuneration 
Committee Chair

Dear Shareholders,

On behalf of the Board, I present our 2020 
Remuneration Report. This report includes 
the main principles of our remuneration 
for the members of the Board of Directors, 
President and CEO, and Deputy CEO, and our 
remuneration decision-making procedure; a 
description of our current policy and details 
of how our remuneration arrangements were 
implemented during year 2020. Information on 
remuneration for the Group Leadership Team is 
presented in Financials 2020.

The company’s remuneration policy was 
published by a stock exchange release on 30 
January, 2020, and was presented to the Annual 
General Meeting on 4 June 2020. In favour of the 
remuneration policy, 98.91 percent of the total 
votes were cast. Based on the voting results, it 
was recorded that the AGM decided to support 
the presented remuneration policy. I want to thank 
our shareholders for their strong support.

General remuneration principles 
Stora Enso aims to provide a level of remuneration 
that motivates, encourages, attracts and retains 
employees of the highest calibre. To maximise the 
effectiveness of remuneration within Stora Enso, 
careful consideration is taken to ensure that 
the remuneration elements drive the business 
strategy of the company and its long-term 
financial interests. The Remuneration Committee 
is fully aware of its responsibility in ensuring that 
remuneration supports and drives our strategic 
priorities. In addition, a fundamental element in 
the remuneration principles at Stora Enso is the 
concept of pay-for-performance, and an important 
aspect of our approach to remuneration is to look 
at the total remuneration provided to employees.

In 2020, our remuneration policy was ranked 

the best for Large Cap companies in Finland, 
which is a highly appreciated accolade for the 
work we have done in Stora Enso to prepare this 
policy. The members of the ranking committee 
included representatives from the pension 
insurance company Varma, the Directors’ Institute 
of Finland, and Nasdaq. Our remuneration policy 
was particularly praised for its connection to the 
Group’s strategy and sustainability work. The 
policy was also considered thorough and precise. 
The remuneration elements must drive the 
company’s business strategy and its long-term 
financial interests. Our clear and transparent 
policy is formulated to achieve that goal.

Remuneration outcomes during 2020
Similar to many other companies, we have 
experienced unprecedented uncertainties and 
a very difficult business environment surrounding 
the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19 during 
the past year.

In a few weeks after we announced our 2020 
incentive plans, the situation completely changed, 
and though the impact of the outbreak remained 
uncertain, it became clear that the calculations 
and forecasts that these plans were based on 
were quickly becoming obsolete.

One of the key focus areas for Stora Enso 
during this year, besides safeguarding the safety 
of our people, was to strengthen our financial 
resilience and to weather the challenging times 
we had ahead of us. In order to do that, securing 
and enhancing our cash flow was key. It was 
also important that our STI program reflected 
this change and aligned our focus with our 
company’s interests. After careful consideration 
we reassessed our STI targets and replaced all 
operational/individual targets in the 2020 STI plan 
with with a cash flow metric, except those targets 
that relate to safety.

During the year, all remuneration to members 

of the Board of Directors, President and CEO, 
and Deputy CEO in relation to 2020 was 

awarded in accordance with the approved 
Remuneration policy.

The outcome of the Short term incentive plan 

for 2020 was approved in early 2021 in relation 
to performance against the financial metrics 
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, 
Amortisation (EBITDA) and Operating Working 
Capital (OWC) that had been set at the beginning 
of the year, and measurable operational metrics 
(cash flow and safety). Stora Enso achieved 
performance beneath applicable financial targets 
for the year, which resulted in STI earnings below 
target for the CEO and Deputy CEO. Details of the 
STI outcomes are provided in the section on Short 
Term Incentive (STI) programme for the CEO and 
Deputy CEO.

The 2018 Performance share plan outcome 
was approved in early 2021 based on pre-agreed 
measures. Performance was measured over 
three years beginning on 1 January, 2018, and 
ending on 31 December, 2020. Further details of 
the vesting outcome for the share programmes 
is provided in the section on Long Term Incentive 
(LTI) programmes for the CEO and Deputy CEO.

Remuneration Policy review
Whilst our policy has just completed its first year 
of implementation, the Committee will continue 
to monitor its effectiveness and appropriateness 
for our business. By the publication date of this 
report, no changes have been proposed to the 
policy, and no clawback provisions have been 
used. We will ensure that the policy continues to 
support the Group’s strategy, which was updated 
at the end of year 2020. In addition, the alignment 
with external views on executive remuneration will 
be reviewed carefully.

On behalf on the Committee and the board, 
I thank you for your continued support. 

Jorma Eloranta
Chair of the Remuneration Committee

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration

  Introduction

Letter from the Remuneration 
Committee Chair

Decision-making procedure

Remuneration development

Remuneration policy summary

Remuneration Report 2020

Decision-making procedure 
The shareholders at the AGM decide annually 
on the remuneration of the Board members 
(including the remuneration of the members of 
Board committees). The proposals for the AGM 
concerning the remuneration for the Chair, Vice 
Chair and members of the Board as well as 
the remuneration for the Chair and members 
of the committees of the Board are prepared 
by the Company’s Shareholders’ Nomination 

Remuneration decision-making 
procedure

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board
Prepares proposal on Board and 
committee remuneration

Annual General Meeting
Decides on the Board and  
committee remuneration

Board of 
Directors

Decides on the CEO’s 
and GLT members’ 
remuneration

Approves Company’s 
compensation and 
other benefit plans

Remuneration 
Committee

Prepares 
remuneration 
related matters 
and proposals 
for the Board 
and reviews 
the Company’s 
compensation 
structure

President and CEO

Other Group Leadership
Team members

Board, which is composed of representatives 
of the main shareholders of the Company as 
well as Board member representatives and 
described in more detail in Governance 2020. 
The Board representatives of the Shareholders’ 
Nomination Board do not participate in the 
decision-making relating to Board or Board 
Committee remuneration. 

The Board appoints the CEO and 

approves his/her remuneration as well as the 
remuneration of other GLT members. The Board’s 
Remuneration Committee prepares remuneration 
related matters and proposals for the Board and is 
further responsible for ensuring that management 
remuneration principles are aligned with the 
Company’s objectives and shareholder interest.

Remuneration development
The graph below shows the development for 
selected financial measures since 2016 and up 
until 2020.

The graph ”Five-year comparison of paid 
remuneration” shows the CEO, Deputy CEO, 
Board, and average employee remuneration 
development since 2016 and up until 2020. 
Amounts have been indexed to 100 at the 
2016 year level in order to show the relative 
development in the years 2016–2020.

Five-year financial performance 
Index: 2016 = 100 

250

200

150

100

50

0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Total shareholder return1
Earnings per share2
Operational EBIT3

1 Based on Factset data. 
2 Earnings per share (EPS) year-to-date. 
3 Operational Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT).

During the period 2016–2020, the employee 

average remuneration has stayed relatively 
unchanged, while the board members remuneration 
increased by 8.3% (108.3), and Deputy CEO 
remuneration increased by 39.6% (139.6).

There was a high variance in CEO and 
Deputy CEO remuneration in the 2016–2020, 
since these are heavily dependent on variable 
pay parts (STI and LTI) that depend on financial 
company performance. Financial performance 
(EPS, Operating EBIT) increased in 2017–2018, 
which also resulted in higher variable pay 
outcomes, but since 2018, financial performance 
and also variable pay-outs have been lower. As 
a result, CEO and deputy CEO remuneration 
increased in 2017 and 2018 but then decreased 
in 2019–2020. It should be noted that though 

we can show a correlation between financial 
performance and variable pay, variable pay 
outcomes depend on performance towards 
set targets that may be higher or lower than 
actual outcomes.

To illustrate the impact of different components 

to CEO remuneration, we have broken down the 
remuneration into bars that illustrate the relative 
development of pay elements in 2016–2020. Due 
to variance in variable pay, CEO remuneration 
increased in 2017–2019 but fell back in 2019, and 
resulted in a −22.5% (77.5) lower remuneration in 
2020 compared to 2016.

At Stora Enso, company performance is linked 

to the remuneration for approximately 98% of 
our employees through various profit sharing and 
variable pay programmes. 

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Five-year comparison of paid remuneration 
Index: 2016 = 100

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

2016

Board member average1 100.0
100.0
President and CEO2 3
100.0
Deputy CEO3
100.0
Employee average4

2017

98.4
119.3
127.2
99.1

2018

101.3
132.7
151.1
99.7

2019

103.8
120.0
145.3
100.1

2020

108.3
77.5
139.6
102.6

President and CEO
Annual salary
Pension
Other benefits
Short Term Incentives
Long Term Incentives

1 Total Board member fees divided by number of Board members. The index will vary depending on the total board fees paid as well as 
the Board composition. 
2 Current President and CEO started on 1 December 2019. Due to that, only 1 month of STI was paid in 2020 as time in the CEO 
position, whereas full year of STI will be included in the 2021 figures. Amounts in the years 2019–2020 relate to payments made to the 
current President and CEO after that date, as well as amounts paid to the previous President and CEO that relate to the period before 
that date. 
3 Remuneration depends on a fixed part, such as base salary, pension and other benefits, but also to a large extent on variable pay 
parts that may result in higher or lower total remuneration year-to-year. 
4 The total wages and salaries paid to employees in Stora Enso divided by the average number of employees. The index will vary based 
on the total headcount and total wages and salaries paid.

leave blank

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

leave blank

Total shareholder return1

Earnings per share2

Operational EBIT3

100

100

100

133.87 104.93 140.73 173.78

133.90 216.95 189.83 133.90

113.57 152.94 113.46 73.53

1 Based on Factset data. 2020 as of 3 Dec 2020. Will be 

updated to the end of 2020 

2  Earnings Per Share (EPS) 2020 YTD Q1-Q3. Will be updated 

in January when the 2020 actual is available 

3 Operational Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT). Will be 

updated in January when the 2020 actual is available 

1

2

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration

  Introduction

Letter from the Remuneration 
Committee Chair

  Decision-making procedure

  Remuneration development

  Remuneration policy summary

  Remuneration Report 2020

Remuneration Policy Summary 
This Remuneration Policy summary describes 
Stora Enso’s main principles and the decision-
making process of remuneration for the 
members of the Board, President and the Chief 
Executive Officer (CEO) and Deputy CEO, and 
the remuneration elements for them. For the full 
Remuneration Policy, see storaenso.com.

Board remuneration
Remuneration of the Board is decided annually 
by the shareholders at the AGM or a possible 
extraordinary shareholder meeting. The 
remuneration of the members of the Board may 
depend on their respective roles as Chair, Vice Chair, 
and Members of the Board or its committees. Board 
remuneration can be paid in cash or in cash and 
shares as further decided by the AGM.

Remuneration for the President and Chief 
Executive Officer (CEO) and Deputy CEO
The total remuneration to the CEO and Deputy 
CEO consists of:
•  annual base salary (ABS)
•  variable pay components as short-term 

incentives (cash when applicable) and long-
term incentives (shares when applicable)
long-term benefits (pension, medical and 
health benefits)

• 

The purpose, operation, opportunity and link to 
performance of each remuneration element is 
described below:

Annual Base Salary – ABS (Fixed pay)
The purpose of the base salary is to attract 
and retain talent of the calibre to deliver our 
strategic priorities.There is no maximum 
salary limit. The CEO and Deputy CEO 
salary increases take into consideration 
average salary increases for appropriate 
parts of the wider workforce. Increases 
may be larger, or applied more often, at 
the discretion of the Board under certain 
circumstances such as, but not limited 
to, the general development of business, 
financial performance, operational 
performance or when required considering 
market practice.

Short Term Incentives – STI 
(Variable pay)
The purpose of the STI programme is to 
drive alignment against set objectives 
and to create engagement by setting 
clear measurable yearly targets that 
will have a direct impact on company 
performance. There is the opportunity 
of a maximum percentage of the annual 
fixed salary if targets are met. The STI 
maximum opportunity is reviewed yearly 
to ensure market competitiveness and link 
to strategy. The Board may decide on a 
maximum STI opportunity of 50%–100% of 
ABS for the CEO and Deputy CEO.

The STI programme is based partly on 
financial metrics and partly on measurable 
non-financial operational metrics that 
are set at the beginning of each year and 
measured for one year. 

Financial metrics are, for example, 
related to sales growth, profit, working 
capital and cash flow or other financial 
metrics as decided by the Board. 

Operational metrics are based on the 

Stora Enso balanced scorecard, with 
targets in the strategic areas of Innovation, 
Customer Insight, Structured Processes, 
Motivated Employees and Special Projects. 
These may also be adjusted to reflect 
any changes in the balanced scorecard. 
Operational metrics will account for no 
more than 40% of the STI opportunity. 
Target levels of operational metrics for the 
CEO and the Deputy CEO are decided by 
the Board. 

Given that the performance metrics are 
measurable, it is possible for the Board to 
objectively evaluate the outcome at the end 
of each performance period. No pay out 
of incentives is done until financial results 
have been audited and approved by the 
external auditor.

Long Term Incentives – LTI 
(Variable pay)
The purpose of the LTI is to incentivise 
and align management with shareholder 
interests and the long-term strategy of the 
company, including its sustainability. This is 
done through setting measurable financial 
long-term targets as well as through 
encouraging personal share ownership.

LTI consists of a Performance 
Share award in Stora Enso shares. LTI 
maximum opportunity is reviewed yearly 
to ensure market competitiveness and 
link to strategy. The Board may decide on 
a maximum LTI opportunity of 70% - 120% 
of ABS for the CEO, and Deputy CEO.

Each LTI plan has a share price cap set 
in EUR. The number of shares transferred 
to the participant is reduced proportionally, 
should the share price at vesting date 
exceed this share price cap. 

The shares will vest dependent on at 

least three-year financial performance 
criteria proposed by the Remuneration 
Committee and decided by the Board. 

The financial metrics are for example 
related to earnings per share, economic 
value added, share price development, 
cash flow or other financial metrics as 
decided by the Board. 

Given that the performance metrics are 
measurable, it is possible for the Board to 
objectively evaluate the outcome at the end 
of each performance period. No pay out 
of incentives is done until financial results 
have been audited and approved by the 
external auditor.

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Long Term Benefits – LTB
The purpose is to stay competitive and 
aligned to market practice, giving the CEO 
and Deputy CEO the confidence of a solid 
insurance coverage during their term of 
office, and the opportunity to retire at the 
normal retirement age.

In Finland, the contributions on top 
of the statutory pension shall be limited 
to 23.5% of pensionable salary, while in 
Sweden, total pension contributions shall 
be limited to 30% of pensionable salary. 
Pensionable salary is a fixed salary and 
paid STI. The retirement age is 65 years.
The CEO and Deputy CEO may have 
accident, disability and death insurances 
in line with collectively agreed pension 
plans, to the extent that those include 
this coverage in Sweden and Finland. In 
addition, the CEO and Deputy CEO may be 
covered by a company sponsored health 
insurance. The cost of the above-mentioned 
insurances may be up to 4% of fixed salary. 
For positions governed by rules other 
than Finnish or Swedish, pension benefits 
and other benefits may be duly adjusted 
for compliance with mandatory rules or 
established local practice, taking into 
account, to the extent possible, the overall 
purpose of these guidelines.

Other Benefits
The purpose is to stay competitive and 
aligned to market practice. Some benefits will 
also help to attract and retain talent. Benefits 
are based on cost and will be provided in line 
with local market practice. The cost of the car 
benefit may be up to 4% of the fixed salary.
The level of Relocation Benefits will 
depend on individual circumstances and 
market practice. These will be provided for 
a limited period of time.

For positions governed by rules other 
than Finnish or Swedish, benefits may be 
duly adjusted for compliance with mandatory 
rules or established local practice, taking into 
account, to the extent possible, the overall 
purpose of these guidelines.

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration  
Report 2020

Remuneration

  Introduction

Letter from the Remuneration 
Committee Chair

  Decision-making procedure

  Remuneration development

  Remuneration policy summary

  Remuneration Report 2020

This report is prepared in accordance with 
the Finnish Decree of the Ministry of Finance 
of the remuneration policy and remuneration 
report (608/2019), as well as other applicable 
regulations.

Remuneration presented in the report is either 
earned and paid during 2020, or earned and due 
to be paid in 2021. 

During 2020, there has been no recovery of 
paid or reduction of outstanding awards during 
2020 in respect of the President and CEO or 
Deputy CEO. There have been no deviations from 
the decision-making procedure as set out in the 
Stora Enso Remuneration Policy.

Board member remuneration in 2020 
In 2020, the Stora Enso Board members were 
compensated as set out in the following chart. 

Board remuneration

EUR
Chair
Vice Chair
Board Member

Year Ended 31 December

2020
197 000
112 000
76 000

2019
192 000
109 000
74 000

Pursuant to the decision by the Annual General 
Meeting 2020, the annual remuneration for 
the members of the Board has been paid in 
Company shares and cash so that 40% was 
paid in Stora Enso R shares purchased on the 
Board members’ behalf on the market at a price 
determined in public trading, and the rest in cash. 
The shares were purchased within two weeks 
of the AGM 2020. The Company has paid all 
costs and transfer tax related to the purchase of 
Company shares. The Company has no formal 
policy requirements for the Board members to 
retain shares received as remuneration. 

Board Remuneration and Committee Memberships

Year Ended 31 December
2020

2019

EUR thousand (before taxes)
Board members at 31 December 2020
Jorma Eloranta, Chair
Hans Stråberg, Vice Chair
Håkan Buskhe
Elisabeth Fleuriot
Hock Goh
Mikko Helander
Christiane Kuehne
Antti Mäkinen
Richard Nilsson
Former Board members
Göran Sandberg (until 4 June 2020)
Total remuneration as Directors123

Board 
remuneration

Financial and Audit 
Committee

Remuneration 
Committee

Sustainability and 
Ethics Committee

197
112
76
76
76
76
76
76
76

—
841

15

15
15

21

—
66

11
6

6

—
23

6

6
11

—
23

Total

222
118
82
91
91
82
87
82
97

—
953

Total

217
115

88
80
74
84
80
95

80
913

1 40% of the Board remuneration, excluding Committee remuneration in 2020 was paid in Stora Enso R shares purchased on the market and distributed as follows: to Chair – 7 209 R shares; Vice Chair – 
4 098 R shares; and members – 2 781 R shares each. The Company has no formal policy requirements for the Board members to retain shares received as remuneration.  
2 Stora Enso’s Shareholders’ Nomination Board was appointed by the AGM in 2016 to exist until otherwise decided. The Shareholders’ Nomination Board according to its Charter as approved by the AGM 
comprises of four members: the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, as well as two members appointed by the two largest shareholders (one each) as of 31 August each year. No separate 
remuneration is paid to members of the Nomination Board.  
3 The Company additionally pays the transfer tax for share purchases for each member, in line with the AGM decision, the amount of which is considered also taxable income for each member.

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In addition, the AGM decided that the following 
annual remuneration be paid to the members of 
the Board Committees:
• 

for the Chair of the Financial and Audit 
Committee EUR 21 200, and 
for the members of the Financial and Audit 
Committee EUR 14 800 each, 
for the Chair of the Remuneration Committee 
EUR 10 600, and 
for the members of the Remuneration 
Committee EUR 6 400 each, 
for the Chair of the Sustainability and Ethics 
Committee EUR 10 600, and 
for the members of the Sustainability and 
Ethics Committee EUR 6 400 each.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration

  Introduction

Letter from the Remuneration 
Committee Chair

  Decision-making procedure

  Remuneration development

  Remuneration policy summary

  Remuneration Report 2020

CEO and Deputy CEO remuneration 
The total earned (paid) remuneration for the current President and CEO in the period 1 January to 31 
December 2020 amounted to EUR 1 567 000 (1 584 000), including the annual base salary, customary 
fringe benefits (such as car and mobile phone) STI and LTI programmes, and pension. 

The total earned (paid) remuneration for the current Deputy CEO in the period 1 January to 31 December 
2020 amounted to EUR 828 000 (920 000), including annual salary, customary fringe benefits (such as car 
and mobile phone) STI and LTI programmes, and a supplementary pension. 

2020 Paid and earned CEO remuneration
Annual base salary
Short-term incentive

2020 Paid and earned Deputy CEO remuneration
Annual base salary
Short-term incentive

EUR 894 000 was earned and paid in fixed salary during 2020.
In 2019 the CEO was entitled to an STI programme with a maximum 
opportunity of 75% of annual fixed salary. Paid STI in 2020 related to 
the time as CEO in 2019 amounted to 18.4% of the annual prorated salary 
with a corresponding value of EUR 14 000.
In 2020, the CEO was entitled to an STI programme with a maximum 
opportunity of 75% of the annual fixed salary. Earned STI related to 2020, 
due to be paid in 2021, amounted to 18.9% of the annual salary, with 
a corresponding value of EUR 171 000. 
Paid LTI in 2020 related to the 2017 LTI programme amounted to 33 588 
shares corresponding to a value of EUR 363 000 before tax.1
The 2018 LTI programme (performance period 2018-2020) ended at 
year end and is due to be paid in 2021. Earned LTI related to the 2018 
LTI programme amounted to 12 066 shares corresponding to a value of 
EUR 189 000 before tax.2
Benefits include holiday pay, mobile phone, car, and insurance amounting 
to EUR 29 000.
The retirement age is 65. The President and CEO’s pension plan consists 
of a defined contribution pension plan with contributions of 30% of 
pensionable salary. Pension contributions amounted to EUR 284 000 
during the year.
There is a notice period of six months with a severance payment of twelve 
months salary on termination by the company but with no contractual 
payments on any change of control.
Total remuneration earned (paid) in 2020 amounted to EUR 1 567 000 
(1 584 000).
The proportion of fixed compensation earned was 77% (76%), while 
the proportion of variable compensation earned was 23% (24%).

Long-term incentive

Other benefits

Pension

Termination of assignment

Total earned remuneration (paid)3

Earned proportion of fixed to variable 
remuneration (paid)3

Long-term incentive

Other benefits

Pension

Termination of assignment

Total remuneration (paid)3

Proportion of fixed to variable 
remuneration (paid)3

EUR 405 000 was earned and paid in fixed salary during 2020.
In 2019, the Deputy CEO was entitled to an STI programme with 
a maximum opportunity of 50% of the annual fixed salary. Paid STI 
in 2020 related to 2019 amounted to 6.4% of the annual salary with 
a corresponding value of EUR 26 000.
In 2020, the Deputy CEO was entitled to an STI programme with a 
maximum opportunity of 50% of the annual fixed salary. Earned STI 
related to 2020, due to be paid in 2021, amounted to 12.6% of the annual 
salary, with a corresponding value of EUR 54 000. 
Paid LTI in 2020 related to the 2017 LTI programme amounted to 25 817 
shares corresponding to a value of EUR 275 000 before tax.1
The 2018 LTI programme (performance period 2018–2020) ended at 
year end and is due to be paid in 2021. Earned LTI related to the 2018 
LTI programme amounted to 9 936 shares corresponding to a value of 
EUR 155 000 before tax.2
Benefits include holiday pay, mobile phone, car, and insurance amounting 
to EUR 37 000.
The retirement age is 65. The Deputy CEO’s pension plan includes 
mandatory TyEl and a supplementary defined contribution pension 
plan with contributions of 23.5% of pensionable salary. Pension costs 
amounted to EUR 176 000 during the year.
There is a notice period of six months with a severance payment of twelve 
months salary on termination by the company but with no contractual 
payments on any change of control.
Total compensation earned (paid) in 2020 amounted to EUR 828 000 
(920 000).
The proportion of fixed compensation earned was 75% (67%), while 
the proportion of variable compensation earned was 25% (33%).

1 Vesting price EUR 10.67
2 Value is calculated using the 30 December, 2020 closing price of EUR 15.65. The final value of the vested shares will depend on the 
share price on vesting date 1 March, 2021.
3 Earned amounts include STI and LTI earned during 2020 and are due to be paid in 2021. The paid amount includes STI and LTI paid 
during 2020.

1 Vesting price EUR 10.67
2 Value is calculated using the 30 December, 2020 closing price of EUR 15.65. The final value of the vested shares will depend on the 
share price on vesting date 1 March, 2021.
3 Earned amounts include STI and LTI earned during 2020 and are due to be paid in 2021. The paid amount includes STI and LTI paid 
during 2020.

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Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Short Term Incentive (STI) programme for the CEO and Deputy CEO
The CEO and Deputy CEO are entitled to an STI programme decided by the Board each year. The 2020 STI 
programme was based 70% on financial targets and 30% on individual metrics/targets, and the outcome 
was detailed as below. 

Long Term Incentive (LTI) programmes for the CEO and Deputy CEO 
The CEO and Deputy CEO participate in 2018, 2019 and 2020 share based LTI programmes. 
The programmes have three-year targets and vest in one portion after three years. The 2018 programme is 
related to the performance period 2018–2020, the 2019 programme is related to the performance period 
2019-2021, and the 2020 programme is related to the performance period 2020–2022. The opportunity 
under the current outstanding LTI programmes are in Performance Shares. 

CEO

Description of Criteria
Group EBITDA1
Group OWC (%)2
Individual metrics/
targets3

Deputy CEO Group EBITDA1

Group OWC (%)2
Individual metrics/
targets3

Weighting

Performance  
(0–100%)4

70%

30%

70%

30%

25.3%

25.3%

STI outcome5

EUR 171 000 
(18.9% out of the 
Annual Base Salary)

EUR 54 000 
(12.6% of the Annual 
Base Salary)

1 Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortisation 
2 Operational Working Capital Ratio
3 Safety and Cash Flow as a replacement of other individual metrics/targets in 2020
4 Measured performance (out of 100%)
5 Total earned STI outcome due to be paid in 2021

Share-based compensation plan

LTI 2017

LTI 2018

LTI 2019

LTI 2020

STI

Vesting period

Vesting period

Vesting period

Vesting period

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

* Date of grant 1 March ** Date of vest 1 March

Yearly STI programme

LTI Long term incentive STI Short term incentive

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Remuneration

  Introduction

Letter from the Remuneration 
Committee Chair

Decision-making procedure

Remuneration development

Remuneration policy summary

Remuneration Report 2020

During the year the LTI 2017 programme was paid out, the performance period for the LTI 2018 programme ended, and the LTI 2020 programme was launched. The CEO was awarded 95% of the annual base salary in the 
2020 LTI programme, while the Deputy CEO was awarded shares corresponding to 70% of the annual base salary. The LTI 2018 programme resulted in a 49.84% performance outcome due to be paid in 2021. Further to LTI 
2018, the CEO and deputy CEO held outstanding awards in the LTI 2019 and LTI 2020 programmes at year end.

CEO

Plan type
Performance share plan

Deputy CEO

Restricted share plan
Performance share plan

Restricted share plan

Plan name
LTI 2017
LTI 2018
LTI 2019
LTI 2020
LTI 2017
LTI 2017
LTI 2018
LTI 2019
LTI 2020
LTI 2017

Performance period
1 January 2017 to 31 December 2019
1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020
1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021
1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022
-
1 January 2017 to 31 December 2019
1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020
1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021
1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022
-

Award date
1 March 2017
1 March 2018
1 March 2019
2 March 2020
1 March 2017
1 March 2017
1 March 2018
1 March 2019
2 March 2020
1 March 2017

Vesting date
2 March 2020
1 March 2021
1 March 2022
1 March 2023
2 March 2020
2 March 2020
1 March 2021
1 March 2022
1 March 2023
2 March 2020

1 Economic Value Added (EVA), Earnings per Share (EPS).
2 The total number of shares actually transferred will be lower because a portion of shares corresponding to the tax obligation will be withheld to cover income tax.
3 Gross shares paid at vest date 2020.
4 Gross shares earned and payable at vesting date 2021.

Performance 
criteria 1
EVA, EPS
EVA, EPS
EVA, EPS
EVA, EPS
-
EVA, EPS
EVA, EPS
EVA, EPS
EVA, EPS
-

Awarded shares
25 191
24 210
27 160
75 080
8 397
19 363
19 936
23 850
25 340
6 454

Performance 
outcome
100%
49.84%
-
-
-
100%
49.84%
-
-
-

Shares paid/
earned 2
25 1913
12 0664
-
-
8 3973
19 3633
9 9364
-
-
6 4543

Stora Enso recommends and expects Group Leadership Team members to hold Stora Enso shares at a value corresponding to at least one annual base salary. Stora Enso shares received as remuneration are therefore 
recommended not to be sold until this level has been reached. 

Annual Report 2020StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernance 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stora Enso Oyj
P.O. Box 309
FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland
Visiting address: Kanavaranta 1
Tel. +358 2046 131

Stora Enso AB
P.O. Box 70395
SE-107 24 Stockholm, Sweden
Visiting address: World Trade Center
Klarabergsviadukten 70, C4
Tel. +46 1046 46 000

storaenso.com
group.communications@storaenso.com

Concept and design: Miltton Oy
Photography: Kjell Andersson, Lasse Arvidsson, Petri Artturi Asikainen, Roberto Brusacá, 
Markus Bullik, Deniz Dayan, Eduardo Davit, Jonatan Fernström / Rymd Communication, Adam 
Gault, Magnus Glans, Juho Heikkinen, Benjamin Ilmoni, Petri Juntunen, Kaapo Kamu, Tarik Kizilkaya, 
Hans Koistinen, Tuukka Koski, Aleksi Koskinen, Teemu Kuusimurto, Veikko Kähkönen, Tommi Kähärä, 
Vesa Laitinen, Patrik Linden, Hanna Linnakko, Alexandra Lechner, Annamari Luukkainen, Dandan 
Lyu, Kati Lök, Samu Mastomäki, Eduardo Moody, Jouni Niemimaa, Mikko Nikkinen, Tiina Nykänen, 
Felix Odell, Niklas Palmklint, Sami Piskonen, Markus Pettersson, Aki Rask, Nathan Rodriguez, 
Linda Rydkvist, Mikko Ryhänen, Pasi Salminen, Niklas Sandström, Jorma Silkelä, Christian Stummer, 
Ernst Tobisch, Staffan Torssell, Timo Tuviala, Mats Vuorenjuuri / Unikuva, Fond&Fond, iStock, Scala, 
Tobisch & Guzzmann Photography, and Stora Enso’s image bank.

It should be noted that Stora Enso and its business are exposed to various risks and uncertainties 
and certain statements herein which are not historical facts, including, without limitation those 
regarding expectations for market growth and developments; expectations for growth and profitability; 
and statements preceded by “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “foresees”, or similar expressions, 
are forward-looking statements. Since these statements are based on current plans, estimates and 
projections, they involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to materially differ 
from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited 
to: (1) operating factors such as continued success of manufacturing activities and the achievement 
of efficiencies therein, continued success of product development, acceptance of new products 
or services by the Group’s targeted customers, success of the existing and future collaboration 
arrangements, changes in business strategy or development plans or targets, changes in the degree 
of protection created by the Group’s patents and other intellectual property rights, the availability of 
capital on acceptable terms; (2) industry conditions, such as strength of product demand, intensity 
of competition, prevailing and future global market prices for the Group’s products and the pricing 
pressures thereto, price fluctuations in raw materials, financial condition of the customers and the 
competitors of the Group, the potential introduction of competing products and technologies by 
competitors; and (3) general economic conditions, such as rates of economic growth in the Group’s 
principal geographic markets or fluctuations in exchange and interest rates. All statements are based 
on management’s best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and 
Stora Enso assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement except 
to the extent legally required.

StrategySustainabilityFinancialsRemunerationGovernanceAnnual Report 2020