Stora Enso Oulu mill celebrates inauguration of Europe’s most modern consumer board production line - project supported by Valmet’s technology
In August 2025, Stora Enso celebrated the inauguration of the largest and most modern consumer packaging board production line in Europe. The new line was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo, Chair of Stora Enso’s Board of Directors Kari Jordan, President and CEO of Stora Enso Hans Sohlström, and Oulu mill’s Chief Shop Steward Olli-Pekka Kaikkonen. Stora Enso's Oulu unit serves the growing demand for renewable packaging globally and contributes to the transition to a circular bioeconomy.
"The Oulu production site is a strategically significant investment as it strengthens our leading position in high added value renewable packaging materials and increases Finland's export revenue significantly. Consumer packaging made from wood fibers has great potential to replace plastic packaging and our materials are designed for existing recycling streams. The nearly carbon-neutral production site in Oulu is a prime example of an investment in bioeconomy, and it concretely contributes to the transition from fossil materials to renewable and recyclable packaging,” says Hans Sohlström, Stora Enso's President and CEO.
Hans Sohlström, Stora Enso's President and CEO (on left), Sami Riekkola, Executive Vice President for Valmet's Pulp, Energy and Circularity business area.
Stora Enso’s significant investments to the Oulu mill between 2019 and 2025, totalling EUR 1.7 billion, have made it possible to convert former paper machines into board lines utilising the latest technology, while the environmental impact has been reduced by cutting fossil carbon dioxide emissions by 90%. The mill produces folding boxboard, kraftliners, paper bag material, and unbleached softwood pulp. Board materials are suitable for direct contact with food.
Valmet delivered bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulp (BCTMP), evaporation and non-condensable gas (NCG) technology for this phase of the project. Earlier Valmet delivered a recovery boiler rebuild and electrostatic precipitators and an extensive paper machine grade conversion rebuild.
“The conversion of the Oulu mill from paper to board production is a showcase in how our customer rebuild and refurbish their equipment to meet the needs of evolving industry needs inline with circularity targets. With Valmet’s process technology, we enable Stora Enso to produce carton board with excellent environmental performance and optimized fiber properties. Our leading BCTMP technology is built on Valmet’s strong ‘Fiber to Board’ knowledge,” says Sami Riekkola, Executive Vice President, Pulp, Energy and Circularity, Valmet.
