How we contribute to the climate
In 2024, Holmen contributed a climate benefit of 8.3 million tonnes of CO2e, which can be compared to Sweden's total emissions, which amounted to 45 million tonnes in 2023.
8.3 million tonnes of climate benefit
The forest delivers the most benefit when it is put to use. This is the core of Holmen's business and our goal is to increase our contribution to the climate transition throughout our value chain. Above all, by increasing the positive impact of our operations, but also by reducing our negative footprint.
+ 2,57
Total increase in net carbon dioxide sequestration in Holmen's forests and products.
+ 6,52
Emissions of 6.52 million tonnes of CO2 were avoided when our products replaced fossil alternatives.
- 0,77
Holmen's emissions in Scope 1-3. Over 80% is generated during transport and purchases.
How we deliver climate benefits
Growing forests bind carbon dioxide
Young trees have the greatest ability to bind carbon dioxide. As trees grow old, growth slows down and when they finally die and decompose, the carbon dioxide stored returns to the atmosphere. Through active forestry, where the trees are harvested when growth slows down and the land is then reforested, we increase the forest's growth and absorption capacity over time. In 2024 , the increase in standing stock in Holmen's forests is estimated to have absorbed 2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, net after harvest.
Products with a low carbon footprint
After harvest, wood raw materials continue to bind carbon dioxide. Long-lived wood products store carbon dioxide for a long time, while short-lived board and paper products store less time. In 2023, wood products contributed 0.5 million tonnes and paperboard and paper products contributed 0.1 million tonnes of carbon sequestration.
Replacement of fossil products
After harvest, the raw material from the forest continues to bind carbon dioxide even in processed form. In long-lived products such as wood products, the carbon dioxide is stored for a long time when it becomes a house and home, while the storage in short-lived products made of cardboard and paper takes place for a shorter time. In 2024, sales of our products contributed to an increase in global carbon dioxide storage by 0.4 million tonnes.
Renewable energy production
The energy market in Europe is undergoing major transition and the need for more fossil-free electricity is enormous when industry is transitioning and the vehicle fleet is electrified. With its own production of renewable energy in the form of hydropower, wind power and biomass, Holmen takes responsibility for our own electricity consumption while contributing to Europe's green transition.
We have reduced our emissions by over 90 percent
As early as the early 2000s, we began planning for the transition from fossil energy use in our industries, and in 2005 we set the goal of reducing the use of fossil fuels in our production by 90 percent by 2020. By using fossil-free electricity and renewable energy from biofuels, as well as through energy efficiency improvements and investments in fossil-free technology , we have succeeded in reducing fossil emissions by 91 percent since 2005. This means that Holmen's emissions are already at the low levels that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has defined that our industry should be at 2045 in order to reach the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree target.
Why does Holmen report climate benefit?
Reporting our climate benefit is a way to show how Holmen’s operations are playing their part in reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and how we are helping our customers to reduce the climate footprint of their business.
At Holmen, we have been calculating and reporting climate benefit in our annual accounts since 2010. Up until now, our climate reporting has covered the increased uptake of carbon dioxide by the forests, the sequestration of carbon in wood products and the substitution effect that arises when wood products replace materials with a greater climate footprint such as steel and concrete. In 2020, we took the next step in reporting on the entire chain.