H7. Fiber sourcing
Essity’s target is that all raw materials derived from wood-based fresh fiber in the company’s products and packaging are to be certified in accordance with FSC or PEFC. All wood-based fresh fiber must fulfill the FSC’s Controlled Wood standard, as a minimum, to be eligible for purchasing. Target fulfillment in 2021 was 98%.
Renewable raw materials, wood-based fresh fiber and recycled fiber, account for the largest share of the total volume of material in Essity’s products. In 2021, Essity purchased 3.2 million tons of wood-based fresh fiber and 1.8 million tons of recycled fiber. Wood-based fresh fiber mainly comprises pulp, 99%, and the remainder comprises packaging, externally sourced mother reels and products manufactured by third parties. Of the sourced share of recycled fiber, 95% is used in tissue manufacturing. The remainder consists of recycled fiber, which is found in sourced packaging material and sourced mother reels.
|
|
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fiber used, million tons |
5.0 |
5.1 |
5.3 |
5.1 |
5.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of which, pulp consumption |
3.2 |
3.2 |
3.1 |
3.0 |
3.1 |
|
share of total fiber use, % |
64 |
62 |
60 |
60 |
59 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of which, recovered paper consumption |
1.8 |
1.9 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
2.2 |
|
share of total fiber use, % |
36 |
38 |
40 |
40 |
41 |
|
|
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
2017 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
FSC |
63 |
59 |
57 |
48 |
39 |
||||
|
PEFC |
35 |
36 |
22 |
29 |
26 |
||||
|
FSC Controlled Wood standard2) |
2 |
5 |
21 |
23 |
35 |
||||
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
||||
|
Target fulfillment |
98 |
95 |
79 |
77 |
65 |
||||
|
|||||||||
Despite the continued adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Essity has continued to utilize recycled fiber. Operations in North and South America used 79% recycled fiber, while the proportion of recycled fiber in Europe was 33%.
In 2021, Essity acquired the Australian hygiene company Asaleo Care and increased its shareholding in the Latin American hygiene company Familia. Essity has analyzed fiber supply and presented a plan to include the companies in the Essity Fiber sourcing policy in 2022.
As in 2020, restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected on-site audits in 2021. New questions concerning traceability have been added to the questionnaire, which will continue to be used, together with specific meetings.
Read more about how Essity works with fiber and biodiversity in the chapter Reduced environmental impact – Biodiversity and eco-systems.