Climate
Climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time, and Versowood has also identified it as one of its most significant sustainability themes.
We aim to reduce the climate impact of our operations, particularly by improving energy efficiency and promoting the transition from fossil fuels and raw materials to renewables.
The majority of Versowood’s thermal energy is produced with renewable, wood-based fuels generated from the side streams of our own production plants.
Versowood has calculated its greenhouse gas emissions for the entire value chain (Scope 1–3) since 2022 and has set a reduction target of 21% of the Scope 1 and 2 emissions of its own operations by 2030.
Our wood-based products store carbon throughout their life cycle and can replace fossil-based materials, providing lasting climate benefits.
Origin of wood and biodiversity
For us, the well-being of forests and the preservation of biodiversity form the basis of responsible business. Our production relies on a renewable raw material, Finnish wood, which we source according to sustainable forestry principles and current legislation. Our goal is to ensure that forests remain viable for future generations.
We know the origin of the wood we use: we mainly source it from southern and central Finland, and the majority comes from PEFC or FSC-certified forests. Our certified wood chain of custody system ensures the traceability of wood throughout the supply chain. This allows us to demonstrate that the wood is sourced responsibly and in compliance with legal requirements.
We promote biodiversity by complying with forest certification requirements and forest environment programmes of our industry in addition to legislation. Self-monitoring of wood procurement and regular inspections help us ensure that forestry actions and felling are carried out with respect for the environment.
Versowood complies with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which aims to prevent global deforestation and the degradation of forests. The Deforestration Regulation requires that products placed on the EU market are deforestation-free and do not degrade forests. The Deforestation Regulation shall apply from 30 December 2026.
Environmental impact management
In accordance with Versowood’s environmental policy, our goal is to prevent the negative impacts of our operations and to improve the level of environmental protection in accordance with the principles of continuous improvement. We comply with the relevant legislation and official regulations
in addition to Versowood’s environmental policy and our certified environmental management system.
All Versowood’s units subject to environmental permits have valid permits, the terms of which govern the operations, and the implementation of which is regularly monitored by local environmental authorities. We carry out environmental monitoring in accordance with the regulations of the environmental permit, at minimum.
During the 2024–2025 fiscal year, our ISO 14001 environmental management system certificate covered seven of Versowood’s locations. Our goal is to have our entire operations covered by the ISO 14001 environmental management system by 2030.
Smart use of resources
In accordance with Versowood’s environmental policy, we are committed to using raw materials, energy and water as efficiently as possible. Our most important raw material is Finnish wood, which is a renewable natural resource in itself and complies with the principles of the circular economy, and we use it down to the last speck of sawdust.
Our modern sawmill technology allows us to get as much sawn timber from the raw wood as possible. In addition to sawn timber and downstream products, we produce pellets and forest energy for the energy industry from the side streams of our own sawmills, and screened pine and spruce wood shavings for use as Hirnu sawdust littering in animal shelters. The portion of the side streams that we cannot use as material is utilised for energy production at our own heating plants.
Our goal is to keep the conversion ratio, i.e. how much raw wood is used to produce one cubic metre of product, above the industry average. In the sawmill industry, approximately 2.2 m³of sawlogs are needed per one cubic metre of sawn timber. This figure was 1.95 m³ for Versowood in the fiscal year 2024–2025.
We are committed to reducing the amount of waste and increasing its recycling and recovery. We aim to increase the recycling rate of waste to 75% by 2030.