Sustainable development

Viability in northern Sweden

SCA makes an active contribution to viable local communities and to regional development in northern Sweden, where almost all of our business is located. We continuously invest in our industries and sawmills to keep them competitive and are up to the highest environmental standards. Over the past ten years, SCA has invested roughly SEK 4 billion per year in northern Sweden.

From a business perspective, our operations are highly important for northern Sweden, for example as we:

• provide many jobs, as almost all of our 3,400 employees live and work here. This includes both salaries paid to employees and significant tax income to the municipalities.  
• purchase large quantities of services from local contractors, of which many in rural areas. 
• purchase large volumes of wood from private individuals who own forests here. Our modern and competitive sawmills and industries increase the value of wood from forests in northern Sweden.
• generate preconditions through our operations so that trade and public services can continue to exist in smaller rural communities.
• have worked for many years with our concept for contractor support to ensure that harvesting contractors that work for us across the north of Sweden are viable. The aim is to develop contractors and increase their profitability through advisory services and support. We also provide SCA-run machine operator training to produce more operators and increase interest in the profession.

Of all SCA’s payments in 2023, more than half went to recipients in the four northernmost counties of Sweden.

Collaboration with others

It is important for us to develop together with the communities in which we are active. We therefore maintain continuous dialogue and collaboration with various stakeholders. Here are some examples of collaboration and partnership: 

• We hold meetings and dialogue with municipal representatives, local residents, reindeer herding Sami and people who live close to SCA’s facilities.
• We seek to collaborate with companies that can take full advantage of waste and secondary streams from our production and we also help such companies to develop.
• By actively supporting entrepreneurship, we are creating conditions for the growth of new companies and jobs.
• Together with IBM, RISE and BizMaker, we organize the BizMaker Forest Business Accelerator program. The purpose is to create new business opportunities and a greener world by uniting forestry, digitalization and entrepreneurship.  
• We are involved in various research and development programs together with universities, research institutes and commercial entities.
• As part of work to develop our sustainability agenda, we collaborate with non-profit organizations, including ornithological societies and local conservation organizations.
• We support Junior Achievement Sweden in northern Sweden to stimulate young entrepreneurship in schools.
• Together with Skogforsk, Scania and other companies in the industry we are taking part in a project for the electrification of the forest industry. The goal is that 50% of new trucks should be electric by 2030.*
• We hold meetings with reference groups to develop our conservation parks. This provides us with opinions and suggestions for active conservation measures, trials and other ways to develop the parks and to learn from each other.
• We support Save the Children for projects in vulnerable areas.
• Through partnerships with various local clubs and associations, we can contribute to vibrant local communities, where people thrive and have rewarding leisure activities. We support associations in sports, outdoor recreation and culture.

* The project is part of REEL, a national initiative where leading Swedish stakeholders have joined forces to accelerate the transition to electric, zero-emission heavy goods vehicles on our roads. The initiative is led by CLOSER and is part-financed by the Strategic vehicle research and innovation programme (FFI) through Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency