Today, we raise the flag in support of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The forest industry plays a vital role in achieving these goals. At the heart of our responsibility work are knowledge, skills, and motivation.

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The forest industry has deep roots in responsibility work, which has been part of our daily operations for decades. We are a major player and employer in Finland. Across the value chain of the forest industry – working in forests, on roads, in factories, and in offices – more than 82,000 people are employed. Every working day in Finland, approximately 400–500 new harvesting sites are opened, from which wood is transported to our facilities across the country and then to markets around the world. Given the length of our value chain, our responsibility to society, the environment, and the economy is significant.

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The events in Hukkajoki-river in North-Eastern Finland this past August remain in all of our memories. Although the incident does not reflect our industry’s values or aspirations, it has prompted us to identify areas for improvement in our operational chain. We must ensure that every employee in our industry has access to the necessary knowledge, skills, and motivation to address responsibility. This enables them to do a good job. We must also be certain that our industry's guidelines and processes are followed, and that the importance of biodiversity is understood at every stage of our value chain.

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Respect for nature and safeguarding its biodiversity, alongside other responsibility efforts, are essential to our industry’s survival. Thanks to long-term and goal-oriented work, our major companies have consistently performed excellently in various responsibility assessments year after year. Our principles of responsibility guide the forest industry both domestically and internationally. In our global procurement and supply chains, which may involve tens of thousands of actors, all are required to adhere to the responsibility and ethical principles of our companies. To ensure this, our companies have invested in the transparency of their procurement and supply chains.

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Thanks to long-term and goal-oriented work, our major companies have consistently performed excellently in various responsibility assessments year after year.

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Today, the themes of climate change, biodiversity, water, and social responsibility are more prominently featured in our companies' sustainability goals and commitments. These same themes are reflected in our industry’s collective initiatives, such as responsibility commitments, climate roadmaps, and the biodiversity roadmap for the wood processing industry. Thanks to this research, we know that we are on the right path toward fossil-free factories, and that the state of biodiversity in our forests is improving in many structural aspects.

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However, the responsibility work is never finished. As knowledge and skills grow, so too does the workload. For instance, we have launched a project focused on small water bodies, aimed at clarifying the identification of water-related impacts of the forest industry and unifying interpretations. Additionally, the Finnish Forest Industries Federation has recently joined the government's anti-racism campaign, and in October, we will publish the third interim report on our industry's responsibility commitments. Our member companies also continue their own ambitious programs in various areas of responsibility.

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Today, by raising the UN flag, we want to show our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and demonstrate that we are actively working towards a better tomorrow. We do this with both pride and humility, standing tall while striving for continuous improvement.