Nouryon (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) has signed a 10-year agreement with Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group. Under the long-term agreement, Nouryon will provide Metsä Fibre with sodium chlorate for its new bioproduct mill in Kemi, Finland.
Metsä Group is investing 1.6 billion euros to build the mill which, once operational, will produce 1.5 million tons of softwood and hardwood pulp each year. As a key element of the partnership, Nouryon will invest in its Oulu production facility in Finland by expanding its production capacity and upgrading the facility to manufacture sodium chlorate with renewable energy.
“We are very pleased to become a partner to Metsä Fibre as it embarks on this historically significant investment,” said Antonio Carlos Francisco, Vice President Renewable Fibers at Nouryon. “Nouryon is a leading global supplier of sodium chlorate, a highly versatile and essential solution. This partnership will require a high level of integration and collaboration, which is where Nouryon excels. Working with a customer that is a pioneer in the sustainable forest industry also reinforces our strong commitment to sustainability,” said Francisco.
As a leading supplier of sodium chlorate, Nouryon offers pioneering solutions to the global pulp and paper industry.
“At Metsä Fibre, we want to be sustainable in all our activities, every single day. To achieve this, we ensure that our products and supply chain comply with the highest sustainability standards, at every step, from forest to finished product. Developing an extended partnership with Nouryon provides us with a responsible and sustainable procurement source of sodium chlorate. Nouryon’s sustainable production processes and its overall commitment to sustainability complies with our sustainability and responsibility principles and requirements,” said Jaakko Anttila, Senior Vice President, Pulp Production, Metsä Fibre.
“This agreement is a great example of a win-win collaboration that benefits society and the environment,” said Johan Landfors, Executive Vice President and President, Technology Solutions and Europe at Nouryon. “Our world-class application know-how, optimized supply chain and global logistics solutions provide our customers with a significant operational advantage. Our strategy is to continue expanding in the renewable fibers market, which is an important part of the packaging and tissue markets, by delivering essential specialty chemicals solutions that our customers, such as Metsä Fibre, clearly need.”