Solid business performance in a volatile demand environment
Stora Enso’s President and CEO Hans Sohlström comments on the second quarter 2025 results:
During the second quarter of 2025, we continued to make good progress in building a stronger and more competitive Stora Enso. While market conditions remained challenging, we focused on the areas within our control – enhancing sourcing, operational efficiency, commercial excellence, working capital, and fixed costs.
We reached a major milestone with the agreement to divest approximately 175,000 hectares of forest land, equivalent to 12.4% of our total forest land holdings in Sweden, for an enterprise value of approximately EUR 900 million, in line with our Swedish forest book value. This transaction reduces our debt and enhances our financial flexibility. Stora Enso will retain a 15% ownership. In connection with the transaction, Stora Enso and the divested entity will enter into a 15-year wood supply agreement with a possible additional 15-year extension.
Following this, we initiated a strategic review of our remaining 1.2 million hectares of Swedish forest assets, reinforcing our commitment to active portfolio management and shareholder value creation. As part of this review, we will explore various options, including a potential separation and listing of the forest business into a new company that would be wholly owned by all Stora Enso shareholders. The aim of the review is to assess options to further strengthen Stora Enso’s leading renewable packaging business, as well as to unlock the value and business potential of the unique Swedish forest business.
Our new consumer board line in Oulu continued the ramp-up during the quarter. Customer feedback on product quality has been very encouraging. While the ramp-up will continue to weigh on earnings in the short term, we remain confident the Oulu board line will be very cost-competitive and deliver some of the best quality products in the industry. This investment is central to our strategy of growing in renewable packaging. We also closed the acquisition of Junnikkala sawmills, which will further enhance the Oulu mill's cost competitiveness.
Financially, all operational segments delivered positive adjusted EBIT for the second consecutive quarter, despite continued weakness in board and pulp markets, with total adjusted EBIT at EUR 126 million. The Oulu ramp-up had an approximately EUR 50 million negative impact on the second quarter adjusted EBIT. Sales at EUR 2.4 billion grew 5% year-on-year supported by high demand for wood products and packaging solutions. Our continuous, dedicated efforts to improve cash flow resulted in an operating working capital to sales of 6.9%, a decrease of 1.8 percentage points year-on-year. Cash flow was negative in the second quarter, as expected, driven by the final investments at the Oulu site.
Looking ahead, we expect subdued and volatile market demand to persist through the remainder of 2025, driven by macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. Market pulp prices are expected to continue to decrease or to flatten throughout the summer and into autumn, while some board prices are facing pressure due to low demand. We are also entering a period of higher maintenance activity, which will increase maintenance costs in the second half of the year. The Oulu ramp-up will continue to impact EBIT negatively, albeit less than in the second quarter.
As previously announced, we have implemented a new, leaner and flatter organisational structure as of 1 July 2025. This new structure will increase customer focus, drive operational efficiency with increased integration, reduce complexity and enhance the Group’s performance culture. The renewable packaging business will consist of four P&L responsible business areas: Foodservice and Liquid Board, Cartonboard, Containerboard, and Packaging Solutions. The remaining businesses continue to be divided into three P&L responsible business areas: Biomaterials, Wood Products, and Forest. Within these seven business areas, P&L responsibility is further decentralised down to 22 new P&L responsible business units close to customers and operations.
I am proud of the resilience and dedication shown by our teams across the company. We are navigating through a volatile world with determination and discipline, and we remain firmly on track to deliver long-term sustainable value. Thank you for your continued support.
