Metsä Group plans to establish its own PEFC group certification system in 2026, a move that will allow contract customers and members of the Metsäliitto Cooperative to certify their forests directly through the company.
The initiative aims to strengthen the availability of PEFC-certified wood and ensure higher compliance with sustainability requirements across the supply chain.
The company says the new system responds to growing demand for transparency in forest management, both among industrial buyers and downstream users. While most commercial forest areas in Finland are already certified, Metsä Group argues that the existing regional model has led to inconsistencies in how standards are applied. By managing its own certification group, the company intends to tighten oversight and maintain a reliable flow of certified fibre for industrial use.
PEFC certification remains the dominant framework in the Finnish forest sector, setting criteria that go beyond legal requirements in areas such as biodiversity, water protection and working conditions. Metsä Group says the new scheme will highlight these criteria more strongly in wood trade processes beginning next year.
The company will continue to offer access to FSC certification for customers that want to adhere to both systems. In addition, forest owners can apply Metsä Group’s own “Plus” management model, which introduces further measures to enhance biodiversity through initiatives such as leaving more retention trees and increasing habitat diversity.
Metsä Group pays a premium for certified wood and offers additional incentives for forest owners that apply the Plus model. The company says this approach supports long-term forest health and protects the availability of certified fibre for its customers in packaging, pulp, tissue and other forest-based industries.
As certification expectations grow across European markets, Metsä Group’s shift signals a broader trend toward more controlled, company-driven sustainability schemes—particularly in jurisdictions where certification rates are already high.
Metsä Group, one of Finland’s largest forest industry companies, supplies wood, pulp, tissue, and paperboard, sourcing mainly from privately owned forests via the Metsäliitto Cooperative (>90,000 members). It prioritizes sustainable management, renewable materials, and certified procurement.
Source: Metsä Group
