Economic significance

• World’s 5th largest exporter of pulp, paper and sawn timber
• Export value, 2020: SEK 145 billion
• 85% of the products are exported
• A little over SEK 13,4 billion was invested in 2019

Production volumes, 2020

• 12 million tonnes of pulp (of which 4.8 million tonnes market pulp)
• 9,3 million tonnes of paper
• 18.5 million cubic metres of sawn timber

Employment

• 115,000 employees in forest sector

Forests

• 70% of Sweden is forest land.
• 80% of the forest land is in active use.
• 1% of the forest resource is felled annually.
• Every year, at least 380 million trees are planted in Sweden
• Over the past 100 years, Sweden’s forest resource has doubled.

Energy

• 96% of the heating energy used by the forest industry is bioenergy.
• Electricity consumption: 20 TWh per year – just over 15% of Sweden’s total electricity consumption.

Sustainability

• Of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the forest industry accounts for around 1%.
• Since the start of the 1980s, pulp and paper mills have reduced the organic materials they release into the water system by 90%. At the same time, pulp production has risen by 30%.
• Since the start of the 1980s, pulp and paper mills have reduced the sulphur compounds they release into the air by 98%. At the same time, pulp production has risen by 30%.

Transport

• Sweden’s largest purchaser of transport services – SEK 25 billion annually

Research

• Every year, Sweden invests SEK 2 billion in forest research at universities, colleges and institutes.
• Forest industry companies annually invest SEK 2.3 billion in their own research.

Members of the Swedish Forest Industries Federation

• 50 pulp and paper mills
• 120 sawmills
• 40 companies closely connected to the production of pulp, paper or timber goods