Finnish forests are full of conifers, pines, spruces, and trees are an essential part of the Finnish national landscape. The forest has many different roles, it is a place to refresh one's mind, where to hike, and at the same time, it is Finland's most valuable natural resource. Forests enable a livelihood for many. For PackageMedia, this green gold is the raw material, from which we develop personalized packaging for our customers for a wide range of uses. In addition to all this, the forest is an important carbon sink, indeed a multidimensional topic. 

The forest certificate shows responsibility

Looking back, it becomes apparent that forests have been utilized with a heavy hand in Finland in pas decades. Luckily, today when talking about the forest a more balanced approach is visible, and sustainable forest use is the clear norm.

As a manufacturer in the packaging industry, there are cardboard production facilities between us and the forest. We value our suppliers' commitment to sustainable forestry. Each of our raw material suppliers is committed to the global FSC- and PECF-certification principles. Forest certificate systems prove that forests are used sustainably. Sustainable use means ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable management and treatment of forests.

The globally used forest certificates differ slightly from each other. The PECF-certificate is a system supported by forest owner organizations and the forest industry. In turn, the FSC-certificate originates from environmental organizations and places more emphasis on environmental and nature protection issues. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recommends in its guidelines for responsible consumption for choosing FSC-certified products. As a company we stand by this certification, and we are proud that packaging leaving our printing press is certified.

Locally sourced materials

There are several cardboard manufacturing plants in the Kymenlaakso region, and the location of our factory in Inkeroinen, in the middle of Kymenlaakso, enable short supply chains for our raw materials. At best, the transport distance of raw material from the cardboard manufacturer to our factory is two hundred meters. The most distant transport route from the cardboard factory to our factory is less than a hundred kilometers.

In our plastic-free, liquid- and grease-resistant cups, we use KotkaMills' innovative, plastic-free cardboard. In this case, we are talking thirty kilometers between Kotka and Inkeroinen. Obviously every saved transport kilometer means avoided emissions, and a smaller carbon footprint. With locally sourced materials we optimize supply chains, and their impact everywhere we can