[ad_1]
Another facility for the production of newsprint in Sweden is closed. Now it’s the turn of Stora Enso’s Paper Machine 3 in Hyltebruk.
– It’s a slap in the face for the entire industry and for affected members, says Mikael Nilsson, ombudsman for the LO Pappers union.
The closure, along with a reorganization of the factory, where the recycling paper plant will also be closed, is estimated to affect a maximum of 140 employees, according to a company press release.
Recently decided too SCA Ortvikens Pappersbruk to close its paper production.
– In Ortviken there are many companies that depend on the factory. Such a thing affects the entire city, says Mikael Nilsson.
The reason for the cuts is that the demand for newsprint has been declining for a long time, especially during the corona pandemic, according to Katrin Heinsoo of the Skogsindustrierna trade association.
– We do not read the newspaper on paper as we did before, but we participate in the news digitally. Swedish newsprint production has seen a decline of up to 25 percent during the crown crisis. With the announced production cuts, about half of the newsprint capacity in Sweden will disappear.
Hope in the industry it is now set up for rapid adaptation to the market situation.
– It is unfortunate when you have to close and people are affected. At the same time, it is a development that has been going on for a long time. We have implemented structural changes in the past, and indeed we have been good at adapting and thinking about new things. In 2013, there were significant cuts in the production of newsprint and office paper. Then some factories switched to the production of packaging materials, where we continue to see an increase in demand, says Katrin Heinsoo and continues:
– Also this time we see that the mills, both Stora Enso and SCA, say they should do something else. Stora Enso is starting to work with fiber-based material and SCA with pulp.
