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Continuous change provides new opportunities
Local communities have often grown up around forest industry units. These communities have been dependent on the mills - not only as an employer, but also as a provider of many social services. The communities have, however, developed and society has taken over social services.
The forest products industry has shifted from labour-intensive to capital-intensive. Today large-scale units producing for the international market are typical of a business formerly characterised by many small mills. In this process some communities have lost and others gained. Structural changes may also have undesirable impacts at a personal level, underlining the need for responsible management.
Stora Enso's most important stakeholder groups today are customers, employees, investors, partners and society - both civil and governmental. Stora Enso works mainly in a business-to-business environment. The size of the customers varies from small privately-owned businesses buying a few tonnes to multinational companies buying several hundred thousand tonnes of products each year.
Since many of the suppliers are big multinational companies, they are often listed on the stock market. Some of these companies already work and report on their performance as corporate citizens. This allows Stora Enso to share knowledge and experience.
In wood procurement the picture is quite different since suppliers are often forest-owner families. A frequent challenge in this case is how to achieve a balance between local socio-economic and environmental impacts.
Today, almost all of Stora Enso's production is located in Europe and North America. Expanding the business to countries outside the traditional home area is demanding in terms of the integration of local and corporate cultures.
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