Valmet has defined a sustainability agenda

Valmet Corporation's press release on September 8, 2014 at 02:00 p.m. EET

Valmet has defined a sustainability agenda as part of the implementation of its business strategy. The agenda crystallizes the sustainability focus areas and targets which create added value to Valmet and its stakeholders.

"We continue to take a responsible approach in everything we do. Our sustainability agenda defines the direction for our development work and enables clear target setting for those areas where we want to improve. To ensure our focus remains on the right things, we continuously collect feedback and revise our road maps accordingly," says Pasi Laine, President and CEO of Valmet Corporation.

A thorough stakeholder survey, interviews with customers, as well as internal workshops with key experts and management served as the basis for defining the agenda.

Five sustainability focus areas

Valmet's values, Code of Conduct and corporate-wide operating principles create the foundation for sustainable performance at Valmet. Valmet's sustainability agenda has five focus areas which represent functions and operations that are defined most important to its business and stakeholders, enable the improvement of sustainable business practices, or are critical to be maintained as strengths. They create the basis for actions and targets. Through the focus areas Valmet evaluates its performance and reports on its achievements on annual basis.

Valmet' sustainability focus areas:

Sustainable supply chain
Responsible operations (health, safety and environment)
People and performance
Cost-effective sustainable solutions
Corporate citizenship

Read more about Valmet's sustainability focus areas at www.valmet.com/sustainability

Changing business environment creates opportunities for Valmet

The changing business environment creates increasing requirements for Valmet and the industries it serves. Global environmental concerns and social responsibility are among the topics most addressed on national and global levels. Scarcity of raw materials and climate change increase demand for technologies that use less energy, water and raw materials, and enable the use of alternative fuel sources. At the same time, responsibility throughout the value chain becomes a factor that cannot be compromised, and requires more transparency in operations.

"Valmet sees these rising trends as opportunities. Sustainability is an integral part of Valmet's business operations and strongly embedded in our mission to convert renewable resources into sustainable results. We have a long history of developing technologies and services that provide high potential to respond to the increasing environmental demands for industrial processes. Also, by fostering responsible practices, transparency and global alignment in all areas of our business, we want to help our stakeholders to assess our performance," says Pasi Laine.

Sustainability management at Valmet

Valmet's Board of Directors decides on significant matters relating to the company's strategy, investments, financing and organization. Valmet's Executive Team decides on Valmet's sustainability agenda and targets as part of the strategy implementation. The agenda is reviewed annually by the Executive Team. Valmet's Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, is responsible for fostering sustainability development on group level at Valmet; she is a member of Valmet's Management Team and reports to the CEO. Valmet's business lines and area organizations are responsible for ensuring that all the corporate initiatives are implemented in order to meet group-wide sustainability targets.

VALMET CORPORATION
Corporate Communications

Further information:
Anu Salonsaari-Posti, SVP, Marketing and Communications, Valmet, tel. +358 50 453 4262
Laura Kantanen, Head of Sustainability, Valmet, tel. +358 50 337 4473

Valmet Corporation is a leading global developer and supplier of services and technologies for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Our 11,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day.

Valmet's services cover everything from maintenance outsourcing to mill and plant improvements and spare parts. Our strong technology offering includes entire pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bio-energy production.

The company has over 200 years of industrial history and was reborn through the demerger of the pulp, paper and power businesses from Metso Group in December 2013. Valmet's net sales in 2013 were approximately EUR 2.6 billion. Valmet's objective is to become the global champion in serving its customers.

Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.