Sappi Europe Announces Closure of PM2 at Kirkniemi Mill in Finland, Impacting 93 Positions

Sappi Europe has officially announced the closure of Paper Machine 2 (PM2) at its Kirkniemi Mill in Lohja, Finland, as part of a strategic asset restructuring to address declining demand in the coated magazine paper market across Europe. This decision will reduce the mill’s annual coated paper capacity by approximately 175,000 tonnes. The closure aims to enhance long-term competitiveness by aligning production capacity with market trends while maintaining operations on Paper Machines 1 and 3. Sappi plans to manage the transition carefully to ensure consistent supply without customer disruption. The move affects 93 jobs, with some redundancies mitigated through retirements. Kirkniemi Mill, the world’s largest coated publication paper mill, had already made significant investments to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 90% through biofuel conversion of its power generation in 2023. Sappi remains committed to sustainability and operational efficiency in its European operations.