Nymölla, in southern Sweden, is the latest and last of the paper mills managed by Stora Fine Paper to receive its EMAS registration. Now all of the Stora Fine Paper mills are environmentally certified in accordance with ISO 14001 and have EMAS registration. All the company's products had already qualified for the Swedish Swan environmental approval label. Stora Nymölla is an integrated pulp and paper mill, and is the company's largest of its type.

EMAS stands for Eco management and Audit Scheme, and is the EU's environmental control and auditing system. In order to become EMAS registered, companies have to meet a long list of criteria.
Perhaps the most important of these is that the company has to promise to continually improve its environmental performance, openly reviewing its environmental efforts, and the effect of its operations on the natural environment.
"Our duty to provide information means that the company is under public scrutiny, and in today's information society the news of any shortcomings spreads at lighting speed. This is therefore a very strong incentive for us to show proper respect for the environment," says Nils-Uno Gustavson, responsible for environmental information and training within Stora Fine Paper.
Other requirements for EMAS registration are that the company must perform an environmental investigation of every factory, have an environmental policy and program with measurable goals, and review its environmental work at least every third year. EMAS registered companies are checked by an independent accredited environmental inspector.
"If environmental labelling schemes were the first stage in the work of raising the environmental consciousness of companies and consumers, I think that ISO 14001 and EMAS will be the next step," says Tor Löfqvist, Stora Fine Paper's Marketing Director.

Broad environmental work
Unlike environmental labelling, this environmental management system does not determine limit values for the emissions permitted to be released by companies. On the other hand, it covers a wide range of improvements to the whole of the company's operations, from all environmental aspects, whilst environmental labelling is restricted to a small number of criteria.
The introduction of ISO or EMAS usually means a massive forward impetus for environmental considerations, not just for the company that is directly involved, but also for its suppliers and co-operative partners.

Caption: Paper as a product has never been considered harmful to the environment, it is mainly during its production that the environment is affected. Therefore environmental certification of the EMAS type is highly suitable for stimulating environmentally-adapted production.

For further information, please contact:
John Bardsley
Stora Fine Paper (U.K.) Ltd.
Elm Park Court
Tilgate Forest Business Centre
Brighton Road, CRAWLEY,
West Sussex RH11 9BP, GREAT BRITAIN
Phone: +44-1293 616 565. Fax: +44-1293 616 088
Homepage: www.stora.com/finepaper

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