Sanoma Media Finland (SMF) has been granted the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Through the certification, SMF will be able to trace the origin of every newspaper printed at Sanomapaino's printing houses in Sanomala, Vantaa and Manu in Tampere, as well as each magazine printed in Sanoma Media Finland's subcontracted printing houses.
“This certification highlights the persistent environmental work that takes place at our newspaper printing houses and SMF’s subcontracted magazine printing houses. The PEFC Certification confirms that the forest-based materials used by our printing facilities come from sustainably managed forests”, says Juha Liukkonen, Senior Category Manager at Sanoma Media Finland.
In practice, PEFC is a chain of custody certification that traces and helps to ensure that PEFC-certified wood has been used throughout the production chain, all the way from a sustainably managed forest to the finished paper product. In the future, SMF will also be able to use the PEFC label on its products. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification is a leading global alliance of national forest certification systems that seeks to promote ecologically, socially, economically and culturally sustainable forest management.
“As a paper buyer our task is to promote the responsible use of forest resources. Sanoma's goal is that the paper used in our newspapers, magazines and books comes from certified and sustainably managed forests. The share of certified paper was 93% in newspapers and 94% in magazines in 2023. Chain of custody certification ensures that in the future, the certification will cover all our products," says Liukkonen.
Sanoma’s printing houses also use the third-party audited environmental management certification ISO 14001, which is valid until April 2025. The ISO 14001 certificate requires a re-audit every two years, and in the future, PEFC audits will be part of the ISO 14001 environmental management system's internal audits and management reviews.
Sanoma’s printing houses have also been preparing for the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which covers paper products, such as newspapers and magazines. The transitional period for the EUDR ends at the end of 2025 when the regulation enters into force.
The key principle of the EUDR is that all products and raw materials sold in the EU are deforestation-free, produced in accordance with local laws and are subject to due diligence insurance (DD insurance). The regulation improves the traceability and transparency of wood, rubber, cattle, coffee, cocoa, oil palm, and soy as well as
products derived from these commodities. Thus, the purpose of the regulation is to reduce global deforestation, forest degradation and biodiversity loss.
In addition to certifications, the work at Sanomapaino’s printing houses is guided by sustainability goals, in which the key topics are domestic production, long-term systematic environmental and climate work, and supporting employee wellbeing.
Sanoma
Sanoma is an innovative and agile learning and media company impacting the lives of millions every day. Our Sustainability Strategy is designed to maximise our positive ‘brainprint’ on society and to minimise our environmental footprint. We are committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and signatory to the UN Global Compact.
Our learning products and services enable teachers to develop the talents of every child to reach their full potential. We offer printed and digital learning content as well as digital learning and teaching platforms for primary, secondary and vocational education, and want to grow our business.
Our Finnish media provide independent journalism and engaging entertainment also for generations to come. Our unique cross-media position offers the widest reach and tailored marketing solutions for our business partners.
Today, we operate in twelve European countries and employ more than 5,000 professionals. In 2023, our net sales amounted to approx. 1.4bn€ and our operational EBIT margin excl. PPA was 12.6%. Sanoma shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. More information is available at sanoma.com.