Metsä Tissue chooses Goole for landmark UK investment

Leading Finnish tissue paper manufacturer Metsä Tissue has announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in Goole over the next decade in a move that’s expected to create thousands of jobs.

Part of the Metsä Group, Metsä Tissue has chosen Goole as the site for its new state-of-the-art tissue paper mill, which will be the largest in the UK, significantly reducing the quantity of tissue products that are imported into the country each year. More than 400 new jobs will be directly created by the proposed facility, as well as thousands more across the supply chain and the local economy.

The planned development is set to become the first major investment in Goole’s proposed Freeport Tax site, which forms part of the Humber Freeport and aims to accelerate inward investment in the region.

Built in several phases over the next ten years, it will harness the very latest sustainable production technology and have the capacity to produce 240,000 tonnes of tissue paper.

Esa Kaikkonen, CEO of Metsä Tissue, said: “Goole is the perfect location for this proposed investment. The Humber region provides a crucial gateway to the whole of the United Kingdom and the region’s ambitions to bring cutting-edge green technology and jobs to the UK matches our ambitions in clean, sustainable manufacturing.

“We are delighted to announce our plan to invest in a world-class production site in Goole. This exciting investment would bring the UK and Finland together, combining the sustainable raw material of fresh wood fibres grown in the Nordics with the world-class local production of quality tissues in the UK. We are thrilled about how these plans can contribute to more sustainable local tissue production in the UK, offering alternatives to the currently imported tissue products. The project will significantly enhance Metsä Tissue’s presence in this country and underscores the importance of the UK market to our business in the years ahead.”

Metsä Tissue has set a target for all of its products to be manufactured from fully fossil fuel-free raw materials by 2030 as part of the drive to achieve a net zero society. It’s also aiming for all of its mills, including the new Goole facility, to operate without the use of fossil fuels by 2030.

Subject to securing the necessary planning permission and a final investment decision, the proposed site will occupy an area of around 200 acres and serve both the professional and consumer markets.

• As part of Metsä Tissue’s efforts to get to know the community in which it plans to invest, its CEO Esa Kaikkonen will host public events on Thursday 2 November at 3pm and 6pm in the RaisE Business Centre on Tom Pudding Way in Goole DN14 6BS. They are open to anyone from the local community who would like to find out more.