Kerto LVL products significantly reduce the carbon footprint of buildings compared to many other materials, says the company. The value of the investment is €300m and the mill is expected to begin production in late 2026. 

The mill’s annual production capacity is approximately 160,000m3, which represents a 50% increase in the company’s total Kerto LVL capacity. Kerto LVL production primarily serves the construction industry in the European market.  

“Metsä Group’s mission is to efficiently process the wood of Finnish forest owners into renewable products for people’s everyday needs globally,” said Ilkka Hämälä, president and CEO of Metsä Group. “We are investing in world-class mills that will ensure our competitiveness in a changing business environment and increase well-being in society far into the future. Our next investment will be in the production of Kerto LVL, which offers long-term carbon storage.”

“Most of the carbon footprint of construction comes from the building materials,” said Jaakko Anttila, executive vice-president of Metsä Wood. “The construction industry is now seeking more sustainable alternatives, so we are seeing growing interest in construction material based on renewable raw materials. Thanks to its material efficiency, Kerto LVL is a competitive and sustainable solution for the increasing use of wood in construction.”

The new Kerto LVL mill will be on the Äänekoski integrated mill site, which harnesses the synergies such as energy production, logistics and mill services. The integrated mills can utilise 100% of the side streams produced in the production of Kerto LVL, producing the maximum possible added value from the valuable raw material.

The new mill will have a direct employment impact of around 150 new jobs. It will also add some 200 person-years to its direct value chain. The employment impact of the construction phase is estimated to be approximately 1,000 person-years. The new mill will use around 400,000m3 of log procured from Finland.

Metsä Group currently produces Kerto LVL products in Lohja and Punkaharju in Finland.