Helsinki, Finland 16 June 2016 -- Stora Enso inaugurates its new consumer board mill in Beihai, China. The mill started up in May and it is expected to reach full production within 18 to 24 months. With an investment of EUR 800 million, this is the largest Nordic direct investment in China, and a significant investment in the history of Stora Enso.

The Beihai consumer board mill has an annual capacity of 450,000 tonnes of high-grade carton board products. One of the key end products is Liquid Packaging Board, of which more than 80 per cent today is imported to China. Stora Enso is the world-leading producer of this product, which is one of the most demanding and high value-added products in this industry.

"We are delighted to announce the official opening of the Stora Enso consumer board mill in China. This is a very important milestone for us", says Stora Enso's CEO Karl-Henrik Sundström. "China is a market with high potential and the start-up of our consumer board mill is crucial to meet the growing demand for high-quality and safe fiber-based food packaging in China and the Asia Pacific region."

The consumer board mill is located in the Tieshangang industrial zone of the Guangxi region, 40 miles outside of Beihai city. Stora Enso's operations in the Guangxi region also consist of tree plantations with around 85,000 hectares of land leased since 2012. The plantations have been certified to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) and the China Forest Certification Council (CFCC), and they will provide a sustainable, cost-competitive and self-sufficient fibre base for the mill.