The world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé, has “decided to cease sourcing virgin fibre from suppliers involved in controversy in Northern Sweden”. This effectively means that Nestlé is cutting ties with Swedish forest giant SCA, which has long faced criticism for its negative impact on biodiversity climate and its failure to respect indigenous rights.
Nestlé has been sourcing cardboard from Europe’s largest private forest owner SCA for many years. At the same time, SCA has been strongly criticized by environmental and Indigenous organizations with reports and testimonies about systematic logging of forests with conservation values and destroying important reindeer grazing lands for the Indigenous Sámi.
“Sweden has very weak environmental regulations when it comes to forestry and a government that is pursuing policies very hostile to nature conservation. Combined with deeply flawed forest certifications like FSC and PEFC, Nestlé is right to identify northern Sweden as a hazardous market when it comes to trading with forest products”, says Daniel Rutschman, international campaign leader at Protect the Forest Sweden.
Protect the Forest and Greenpeace in Sweden have campaigned against SCA’s unsustainable forestry for years. In September 2024, the two NGOs together with Sámi reindeer herders, took Nestlé and other companies on a field trip to SCA forests. Shortly after, Nestlé announced it were considering reducing sourcing from northern Sweden. Following a petition launched on October 27th, 2025, Nestlé announced it would completely phase out virgin fibre linked to controversial forestry in the region.
An update on its website stated: “For several years, we have been working on addressing risks regarding land use, biodiversity and indigenous’ communities rights in this region. As a result of this work, and our high standards, we have reconsidered our business relationships with suppliers involved in sourcing controversies. We have decided to cease sourcing virgin fibre from suppliers involved in controversy in Northern Sweden.”
“Nestlé has taken an important step in the right direction by cleaning out products originating from SCA’s unsustainable forestry from its supply chain in Sweden. Now we hope that the packaging and paper giant DS Smith and the hygiene and tissue giant Essity will follow. People don’t want products made from the destruction of natural forests or in violation of indigenous rights and Nestlé’s decision to stop buying from SCA is a clear signal that companies buying forest products from Sweden understand this”, says Karolina Carlsson, forest campaigner at Greenpeace in Sweden.
Sweden harbours an important part of the EU’s natural forest heritage, but Sweden does not meet national and international environmental forest targets. The unprotected natural forests with high conservation values in Sweden are critical to maintain biodiversity, protect ecosystem functions and services, and contribute to climate change mitigation. Sweden’s old-growth and continuity forests – some of Europe’s last unprotected natural forest ecosystems – are disappearing one by one. Every year tens of thousands of hectares of such forests are notified for clear-cutting.
”Companies that are still sourcing from Swedish forests are complicit in this scandal, and the urgency should not be underestimated. With today’s rapid logging rate, estimates made by researchers, authorities and experts indicate that most of the remaining continuity forests and old forests with conservation values, outside nature conservation areas, will be lost within a few decades”, says Daniel Rutschman, international campaign leader at Protect the Forest Sweden.
Contact info:
Daniel Rutschman, international campaign leader at Protect the Forest Sweden
[email protected], +46(0) 76-112 88 26
Karolina Carlsson, Forest campaigner, Greenpeace in Sweden
[email protected], +46 (0) 73-986 50 96
Read more:
Greenpeace Sweden and Protect the Forest petition (2025): Stop the Swedish Forest SCAndal
Instagram post “Forest SCAndal” w Greta Thunberg (2025): [link]
Greenpeace Nordic report (2024): Killed by Cardboard
Protect the Forest report (2024): SCA-files – 500 single mistakesInstagram post after our Nestlé field-trip (2024): [link]
Greenpeace Nordic/Renskog report (2025): The battle for the reindeer forests (Kampen om renskogarna)
Official statements from Nestlé:
In October 2025, the following additions and changes were published on Nestlé’s site:
Nestlé’s position on paper sourcing from Northern Sweden (new statement October 31st 2025)https://www.nestle.com/ask-nestle/sustainable-sourcing/answers/paper-virgin-fibre-northern-sweden
“We have decided to cease sourcing virgin fibre from suppliers involved in controversy in Northern Sweden.”
Nestlé – Pulp and paper sourcing (changed statement underlined)
https://www.nestle.com/sustainability/responsible-sourcing/pulp-paper
“Actions in connection with biodiversity hotspots
We are taking actions, including significantly decreasing our sourcing demand from the Swedish Northern Boreal region. […] We have identified this region as a biodiversity hotspot and is expected to benefit from higher conservation efforts and social/land rights considerations.”
(Previous statement: “We are taking actions, including exploring the decrease of our sourcing demand from the Swedish Northern Boreal region.”)
Nestlé’s supply chain disclosure (added statement October 31st 2025 underlined)
https://www.nestle.com/sites/default/files/2025-10/responsible-sourcing-disclosure-pulp-paper.pdf
In Nestlé’s list of paper and pulp suppliers, the company singles out the Obbola mill, run by SCA. On October 31st 2025, the following additions and changes were published on Nestlé’s site:
“The mill associated with the company indicated with asterisks (**) is part of our supply chain mapping. In 2025, we have requested a significant decrease in volumes from this mill. This decrease is under implementation and the situation is closely monitored.”
(**) applies only to SCA’s pulp mill in Obbola.
Nestlé’s previous supply chain disclosure (downloaded October 25th 2025)
About SCA
SCA is Europe’s largest private forest owner and a major supplier of pulp and paper products on the global market. The European market accounts for about 60% of the company’s total sales.
More on Swedish forests:
www.swedishforestvision.org
www.moreofeverything-film.com
Forest Monitor report 2025
