Metsä Tissue chooses Goole for landmark UK investment
Metsä Group is proposing to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in developing a new state-of-the-art tissue paper mill on land just off J36 of the M62, near Goole.
The planned development is set to become the first major investment on the Goole Tax Site, which forms part of the Humber Freeport and aims to accelerate inward investment in the region.
The Invest Goole team have provided Metsä with bespoke support at every stage of the investment process. To date, this includes assisting with the initial site search, making links to local supply chains, workforce and skills advice and planning and consultation support including hosting and facilitating press and public engagement events at RaisE Business Centre.
About Metsä
Metsä Group is an international operator in the sustainable bioeconomy and a significant forest industry company that is proudly owned by a co-operative of over 90,000 Finnish forest owners. Its tissue paper business has been thriving in the UK for over two decades and the upcoming investment underscores its long-standing commitment to the UK market.
Metsä Tissue produces hygiene products for households and professionals. The main raw material for its products is fresh fibre, which comes from sustainably managed forests in Finland. The company invest in the latest technology, competence development of its employees and aims for fossil-free production by 2030.
Products are manufactured close to their local markets to ensure product availability and to minimise their carbon footprint via unnecessary transportation.
Esa Kaikkonen, CEO of Metsä Tissue, with Stephen Silvester and Bekki Banks, Invest Goole.
The Site
In line with this approach, an extensive search was carried out for the right location for the planned new tissue paper mill.
Goole was identified as the perfect location, as it offers easy access to the motorway network, making it highly accessible for the distribution of tissue paper products and attractive to workers from the region and beyond.
The chosen site is located west of Goole and extends to 83.5 hectares, forming part of the Humber Freeport – Goole Tax Site, which covers land on either side of the M62 motorway at Junction 36. This will create a natural extension to the existing Enterprise Zone, providing a wealth of opportunity for new job creation and investment in the region.
The Proposed Project
Metsä Tissue first announced its plans back in September 2023 and held introductory meetings with the local community in November to introduce its vision to invest in Goole. Since then, Metsa has been progressing the technical and design work to share more details about the emerging plans. Public consultation has been undertaken and all feedback is being reviewed. There will be a final round of public consultation, starting from 23 October until 15 November 2024.
If approved, the new mill would be the largest tissue paper mill in the UK. Once operational, the mill would support over 400 new direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, attract wider investment into the local economy via supply chains and reduce the UK’s reliance on imported tissue products.
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 also aims 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 the northern section of the Humber Freeport – Goole Tax Site and serve both the professional and consumer markets.
