The Finnish tissue paper manufacturer, part of Metsä Group, said the tissue paper mill represents an investment of “several hundreds of millions of pounds” and will deliver the largest tissue mill in the UK, significantly reducing the quantity of tissue products that are currently imported into the UK and Ireland each year.
As well as the jobs created at the facility, the group said thousands more will be created across the supply chain and the local economy.
“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,” said Esa Kaikkonen, CEO of Metsä Tissue.
The Goole facility will use sustainable production technologies to deliver an efficient and modern facility with “world class environmental performance”.
Metsä Tissue said its activity is rooted in sustainability, with a target for all products to be manufactured from fully fossil-fuel-free raw materials by 2030 as the company strives to achieve a net zero society.
Additionally, it aims for all of its mills, including the new Goole facility, to operate without the use of fossil fuels by 2030.
Sunak led endorsements for the new site: “Metsä Tissue’s investment is good for Yorkshire, good for our economy and good for sustainability. This announcement is another example of the UK being the first choice for European investment and delivers on my commitment to grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country.”
Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole, added: “I am delighted that Metsä Tissue has chosen Goole as the site of its flagship production facility in the UK. This decision will bring millions of pounds of investment to the area, leading to the creation of hundreds of jobs.
“It is also a testament to the government’s success in attracting major international investors to the UK. I look forward to working with Metsä Tissue as plans for this investment move to their next stage and to ensuring that local people are first in line for the opportunities it creates.”
Jukka Siukosaari, ambassador of Finland to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, also commented that the news “marks an exciting moment for UK-Finland economic relations”.
“It builds on the long-shared history of close cooperation and industrial partnerships between our countries. Metsä Tissue is a great flagbearer of the proud tradition of Finland’s forestry industry and this investment is a major step in helping it bring locally produced, sustainable tissue products to the UK and Ireland.”
Up to 45% of tissue products are currently imported into the UK and Ireland. Metsä Tissue aims to replace almost half of the imported products with local British production, using fresh fibre pulp as the main raw material from sustainably-managed forests in the Nordics.
Subject to planning and environmental permits and a final investment decision, the site will occupy an area of around 200 acres and will have the capacity to produce 240,000 tonnes of tissue paper, built in several phases over the next decade, serving both the professional and consumer markets.
The planned facility would be the first major investment in the proposed Goole tax site within the Humber Freeport, which aims to accelerate inward investment in the Humber region.
