The Finnish Sawmills Association has joined the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS). “We want to act in the interest of Finnish sawmills in a goal-oriented and fruitful way in Europe. At the same time, we want to do our part in promoting the success of the European sawmill industry,” says Kai Merivuori, Managing Director of the Finnish Sawmills Association. “Through extensive joint efforts, we can increase the use of timber, which is a sustainable material, in Finland and Europe.”

”EOS warmly welcomes the Finnish Sawmill Industry federation as a member of the EOS and to the forefront of the European representation of the sawmill industry.  European forest based industry needs urgently a clear and streamlined regulatory environment  to support its important and growing role as part of the new bio-based economy” summarizes Mr. Måns Johansson, chairman of the in his welcoming speech to the Finnish Sawmill Industry federation. 

The Finnish Sawmills Association, founded in 1945, promotes the interests of the independent sawmill industry. It has 32 member companies, which account for nearly half of the sawn goods produced in Finland. The 1.5 billion EUR export revenue is distributed to the provinces as stumpage prices, wages and taxes. 

Timber is a sustainable building material with a low carbon footprint. It is based on renewable and certified forests, recyclable, and the demand for it is growing. Byproducts of the sawmill industry, wood chips, sawdust and bark, are used as raw materials in the pulp and chipboard industries and as fuel for renewable energy production. Sawmills are the backbone of the bioeconomy.

EOS is a Brussels-based non-profit association representing the interests of the European sawmilling sector and the benefits of its products. The central organisation has 35,000 sawmills in thirteen countries across Europe as its members. Together they represent 75 percent of the total European sawn wood output and a turnover of almost 34 billion EUR, creating over 259,000 job opportunities annually in the EU.

Further information:

Kai Merivuori, Managing Director, Finnish Sawmills Association tel. +358 40 5322868, www.suomensahat.fi

Kimmo Järvinen, EOS Secretary General, tel: +32 2 556 25 97