HELSINKI, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Profits at Finland's two major forest industry groups, UPM and Stora Enso, fell in October-December 2025 as low pulp prices and subdued demand continued to weigh on the sector, the companies said on Wednesday.
Stora Enso reported a profit of 100 million euros (118 million U.S. dollars) for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, down 17 percent year-on-year. Sales slipped 3 percent to 2.25 billion euros. The company attributed the weaker result to low pulp prices and start-up costs for a new cardboard production line in Oulu, northern Finland.
UPM said its Q4 profit declined 15 percent from a year earlier to 355 million euros. Sales fell to 2.31 billion euros from 2.63 billion euros in the same period of 2024. The company also cited lower pulp prices but noted that market conditions began to stabilize during the quarter.
For the full year 2025, Stora Enso's sales rose 3 percent to 9.33 billion euros, while profit fell 12 percent to 528 million euros. UPM's annual sales declined to 9.66 billion euros from 10.34 billion euros in 2024, and profit dropped 25 percent to 921 million euros.
The earnings drew attention in Finland as the forest-based sector remains a pillar of the national economy, particularly through exports and regional employment. Forest industry exports were worth about 12 billion euros in 2024, accounting for roughly 17 percent of Finland's total goods exports, according to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
Analysts and industry outlooks have warned that the downturn could last longer than expected, citing persistently low pulp prices, weak end-market demand for paper and packaging in parts of Europe, and continued uncertainty in global trade and construction-related consumption. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollar)
