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1/13/2025

Kemira as a sustainable investment

Kemira is a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries – with roots over a hundred years ago. Our customers include large companies in the pulp and paper sector, as well as municipal and industrial water treatment companies. With our solutions, our customers can advance circularity and responsible resource stewardship in their value chains.

Listed on Nasdaq Helsinki, Kemira’s turnover was around 3.4 billion euros and the number of personnel around 5,000 in 2023.

Sustainability-driven growth strategy

Our vision is to be the first choice in chemistry for water-intensive industries. After several years of profitability improvement, Kemira now focuses on profitable growth – especially in water treatment.

Sustainability transformation is driving the growth, and our aim is to double the revenue from the 2024 level in water in the long run. This is supported by the tightening regulation globally. In addition, by the end of 2030 over 500 million of our revenue is targeted to come from renewable solutions.

Our long-term financial goals are

  • Average annual organic growth over 4%
  • Operative EBITDA margin of 18–21%
  • Operative ROCE over 16%

Learn more about growth drivers

Three business units – different growth avenues

Kemira has three different business units, with slightly different profiles.


Water Solutions

  • Provides water treatment solutions for both municipal and industrial water treatment facilities
  • ~45% of total sales
  • Strong focus on growth and cash flow


Packaging & Hygiene Solutions

  • Focuses on the growing renewable solutions market, particularly packaging
  • ~35% of total sales
  • Attractive, potential new growth markets: molded fibers, textile fibers, renewable chemistry solutions & digital services


Fiber Essentials

  • Provides critical chemicals for the pulp and bleaching market
  • ~20% of total sales
  • Sodium Chlorate the largest business; market growing particularly in South America

Why invest in Kemira?

Kemira combines a resilient business model, sustainability-driven growth, and strong financial performance. As a market leader in pulp & paper and water treatment, it’s well-positioned for profitable growth, supported by a robust balance sheet and attractive dividends.

Attractive business model

  • Resilient business model combined with strong market positions (#1 in water treatment in Europe and #2 in the pulp and paper business globally)
  • Strategic focus on profitable growth
  • Sustainable and focused business portfolio
  • Good position in the growing renewable solutions market
  • Superior transformation profile into a water-focused company

Strategy and business model

Sustainability as a growth driver

  • Increasing environmental and social awareness is a significant growth driver for Kemira’s business
  • Kemira can significantly help its customers to improve their resource efficiency and meet the tightening regulations

Sustainability
Two people discussing paper production.

Strong financial profile

  • Record-strong balance sheet supports the growth strategy
  • Net debt / operative EBITDA 0.8 (in 2023)
  • Excellent profitability improvement track record
  • Attractive margin profile of segments
  • Attractive and over-time increasing dividend

Financial information

Our commitment to sustainability supports customers and our profitable growth ambitions

We enable our industry’s sustainability transformation. Our sustainability commitment makes us a preferred partner for customers and suppliers. We have clear and measurable targets – top performer in the chemical industry with Science-Based Targets Initiative commitment.

71%

of global energy use is emission free

59%

of products improve customer resource efficiency

47%

of used raw materials are renewable

-33%

of scope 1 & 2 emissions reduced since base year 2018

How do our products make the world a better place?

At Kemira, we take on some of the world’s biggest challenges, working relentlessly to solve them with chemistry, and the firm belief that a more sustainable society is possible. From cleaning drinking water and treating wastewater, reducing and replacing plastics in packaging and enabling recyclability of fibers and textiles, we focus on chemistry that makes a meaningful difference to quality of life.


Water Solutions

The need for water treatment is constantly increasing both in the municipal and industrial sectors due to the tightening regulation. Chemical water treatment provides the most effective solution with the smallest possible environmental footprint.

Case: Chemical water treatment improves efficiency

Chemicals can bring substantial energy-savings in the wastewater treatment process. Our unique, broad range of water treatment expertise and products offers solutions to all wastewater challenges.

Read more


Packaging & Hygiene Solutions

In collaboration with our customers, we are increasingly developing sustainable packaging and hygiene solutions with the aim to increase recyclability and decrease environmental impact.

Case: Barrier coatings

Barrier coatings are being constantly developed to replace plastics and fluorochemicals used in paper, board, and molded fiber packaging. The high-performing barrier coatings provide grease, oil, water, and moisture barrier properties for food service applications and enable recyclable and repulpable packaging materials.

Read more

crimped white cellulosic fibers on a stack of fabric
Fiber Essentials

Cellulosic fiber, a renewable and recyclable resource, is crucial for the circular economy. Our chemistry helps to improve the recycled fiber quality and content, as well as energy and water efficiency in paper mills.

Case: Strong, bright and clean pulp

We have a complete portfolio of bleaching chemicals for chemical, mechanical, and recycled pulp bleaching. Combined with our strong know-how in fiber processing and different bleaching applications, we can support our customers in producing strong, bright, and clean pulp for paper, board and tissues grades.

Read more

Sustainability KPIs

Kemira updated its sustainability targets in 2021 and identified five themes as sustainability focus areas: safety, people, water, circularity and climate.

SDG KPI UNIT 2023 2022
Safety

TRIF* 1.5 by the end of 2025 and 1.1 by the end of 2030

 2.5 2.6
People

Reach Glint top 10% cross industry norm for Diversity & Inclusion by the end of 2025

 in the top 25% slightly below top 25%
Circularity

Reduce waste intensity** by 15% by the end of 2030 from a 2019 baseline of 4.4

 kg/tonnes of production 4.1 4.4
Renewable solutions > EUR 500 million revenue by the end of 2030 EUR million 226 264
Water

Reach the Leadership level (A-/A) in water management by the end of 2025, as measured by CDP Water Security scoring methodology

 Rate scale A-D B B
Climate***

Scope 1 and 2*** emissions -51.23% by the end of 2030, compared to 2018 baseline of 894 ktCO2e. Scope 3 emissions by -32.5% by the end of 2033 from a 2021 base year of 2.337.5 ktCO2e

 ktCO2e 589 781

*TRIF = total recordable injury frequency per million hours, Kemira + contractors
**kilograms of disposed production waste per metric tonnes of production. After the divestment of the Oil & Gas business, Kemira’s waste target was adjusted in Q2/2024 to exclude the impact of all divestments since the baseline year 2019. Reported figures for 2022 and 2023 have also been adjusted.
***Kemira’s climate target has been updated to reflect the SBTi validation. Also 2018 baseline and years 2022 and 2023 have been adjusted to
reflect the divestment of the Oil & Gas business and other minor divestments.
Scope 1: Direct greenhouse gas emissions from Kemira’s manufacturing sites, e.g. the generation of energy and emissions from
manufacturing processes.
Scope 2: Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from external generation and purchase of electricity, heating, cooling,
and steam.
Scope 3: Includes all other relevant emissions throughout the value chain.

Kemira has been widely acknowledged for its commitment to sustainability

Kemira actively participates in various sustainability surveys. Below a list of some sustainability rankings for Kemira vs. chemical industry benchmark.

The SBTi has validated Kemira’s science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets

Kemira is a true frontrunner in the chemical industry. In 2024 Kemira joined a group of only ~160 chemical companies who have validated science-based climate targets.

Scope 1 & 2 target


~52% reduction

by the end of 2030, base year 2018

Scope 3 target


~33% reduction

by the end of 2033, base year 2021

Long-term ambition


Carbon neutrality

by 2045

Reporting

Reporting


Discover more about our chemistry with a purpose from our Annual Report

Global reach – local excellence

Kemira has 57 sites globally in 40 different countries. Kemira is an agile company – operating globally but always within close proximity to its customers. Kemira’s core strengthts are the high quality of its products and the company’s track record as a reliable partner.

Kemira has innovation centers in all the continents where it operates and is developing new products and services also in close collaboration with its customers to improve water, energy and raw material efficiency.

Investor contacts

Mikko Pohjala.

Mikko Pohjala

LinkedIn
Vice President, Investor Relations
Helsinki, Finland
+358 40 838 0709

Heidi Lehmuskumpu

LinkedIn
Investor Relations Manager
Helsinki, Finland
+358 40 593 4611
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