{"id":9981,"date":"2025-10-27T10:05:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T14:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=9981"},"modified":"2025-10-27T10:05:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T14:05:01","slug":"metsa-swings-to-loss-in-q3-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=9981","title":{"rendered":"Mets\u00e4 swings to loss in Q3 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Mets\u00e4 described the paperboard market as challenging, citing weak consumer demand, US tariffs and overcapacity. Credit: Piotr Swat\/Shutterstock.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Finnish packaging company Mets\u00e4 Board has posted a comparable operating loss of \u20ac45.6m in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, reversing its \u20ac41.9m profit of one year previously.<\/p>\n

Sales declined to \u20ac441.2m in the three months to September 2025, from \u20ac499m in Q3 2024.<\/p>\n

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The company reported net cash flow from operations of \u20ac122m for Q3 2025, up from \u20ac4.6m in the same period of 2024.<\/p>\n

Working capital releases in the quarter totalled about \u20ac120m. Mets\u00e4 Board is targeting a further \u20ac150m release in working capital by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n

Paperboard deliveries in the quarter amounted to 332,000 tonnes, down from 388,000 tonnes in Q3 2024. Average paperboard prices continue to be at the previous quarter\u2019s level.<\/p>\n

Mets\u00e4 describes the paperboard market as challenging, citing weak consumer demand, US tariffs and overcapacity. Its production of paperboard, BCTMP and pulp have been curtailed for market reasons and to free up working capital.<\/p>\n

Production volumes and profitability were also significantly affected by the annual maintenance shutdown at the Husum integrated mill and an investment shutdown of the Simpele paperboard machine.<\/p>\n

Market pulp demand has been weak in Europe and China and pulp prices have fallen. Pulp production at associated company Mets\u00e4 Fibre\u2019s Joutseno mill has been paused for the four months since June.<\/p>\n

Mets\u00e4 stated that the overall impact of pulp on its performance for the third quarter of 2025 was \u201cclearly negative\u201d and has launched a cost savings and profitability improvement programme, aiming to raise its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation run\u2011rate by \u20ac200m by the end of 2027. The programme progressed as planned in Q3.<\/p>\n

No specific operating result guidance was provided for coming quarters. The company anticipates that cash flow from operations will remain positive and that it will see a \u201cslight seasonal decrease\u201d in paperboard delivery volumes from the previous quarter.<\/p>\n

Results for October to December 2025 may include insurance claims related to a gas explosion at Mets\u00e4 Fibre\u2019s bioproduct mill in spring 2024 and recovery boiler damage in autumn 2024.<\/p>\n

Falling pulpwood prices in Finland and Sweden should support profitability from 2026. Exchange rate movements, including hedge effects, are projected to have a slightly negative impact in Q4 2025 and a clearly negative impact in Q1 2026.<\/p>\n

Mets\u00e4 Board CEO Esa Kaikkonen stated: \u201cThe business environment in the paperboard market remains challenging. In addition, the high pulpwood price level and weak dollar are burdening the competitiveness of European paperboard and pulp producers, including Mets\u00e4 Board. As there are no quick solutions to these challenges, we are focusing on the things we can influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

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