Metsä Board Annual Review 2024

Material sustainability-related impacts, risks and opportunities The identification and assessment of material impacts, risks and opportunities Process Metsä Board’s sustainability-related material impacts, risks and opportunities have been identified in a double materiality assessment based on the principles of the company’s risk management process. The risk management process complies with the COSO Enterprise Risk Management methodology. The key goal is to identify and assess the risks, threats and opportunities potentially significant to the implementation of the company’s values and strategy and to the achievement of long-term targets, as well as to identify and assess the company’s impacts on society and the environment. In addition to the company’s own operations, the

METSÄ BOARD Annual review 2024

Methodology The assessment identifies any potential impacts, risks and opportunities for each sub-topic and sub-sub-topic of the ESRS. If no material impacts, risks or opportunities are identified, the sub-topic or sub-sub-topic is assessed to be non-material. Impacts, risks and opportunities are assessed across the value chain. Likelihood and financial risks and opportunities are assessed using a scale defined in Metsä Board’s risk management process, which is the same for all business risks. Impact assessment was added to the scale to account for double materiality. The final assessment of impacts is based on their scale, scope, duration and remediability. The assessment table is presented in this section. Remediability is assessed on the following scale: short-term (less than one year), medium-term (1−5 years), long-term (5−10

identification and assessment of impacts, risks and opportunities encom- passes the upstream and downstream value chain and any other parties that the company’s operations affect. Metsä Board’s risk management process and its responsibilities are described in greater detail in the 2024 Corporate Governance Statement. The double materiality assessment is conducted annually, and it is linked to the annual risk management cycle to make risk identification, assess- ment and prioritisation, and the definition of management measures part of the annual planning process. The double materiality assessment is dis- cussed and approved by Metsä Board’s Corporate Management Team as part of the risk management review in the last quarter. Internal control also monitors and reports on sustainability risks and the control environment to Metsä Board’s Corporate Management Team and Audit Committee in accordance with Metsä Group’s internal control governance model and the annual cycle. The control of sustainability risks is planned, described and implemented on a risk basis in business processes.

years), very long-term (10−30 years) and irremediable. The very long-term option was included to illustrate the nature of the forest sector more accurately. The final size of the impact, risk or opportunity is determined by multiplying its likelihood by its financial or external impact. Development of the double materiality assessment Metsä Board conducted its first double materiality assessment in 2022 by collecting the views of external and internal stakeholders of the company’s real and potential impacts, risks, and opportunities through interviews and surveys. The stakeholders interviewed included the company’s own employees, as well as its customers, investors, goods and service suppliers, and NGOs. Based on the material collected, the impacts, risks and opportunities were prioritised in management workshops.

Business operations and value creation 2 This is Metsä Board 4 CEO’s review 6

Strategy and financial targets

8

Value creation

Financial development 10 Key figures 12

Report of the Board of Directors

20 20 37 70 89 96

• Sustainability statement

Assessment scale for impacts, risks and opportunities

General information

E – Environment

Material sustainability topics

S – Social responsibility

Annual

Very likely

5

5

10

15

20

25

G – Governance

Theme

Topic

Sub-topic

Materiality

2030 target

E – ENVIRONMENT 1. Safeguarding biodiversity and the ecological sustainability of forest use

Annexes to the Sustainability statement

E1 Climate change

Climate change mitigation

12

Climate change adaptation

8

98 Consolidated financial statements 102 Notes to the consolidated financial statements 150 Parent company financial statements 153 Notes to the parent company financial statements 166 The Board’s proposal to the Annual General Meeting for the distribution of funds 167 Auditor’s Report 171 Sustainability statement assurance report 173 Shares and shareholders 177 Ten years in figures 178 Taxes 179 Production capacities 181 Calculation of key ratios and comparable performance measures Corporate governance 183 Corporate governance statement 190 • Board of Directors of Metsä Board 194 • Corporate Management Team of Metsä Board

In the next three years

Likely

4

4

8

12

16

20

Energy

9

2. Mitigating climate change and reducing emissions

E2 Pollution

Pollution of air, water and soil

5

Microplastics

5

3. Resource efficiency and sustainable production

E3 Water and marine resources E4 Biodiversity and ecosystems

Water

6

In the next six years

Possible

3

3

6

9

12

15

Direct impact drivers of biodiversity loss

10

Impacts on the state of species and the extent and condition of ecosystems

11

Impacts and dependencies on ecosystem services

10

In the next ten years

Unlikely

2

2

4

6

8

10

E5 Resource use and circular economy

Resources inflows, including resource use

7

Resource outflows related to products and services

10

Waste and side streams

8

S – SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 4. Respecting everyone

Unlikely in the next ten years

Very unlikely 1

1

2

3

4

5

S1 Own workforce

Equal treatment and opportunities for all

9

Health and safety

11

5. Promoting safety and wellbeing at work

Other working conditions

6

1

2

3

4

5

Other work-related rights

5

Financial impact

Very limited

Limited

Moderate

Significant

Very significant

S2 Workers in the value chain

Equal treatment and opportunities for all

9

Health and safety

11

Long-term national concern, significant change in market share, significant operations restricted

Other working conditions

9

Local harm to reputation, impact on local operations

Short-term national concern, long-term impact on reputation

Long-term national concern, decisive change in market share

Local mention, quickly forgotten

Reputation

Other work-related rights

7

S3 Affected communities Communities’ economic, social and cultural rights

7

Rights of indigenous peoples

9

Very limited impact on individuals and/or the local environment

Limited impact on a group of people and/or the regional environment

Moderate short-term impact on society and/or the environment

Significant short-term impact on society and/or the environment

Severe long-term impact on society and/or the environment

S4 Consumers and end-users

Personal safety of consumers and end-users

8

Impact on the wellbeing of society, nature and other stakeholders

Information-related impacts on consumers and end-users

6

G – GOOD GOVERNANCE AND CORPORATE CULTURE 6. Doing the right thing, innovation and open-minded cooperation G1 Business conduct

Impact

Corporate culture

8

Corruption and bribery

6

7. The significance of forest-based bioeconomy to society

Management of relationships with suppliers, including payment practices

8

196 Remuneration report 201 Investor relations and investor information

Protection of whistle-blowers

5

Political influence and lobbying activities

7

26

27

Report of the Board of Directors | METSÄ BOARD ANNUAL REVIEW 2024

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