Finnish firm warns of toilet paper shortage

Energy costs continue to hold back production, Metsä Tissue says

Soaring energy costs across the EU are causing temporary stoppages at production sites and could lead to product shortages, the Finnish company Metsä Tissue warned on Friday.

“During the recent weeks, Metsä Tissue has had to curtail its production both in its Zilina and Kreuzau mills [Slovakia and Germany] for several days because of the high energy price peaks,” the company said in a statement

According to Metsä Tissue, further production freezes are likely as energy costs continue to rise. The company warned that the enforced stoppages are expected to impact consumers, as “substantial amounts of daily production losses will occur.”

The company operates a total of nine paper mills across Europe, and sells toilet and tissue paper under brands including Lambi and Serla. Its Nordic Market Director Jani Sillanpää warned that such items could be affected. 

“There is a risk that there will be problems with paper volumes if this situation continues,” he said, adding that rising cost of production may also lead to toilet and kitchen paper becoming more expensive.

Earlier this week, German industrial lobby Die Papierindustrie warned that the natural gas shortage in Europe could lead to reduced production of toilet paper in Germany.

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