Growing middle class

In 2020, an estimated two billion Asians were categorised as part of the middle class, and that number is set to increase to 3.5 billion by 2030. With higher living standards and ageing populations, people are consuming more and for longer. According to the UN, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, enjoying greater access to higher income and many services from healthcare to e-commerce.

With our versatile product portfolio, we are well positioned to meet the growth in consumer demand as well as to enable sustainable choices for our customers and consumers.

Climate change

Climate change has become an independent driver of changes in natural systems, exacerbating other drivers. Scientists project the damage to become irreversible if the temperature rise exceeds a threshold of 2.5°C. Climate change affects countries in different regions in different ways, impacting for example rising sea-levels, severe weather events, droughts, climbing temperatures, insect infestations and water scarcity, as well as damage to ecosystems and the services they provide.

We are committed to climate-positive forestry, a 65% CO2 emission reduction and to innovate novel products.

Resource scarcity

In recent decades, we have seen the twin pressures of growing populations and growing economies both escalating demand for energy, food and material goods, as well as the resources to produce them. The need for solutions that improve efficiency and provide alternatives to scarce resources has never been greater.

We produce and use low-carbon energy, offer and innovate sustainable products as well as design products and processes to minimise waste, maximise efficiency, and achieve circularity in production and consumption.