Our history

In 1931, the Östrand pulp mill began operations with a capacity of 100,000 tons of pulp, making the facility one of the largest producers of bleached softwood sulphate pulp at the time. The decision, made by SCA's board, was the first investment decision taken after the company's formation.

Kreuger's death and the subsequent break-up of his company Kreuger & Toll in 1932, eventually led to Svenska Handelsbanken assuming full control of SCA.

In 1950, Handelsbanken listed SCA on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

In 1961, SCA started its first kraftliner machine in Munksund and this marked the starting point for SCA's packaging business. To secure the market for liner, SCA entered the corrugated cardboard market by acquiring several facilities in Europe.

In 1967, Paper Machine 4 (PM 4) at Ortviken was brought into operation, as part of a focused effort on further processing through increased paper production.

In 1967, the ship M/s Tunadal was launched, followed by the commissioning of two more vessels, all part of investments made in the logistics sector during the 1960s. With its own logistics organization, SCA could now ensure secure transportation solutions and mitigate cost increases.

In 1975, SCA's sulphate pulp mill in Obbola was converted into a kraftliner mill.

In the 1980s, SCA made several acquisitions, expanding within the packaging, hygiene, and printing paper segments.

In 1995, SCA acquired a majority stake in the German company Papierwerke Waldhof Aschaffenburg (PWA), thereby becoming Europe’s largest forest-based hygiene products company.

In 2003, SCA acquired Graninge’s forests and sawmills, resulting in an increase of approximately 400,000 hectares of forest holdings. The acquisition included several sawmills, of which Bollsta and Rundvik are still in operation under SCA’s ownership. Since 2019, SCA has also expanded its forest holdings outside of Sweden, with the purchase of the first forest properties in the Baltics.

In 2012, SCA divested parts of its packaging business through a sale to DS Smith, enabling increased growth in its hygiene business. The liner mills in Obbola and Munksund remained under SCA’s ownership.

In 2013, SCA and the Norwegian energy company Statkraft inaugurated their first jointly-owned wind farm, marking the beginning of SCA’s wind power initiative.

In 2013, SCA became the majority owner of the Chinese tissue company Vinda. The following year, the partnership was strengthened when SCA transferred its entire hygiene business in China, Hong Kong, and Macau to Vinda.

In 2014, SCA participated in the Volvo Ocean Race with an all-female crew, sailing around the world. SCA’s participation provided a unique platform to increase brand awareness and strengthen the connection between SCA and its customer and consumer brands. The team finished in 6th place in the race.