Stora Enso under Fire for China Land Deals

An environmental group is accusing Stora Enso, Helsinki, Finland, of seizing land illegally from farmers in China in its efforts to build a new pulp feedstock source there. Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), an advocate for local communities' rights to natural resources and land, said Stora Enso, working through officials, took land from poor farmers in China's Guangxi province.

Stora Enso said it was reviewing its Chinese land deals and amending the deals affected by legal irregularities. The company is expected to invest around EUR 1.8 billion ($2.52 billion) in its Guangxi businesses, including 120,000 hectares of land and a pulp, paper and board mill.

TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/