| Finns follow the pulp project conflict in Southern America with calm concern Helsinki (24.03.2006 - Juhani Artto) The huge pulp project in Fray Bentos in Uruguay has aroused local people, and even governments, to come out strongly for it or actively fight against it. In The reason is obvious. This project is, outside investment by Finnish industry. Two Finnish forest industry giants, UPM-Kymmene and the Metsäliitto Group, are behind the project, which will cost about EUR800 million and create a mill with a capacity to produce a million tons of pulp annually. Except for experts working for the major environmental organisations, such as Greenpeace and Friends of Earth, the project has not, so far, become a divisive issue for Finns. There has been no real movement demanding changes to the project, let alone giving it up. Criticism by the environmentalists has mainly focused on the planned bleaching and waste water treatment technologies. As these do not, in any significant manner, differ from the technological solutions widely in use in Finnish pulp industry used to be a bad polluter Up until the 1960s the Finnish pulp and paper industry did not pay much attention to the negative environmental impact. But, as mill surrounding areas, especially down-stream lakes and rivers, became more and more polluted, people gradually began to take a strong stand against industry practices. With some delay, investments to reduce discharges followed. However, in the late 1960s people's concern about the pollution problem somehow ran ahead of environmental investments. Limits to the protest movements were set by the fact that a large proportion of the people, living near to the pulp and paper mills, directly or indirectly, earned their living from the industry. Anyway, people's anger in many parts of Fortunately, the industry gradually also recognised another reason to invest in its processes in order to reduce discharges. That was the cost factor. In many cases, it was found that raising the utilisation rate of raw-materials and chemicals was financially beneficial. Lately major struggles have focused on forests Since the late 1970s Finnish worries about the environmental impact of pulp and paper production have mainly focused on forests. The major struggles concern the protection of species and biodiversity. Even in the last few years, several local disputes, which have received national attention, have surfaced in different parts of the country. Forest and land use have been among the most critical issues in a few struggles in the third world where the largest Finnish pulp and paper multinationals have, in the last few years, been involved. The countries concerned have been Uruguay project also creates employment in Finland's machine building industry plays a leading global role as the provider of pulp and paper production machinery. In respect of the Fray Bentos project in So, in the meantime, the project will keep busy a good number of experts and skilled workers in the Finnish engineering industry. Read more:
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