Segezha Group Opens Russia’s First Cross-Laminated Timber Manufacturing Plant

Segezha Group, which is wholly owned by Sistema, is Russia’s leading wood processing holding company, and it has just started Russia’s first cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels plant in Sokol, Vologda region, 500 km northeast of Moscow. Segezha Group has long been known as one of the leaders in the wood processing industry at both home and abroad. The company is the world’s third-largest manufacturer of brown packaging paper and the fifth-largest manufacturer of large-format birch plywood, with exports sent to over 100 countries. Recently, the company began making moves towards more innovative and environmentally friendly products. Earlier this year, Segezha Group was included on a list of Russia’s 30 most eco-friendly companies, compiled by Forbes Russia, thanks to its managing forests sustainably and using eco-friendly products. The use of CLT for buildings is increasingly popular in Europe but still small in Russia. The company hopes it will be approved by regulators in Russia later this year. Orders for CLT panels manufactured at Sokol have already arrived from Germany, Austria, Italy, and Japan.