Sustainability every step of the way

Setra is one of the largest wood industry companies in Sweden. We are a complete supplier of climate-smart wooden building solutions – including project planning, structural design, logistics and transport services. As the construction industry needs to rapidly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, choice of materials is becoming increasingly important. Wood is the only renewable construction material and it generates a significantly lower carbon footprint than steel and concrete. Here at Setra, we work to ensure that our entire operation is green. Grönsamhet is our vision that business should also deliver green value for customers, society and nature.

Certified Suppliers

Setra’s production and processing units are traceability certified according to the FSC ® and PEFC Chain of Custody standards. All our wood is purchased from certified suppliers, subject to a minimum requirement that the timber is traceable and comes from responsibly managed forests.

The Whole Tree Is Used

One of our guiding principles is resource efficiency. We use the whole log, nothing goes to waste. What cannot be processed into long-lasting wood products is turned into bioproducts. For example, our sawdust in Gävle is used to produce pyrolysis oil, which can replace some of the fossil raw material in petrol and diesel.

We Start With Your Idea Right Dimensions In The Forest

Competence and commitment

Setra supplies building solutions in CLT and glulam. The team at our Timber Industry Centre in Långshyttan is ready to take on your construction project. Setra works according to a project model with close dialogue throughout the production process. We like to get involved as early as possible, so that the project manager and project team you have access to can make a valuable contribution from the idea stage onwards. Our project teams always aim for short lines of communication and quick decisions, combined with a strong commitment to both the big picture and the finer details.

Responsible forest management

All our wood comes from responsibly managed forests in Sweden, as a key principle within our value chain. The wood is locally produced, usually within a 130 km radius of our sawmills. It is extremely important for us and our customers that the raw material is traceable and comes from sustainable forestry. Our certified suppliers ensure that the wood comes from legal logging operations that protect areas with high conservation value and biodiversity. If the wood comes from a non-certified supplier, we carry out our own checks. Developing long-lasting, renewable wood products is a vital part of the green transition, and forestry has a key role to play in this.

Wood has a positive effect on the climate

Wood products continue to store carbon from the forest throughout their lifetime, with the carbon remaining longest in wooden buildings. As a rule of thumb, wood binds the equivalent of 800 kg of carbon dioxide per cubic metre of sawn timber. In 2022, Setra sold 1.7 million tonnes of wood products, resulting in 1.4 million tonnes of stored carbon dioxide – equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of around 180,000 Swedes.

Focusing on the length and diameter of the logs at an early stage makes our production more efficient and increases the yield.

In partnership with the wood suppliers, we make sure that every tree can be used in the most optimal way.

1,826 GWH

Bioproducts

Our bioproducts are derived from bark, wood chips and shavings. These residual streams are turned into cellulose chips for the pulp and paper industry, and pellets and biofuels for cogeneration plants. In 2022, Setra delivered bioenergy totalling 1,826 gigawatt hours (GWh). This is sufficient to heat about 200,000 apartments. Sawdust from Setra helps to heat many Swedish homes, which is more important than ever with the energy crisis in Europe. Bioproducts are also used in Setra’s own thermal energy production.

CLIMATE-POSITIVE PRODUCTS

Our wood products are climate positive even when transported to the other side of the world, as they store several times more carbon dioxide than is emitted along the entire supply chain. What is more, the wood products are circular and can easily be reused or turned into new products.

+30 %

Major investment in rail

From a climate perspective, trains are the best mode of transport, which is why Setra is making major rail investments at its production units in Gävle, Hasselfors, Heby and Skinnskatteberg. Within a couple of years, once all four units are connected to the network, Setra will be transporting up to 30 percent more timber by rail.

RESOURCE-EFFICIENT PRODUCTION SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Customised wooden frames

Setra offers prefabricated elements in CLT and glulam that are CNC machined to custom dimensions for precise and highly efficient installation. Cross-laminated timber elements offer great flexibility. The way that they can be machined and shaped makes it possible to construct almost anything, in practically any shape and size. Our factory in Långshyttan has large-scale production capacity and is therefore able to offer the widest standard range on the market. In addition, we have the ability to produce the largest CLT elements on the market, in formats up to 3.5 x 20 metres.

All deliveries in the right order

Setra works to simplify and streamline industrial wood construction. As a key example of this, our structural elements are delivered in exactly the right order, to make assembly on site as quick and smooth as possible, with the added bonus of improving the working environment too. Research from Luleå University of Technology shows that industrial wood construction provides 30 percent higher productivity than traditional construction methods, while still reducing the construction time by an average of 3.3 months.

Award-winning projects

In recent years, several construction projects with Setra connections have received amazing accolades in Sweden’s most prestigious urban development awards, Årets Bygge, run by the magazine Byggindustrin. Cederhusen in Stockholm, winner of the Housing category, is a prime example, where Setra supplied the structural frames in CLT. Another example is the ICA supermarket in Sjöbo, winner of the Industrial/ Logistics/Retail category, which used glulam from Setra.

Moisture Protection

The construction industry is constantly having to deal with weather and moisture. In 2022, Setra became the first company in Sweden to offer new moisture protection technology for CLT. The protective membrane, called Wetguard, is manufactured by the Swiss company Siga and is applied in Setra’s CLT factory. Wetguard protects flooring and end-grain wood during the construction phase, allowing the build to continue in all weather conditions and without the need for tents. The Wetguard membrane is durable and effectively protects against moisture, construction dirt, footprints and other wear and tear during installation.

Comments From Our Customers

It is important to have reliable suppliers, and Setra fully delivered on that. Our procurements involve careful due diligence on issues such as sustainability, digital maturity, geographic proximity and security of supply. During the tender review, Setra’s employees were very helpful, clear and solution-oriented. We are using Setra’s CLT and glulam in the Lumi project in Uppsala, where a 1970s concrete building is being converted into a state-of-the-art office block with a three-storey upward extension.”