Essity has reported a net sales increase of 2.6% to SEK35,061m (34,185) in its Interim Report Q2, as sales for its Consumer Tissue division decline due to lower prices and volumes.
EBITA for the group was SEK4,105m (4,628), while profit for the period was SEK2,693m (3,053).
Organic sales increased during the quarter, which the company said was driven by volume growth and positive development of the product mix.
Three of the four business areas – Health & Medical, Personal Care and Professional Hygiene – contributed positively, while growth remained strong in Incontinence Products Retail, Feminine Care and Medical Solutions.
Professional Hygiene grew because of higher volumes and a favourable product mix.
Sales for Consumer Tissue declined due to lower prices and volumes. The company said the business area is currently working intensively to secure profitable volumes and increase prices to address the cost headwinds that emerged during the quarter.
Ulrika Kolsrud, President and Chief Executive, said: “Higher volumes and an improved product mix resulted in sales growth for the quarter.
“Our focus on growth by developing our offerings, investing in marketing and selective price adjustments continued, and we reported good growth in Health & Medical, Personal Care as well as Professional Hygiene.
“Profitability was healthy even though the geopolitical situation causes higher cost inflation.”
Essity reported higher margins for Health & Medical and Professional Hygiene, while margins in Consumer Tissue and Personal Care declined.
Consumer Tissue was negatively impacted by higher cost inflation, which Essity said it has not yet offset with price increases.
Innovation remains a key driver of competitiveness and growth
During the quarter, Essity launched new products across all business areas.
AI played a role in the launches, for example by shortening product development lead times.
Kolsrud said: “AI is increasingly being adopted to drive sales and improve efficiency across the value chain.
“One example of this is an agentic Group-wide AI solution for procurement deployed during the quarter that is helping to increase efficiency and improve data quality.”
During the first half of 2026, she added that the company took key steps to strengthen the conditions for profitable growth: “Our new organisational structure has made us more agile and customer-focused, while actions taken under our cost savings programme is unlocking resources for investments in our strong brands.
“We have also taken important steps to optimise our portfolio and strengthen value creation through the acquisition in Feminine Care and the strategic review of Consumer Tissue.”
In the second half of the year, she said the company expects to see positive effects from the new organisational structure and the implemented efficiency improvements.
“Our aim is to continue strengthening our market positions and expand in our most attractive categories and segments,” she said.
