The information comes after Christer Gardell's Cevian Capital flagged last summer that the activist fund had taken a minority stake in Essity.
Industrial players and venture capitalists will be invited to bid, according to the news agency's sources.
The tissue business area at Essity today manufactures toilet paper, handkerchiefs and napkins, among other products, and generated SEK 44 billion in revenue last year.
After the spin-off, which could thus be imminent, Essity would retain operations in health and hygiene products, which have higher margins than tissue paper.
Essity is one of the most traded stocks on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has been moving sideways.
