Three steps towards environmentally friendly paper

Choose sustainable fibre

Forest certification verifies that a particular forest area is being managed sustainably and that harvesting is legally permitted. Chain of custody tracks the use of wood from these forests all along the value chain. Together, forest certification and chain of custody prove that the wood raw material used in a product is legally harvested and originates from sustainably managed forests.

The two main global forest certification schemes are PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifi cation) and FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®). Both the PEFC and FSC are international, non-profit, non-governmental organisations dedicated to promoting legal and sustainable forest management through independent third-party certifi cation, providing assurance of the economic, social and environmental management of forests.

Currently, only 10% of the world’s forests are certified to either standard. Most of these certified forests are located in North America and Europe. Of the world’s certified forests area two-thirds is certified under PEFC and one-third under FSC.

UPM promotes all credible forest certification schemes, including the two major international schemes PEFC and FSC. A comprehensive range of FSC and PEFC certified paper products is available for you.

Recycled and fresh fibre in balance optimises the paper cycle

Recovered paper is an important raw material in paper making and ideal for use in some paper grades, especially when the recovered fibre is available close by. However, the use of fresh fibre is essential to a sustainable paper cycle, as wood fibres can only be recycled a number of times before they become shortened and too weak for papermaking. UPM uses an optimal balance of fresh wood fibre and recycled fibre, choosing the right blend depending on the desired product quality and the location of the production facility.

Know the carbon footprint

UPM shares the widespread concerns regarding climate change. The key to climate-smart energy management are energy efficiency and use of low carbon fuels. In addition to continuously reduce the carbon footprint of our operations, we also seek to develop new solutions that answer the increasing demand for low carbon products. For each product, UPM has calculated the carbon footprint based on the ten elements of the Carbon Footprint Framework for Paper and Board Products developed by CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries). The Product Carbon Footprint declarations are available together with our product-related environmental declarations Paper Profiles.

Go to paper profiles

Learn more about carbon footprints

Ensure eco-efficient production

Papers produced by UPM have the best environmental credentials in the market. Third-party awarded ecolabels are proof that our products meet the highest environmental standards. The EU Ecolabel is the European Union’s official indication of the most environmentally responsible products. It is used for more than 20 different product groups from household goods to textiles. A product displaying the EU Ecolabel is an unambiguous guarantee for customers and consumers that wish to select products with the least environmental impact. EU Ecolabel on paper or a paper based product indicates:

• Lowest air emissions
• No use of elemental chlorine
• Least amount of organic waste
• Minimum energy consumption
• Restricted use of chemicals
• Use of recycled fibre, or virgin fibre from sustainably managed forests

UPM has the most comprehensive offering of EU Ecolabel paper in the market

The EU Ecolabel is the only internationally recognised ecolabel that covers practically all of the charactieristics required of an environmentally responsible paper. For more information visit http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/