UPM_News_2016

Every little choice

he brand-new UPM trademark,

Responsible Fibre™, provides

a tangible example of Biofore

thinking. Biofore is a philosophy sys-

tematically built up by UPM combin-

ing the innovative and sustainable use

of wood fibres with alternative solu-

tions to using non-renewable materials.

So what does this mean in practice?

Responsible fibres are the main raw

material used for just about every re-

newable, recyclable and biodegrada-

ble product produced by UPM. These

are important qualities, but the Respon-

sible Fibre trademark promises even

more than that.

The new trademark innovatively

combines UPM’s environmental re-

sponsibility and social responsibility

into one cohesive philosophy, which

is followed throughout the product li-

fecycle.

“Responsible Fibre is truly unique.

We wanted to introduce a trademark

UPM’s new Responsible Fibre™ trademark is

reserved for paper products that fulfil the very

strictest criteria for corporate responsibility.

Text:

Niko Kilkki

Terhi Jokinen

Photos:

UPM

that shows that we are committed to en-

suring that all our paper products carry-

ing the trademark comply with the in-

dustry’s most demanding responsibil-

ity criteria,” explains

Päivi Rissanen

Environmental Director of UPM Paper

ENA.

The first UPM paper products carry-

ing the trademark are New Future of-

fice papers. The next products will fol-

low in the course of the coming months.

Verified by external parties

But can consumers trust a responsibili-

ty trademark developed by the compa-

ny itself? “Responsible Fibre was cre-

ated almost entirely on the basis of our

existing certifications and standards,

which are verified by third parties.

Even our internal responsibility data,

such as UPM’s carbon footprint calcu-

lations, has also been verified by exter-

nal parties,” Rissanen emphasizes.

To be eligible for the trademark,

the wood raw material for the product

must be sourced from an FSC

- or

PEFC™-certified forest to guarantee

sustainable forest management prac-

tices. The paper must also meet the re-

quirements of the EU Ecolabel, and the

production process must comply with

all the applicable occupational and

product safety requirements. UPM is

additionally committed to operating in

a responsible and ethical manner in all

communities and societies in which it

is active.

Open dialogue

The lifecycle of the fibres often contin-

ues after the paper is printed. UPM is

one of the world’s top users of recycled

paper: approximately 80% of the fibres

used in its newsprint are recycled. “Pa-

per recycling is an excellent example of

well-functioning circular economy; fi-

bre continues its life in another prod-

uct,” Rissanen muses.

makes a

difference

Responsible Fibre™

A UPM trademark created on the basis of official certifications

and standards

The criteria cover the following four focus areas: climate, water,

biodiversity and social responsibility

Guarantees that the wood fibres used in UPM products come

from sustainably managed forests

Further information is available at

www.responsiblefibre.upm.com

Interested in hearing more about this topic?

Please contact UPM sales

or Päivi Rissanen

(paivi.rissanen@upm.com)

directly.

Paper products carrying the Responsible Fibre™

fulfil the following criteria:

•

Responsible sourcing

•

Sustainable forest management and land use

•

Low emissions from pulp and paper production

•

Transparent performance

•

No use of harmful substances

•

Certified environmental management systems

•

Safe and encouraging working environment

•

Social responsibility

•

Recognized sustainability leader

Social responsibility, in particular, is

becoming an increasingly topical and

debated issue. Customers have their

own risk management schemes and

want to ensure that the paper produc-

tion chain is ethical throughout. They

also expect guarantees that UPM en-

sures the safety of its employees.

“We are committed to openly dis-

cussing these issues with our custom-

ers and other stakeholders, and we have

already received great feedback on our

openness around these issues,” says

Rissanen.

“I hope that our customers will feel

that they play a role in this story, but

also that they can gain commercial ad-

vantage by using our paper. We will

follow closely how well Responsible

Fibre is received on the market, and

based on the response we will consid-

er widening the range of papers carry-

ing the trademark.”

UPM

NEWS