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BIOFORE
New demand drivers
There is growing demand
for products manufactured
from biomaterials thanks
to changing consumer
preferences and efforts in
various industries to reduce
dependency on fossil-based
products.
Food industry titans are
increasingly using bioplastics
for packaging, and even car
manufacturers are adopting
more andmore renewable
and recyclable materials.
“This makes an excellent
foundation for UPM’s
short-term growth. The
demand for products made
from renewable materials
just keeps on expanding,”
Ilvespää explains.
Core of the circular
economy
Ilvespää believes that
companies like UPMwill
play a significant role in the
evolving economy based
on renewable products and
recycling.
“Our essential strength lies in growing and sourcing renewable
biomaterials in a sustainable manner, but our core competencies
extend all the way to processing rawmaterials.”
“We strive to use as little rawmaterial and energy as possible,
and we even utilise by-products and residues in our products.
This model is ideal for the fast-growing bioeconomy and circular
economy, which entails efficient utilisation of scarce resources.”
High-level functionality
Competitive pricing is crucial for renewable products such as
biochemicals and biofuels, although environmental aspects are
also becoming increasingly important as a selling point.
“Biochemical-based products have a smaller carbon footprint,
so it’s important to start adopting sustainable solutions in the
chemical industry as well. However, we need to carefully consider
howmuch further the products should be processed in order to
maximise the benefits,” notes Ilvespää.
“The closer we get to consumer goods, the higher the level of
functionality required of the biomaterials. In addition to being
environmentally friendly, the products should also perform better
than fossil-based competitors to get the supply chain flowing
smoothly.”
“We have made
systematic progress in
this sector, and we have
already launched our first
biochemical products
such as GrowDex and
BioPiva on the market.”
– Heikki Ilvespää
UPM is conducting field tests of its novel
wood-based diesel fuel in urban buses together
with Helsinki Regional Transport (HSL) and
the Technical Research Centre (VTT).
A
Helsinki city bus in its
signature shade of blue
cruises comfortably down
Mannerheim Street,
the ‘main drag’ in the Finnish capital.
When it reaches the corner of the
Helsinki Music Centre, it turns right
and parks in front of UPM’s Biofore
House.
Both sides of the bus sport green
UPMBioVerno tapes indicating that
the vehicle is fuelled with renewable
wood-based diesel and generates fewer
hazardous emissions.
Its tour around the city marks
the launch of bus field tests that will
run for at least a year. The tests will
evaluate the performance of UPM’s
renewable diesel in terms of its fuel
functionality in bus engines. Its
emissions and fuel consumption will
be compared to those of fossil diesel.
Cleaner
city traffic
with wood-
based diesel
Heikki Ilvespää