(UPM, Helsinki, Finland, 27 September 2011 at 9.30) — UPM is the first Finnish company to be awarded a certificate for complying with the new FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) standard. The FSC certificate covers around half of UPM's forests in Finland. UPM's forests have previously been awarded a PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) certificate.
"FSC certification of Finnish forests further expands UPM's portfolio of eco-labelled products. We already have the markets' most extensive selection of paper products with the EU Ecolabel. Forest certificates, such as FSC and PEFC are a guarantee to our customers that our wood fibre comes from sustainably managed forests," says Thomas Ehrnrooth, Vice President, Marketing, Paper.
The first UPM products manufactured from FSC-certified Finnish fibre will be available on the market in autumn 2011.
An agreement on the new Finnish FSC standard and its requirements was concluded during negotiations between environmental organisations and the forest industry in autumn 2010 and a certificate of compliance with the new standard has been available for Finnish forests as of May 2011. UPM started certification preparations at the beginning of this year. The FSC certificate was granted by Soil Association Woodmark.
"WWF and UPM have been working closely for a long time and I am pleased to see that UPM is setting an example in FSC certification for other Finnish companies. We hope that more forest owners will start to adhere to the more ecologically stringent FSC standard," says Liisa Rohweder, President of WWF Finland.
"FSC certification is a natural continuation for the development of UPM's forestry. We want to develop sustainable forest management and make our business more transparent," stresses Timo Lehesvirta, Director, Environment.
UPM monitors the origin of all the fibre it sources and strives to maximise the use of certified fibre. In 2010, 79% of the fibre used by UPM was certified. All forests owned by UPM have a PEFC, FSC or SFI certificate.
For further information please contact:
Thomas Ehrnrooth, Vice President, Marketing, UPM Paper, UPM, tel. +358 (0)20 4150366
Timo Lehesvirta, Director, Environment, Energy and Pulp, UPM, tel. +358 (0)400 752 212
Liisa Rohweder, President, WWF Finland, tel. +358 (0)40 840 74 61
UPM leads the integration of bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. UPM consists of three Business Groups: Energy and pulp, Paper, and Engineered materials. The Group employs around 24,500 people and it has production plants in 16 countries. UPM's annual sales exceed EUR 10 billion. UPM's shares are listed on the Helsinki stock exchange. UPM – The Biofore Company – www.upm.com
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. It promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. FSC is nationally represented in more than 50 countries, having more than 140 million hectares of certified forests. www.fsc.org.
The Soil Association is a UK based environmental non-governmental organisation founded in 1946. Woodmark, the Soil Association´s FSC certification programme was one of the first certification bodies to be accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council in 1996. Woodmark has issued more than 600 certificates and certified over 10 million hectares of forest worldwide.
Woodmark has a large network of qualified and experienced auditors, one of whom is Orbicon A/S operating in Nordic Countries.
WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) is one of the world's largest conservation organizations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. WWF works in 100 countries.
UPM, Corporate Communications
Media Desk, tel. +358 (0)40 588 3284
media@upm.com