(UPM, Helsinki, 16 May 2012 at 17:00 EET) – UPM has been shortlisted for the Ethical Corporation awards in the category of the Most Innovative Company. The awards will be presented in London on 25th June.
The winner of the Most Innovative Company award will have clearly demonstrated how the company has used sustainability thinking to fuel innovation in its business. The company will show how responsible business innovation in product design, manufacturing or service offering has delivered a positive outcome both for the bottom line and against social/environmental goals the company has set.
“UPM’s Biofore vision sets out direction for innovation, product development and safe and sustainable operations. The vision also highlights the role our products play in today’s society. UPM’s renewable and recyclable raw materials and products have sustainability credentials that are hard to match in the emerging resource-scarce era”, says John Sanderson, Director of Environmental Market Support, UPM.
Innovativeness in action
Biofuels, biocomposites and biofibrils are examples of UPM’s aspiration to pursue new and innovative business opportunities, and the result of consistent R&D work.
UPM has recently announced an investment in a biorefinery producing biofuels from crude tall oil. The industrial scale investment is the first of its kind globally. UPM’s advanced biodiesel, UPM BioVerno, is an innovation which will decrease greenhouse gas emissions of transport up to 80% in comparison to fossil fuels.
The new biocomposite, UPM ForMi, is suitable for manufacturing both industrial goods and consumer products. It is made of virgin wood fibres and clean plastic polymers. The share of renewable material can reach up to 60%, meaning that the product is recyclable and can be burned for energy at the end of its lifecycle. Moreover, UPM ForMi’s carbon footprint is 30–60% lower than traditional plastics.
UPM Biofibrils provide new properties and design opportunities for traditional materials. It can be used to make products tougher, lighter or thinner, and also in many industrial applications requiring a high stabilisation capacity and high viscosity. In the first stage, products are used in paper and packaging materials, as well as in the concrete and paint industries.
Discover what responsibility means to UPM. Learn more on www.upmresponsibility.com
For more information:
John Sanderson, Director of Environmental Market Support, UPM, tel. +7 71 406 6919
Ethical Corporation provides business intelligence for sustainability to more than 3,000 multinational companies every year. Ethical Corporation publishes the leading responsible business magazine, website, and research reports. Its conferences are widely recognised as the best in the field of corporate responsibility and sustainability.
For more information about the award, please go to Ethical Corporation Awards’ web site.
UPM, Corporate Communications
Media Desk, tel. +358 (0)40 588 3284
media@upm.com
