“Through the continuous development of our operations and close collaboration with suppliers, we’ve achieved encouraging results in several key sourcing categories, although significant potential remains,” says Noor Agourram, Senior Specialist, Indirect Sourcing at UPM, who has also been actively involved in the -30 by 30 Program as coordinator in 2025.
Below, Noor highlights a couple of actions taken in 2025 and what is to come in 2026.
Improving emission data coverage and quality
High quality product carbon footprint data from our suppliers is increasingly essential for transparent reporting, identifying emission reduction levers, and steering commercial sourcing decisions.
“Collaboration with suppliers and across sourcing category teams, businesses and the Group Responsibility team is key to accelerating progress,” Noor says.
We have focused strongly on revisiting our ways of working, strengthening supplier collaboration, and using new digital opportunities. Some concrete actions include:
- All businesses have taken a more active role in supplier engagement, data verification and communication, resulting in broader primary data coverage.
- UPM Sourcing Operations teams have supported suppliers and data quality verifiers in collecting carbon footprint data from a noticeably larger pool of suppliers than in 2024.
- UPM Businesses, sourcing, analytics and sustainability teams have collaborated closely to harmonize data structures, to improve reliability, and thus to enable more consistent primary and secondary data integration, enhanced visualization and traceability as well as better root cause analysis of inconsistent or variable data.
- A new automated verification feature is under development and will be tested in 2026. It will support data verifiers by flagging anomalies, streamlining checks, helping ensure high quality and consistent approval of supplier product carbon footprints and all together, reducing manual work.
Learnings from 2025 will guide developments in 2026
Advancing supplier collaboration and product carbon footprint quality
We will further deepen dialogues on data quality, provide guidance, expand product carbon footprint requirements in selected categories, and increase targeted engagement where supplier readiness varies.
Improving logistics data
Securing more precise and complete incoming logistics emission data remains a shared business priority. The focus is on decreasing logistics emissions by exploring lower emission‑intense options from suppliers.
Enhancing analytics and verification tools
- continuing data automation and improving the process of data verification and reusability
- implementing an automated verification tool to reduce the manual workload
- improving consistency while continuing to develop analytics for clearer insights and scaling the data for other reporting purposes
Piloting shadow carbon pricing
We will launch a pilot in selected sourcing categories to test how an internal carbon price could support climate‑conscious commercial decision-making in the future. The pilot examines impacts on supplier comparisons, category strategy work and scenario modeling.
Addressing categories with rising or fluctuating product carbon footprint
As awareness, transparency, and data availability increase, and carbon accounting methodologies evolve, product carbon footprints may change and fluctuate. To manage these impacts, our sourcing teams work closely internally and with our suppliers to stay aligned with developments. This ongoing collaboration has proven highly valuable and will continue in 2026.
“With solid work already underway across our businesses and clear priorities for 2026, our commitment to reducing Scope 3 emissions remains strong. Cross‑functional collaboration and active supplier engagement continue to be key enablers of our progress toward the −30 by 30 target,” Noor concludes.
For further information, please visit:
Ensuring a sustainable supply chain
Climate change (ESRS E1)
Decarbonizing the supply chain
