People and operations

2. Respecting people and human rights

3. Addressing the environmental impact and product safety

Respecting people and human rights

The UPM way

We work to ensure that human rights are respected throughout our operations and business activities in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We promote decent working conditions, do not tolerate the use of forced or child labor under any conditions, and we never compromise on safety. We only work with business partners that share our commitment to human rights and health and safety. We do not tolerate discrimination and harassment and promote diversity and inclusion.

Examples and good practices for you

Human rights and decent working conditions

Establish policies that ensure respect for people and their dignity. Include procedures to protect those in the most vulnerable position.
Treat your employees equally and with respect in all situations, including recruitment, promotion, compensation, and benefits. Do not discriminate based on race, age, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinions, union affiliation, disability (visible or invisible), social origin, property, birth, or other status.
Conduct regular risk assessment to identify and manage human rights risks linked to your activities or operations.
Ensure that your employees have the freedom to form, join, or not join labor unions, and to bargain collectively.
Promote decent working conditions. Follow the International Labor Organization (ILO) standards limiting normal working hours to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. Ensure that overtime is voluntary and compensated.
Provide all workers with a payslip for each pay period.
Promote fair wages, for example by implementing living wage approach that covers the basic needs of workers and their families.
- A living wage is defined by ILO as “the wage level that is necessary to afford a decent standard of living for workers and their families, taking into account the country circumstances and calculated for the work performed during the normal hours of work”.
- Evaluate your wage gap and take steps towards paying a living wage.

Protect your employees from work-related illness and injury.
Specify in your policies and communicate clearly that sexual and any other form of harassment or inappropriate behavior is not tolerated. Make it clear that employees must not behave – verbally, physically, or visually ‒ in ways that could be considered offensive, intimidating, threatening, malicious, or insulting.
Define a minimum age for employment in line with ILO standards or local law, whichever is higher. If young workers (under 18) are employed in your company, define appropriate tasks and working hours for them, and ensure that their education, development, or health and safety are not at risk because of their employment.
Do not tolerate slavery, forced labor, or human trafficking in any part of your operations. This includes bonded or involuntary prison labor.
People can be considered slaves if they are:
- Forced to work through mental or physical threats.
- Forced to work to repay a loan or to regain confiscated property, such as a passport or ID card, or under threat of being reported to immigration authorities, etc.
- Dehumanized, treated as a commodity, or bought and sold as property.
- Physically constrained or restricted in their freedom of movement.
- Forced to work excessive hours on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis without breaks defined in the applicable laws or collective labor agreements.

Land rights

Make sure you understand the actions required when land is acquired, leased or used for your business activities. Identify who needs to be consulted.
Conduct due diligence where applicable to uphold the established land or property rights of individuals or indigenous peoples.
Implement regular consultation with local communities and indigenous groups.
Promote zero tolerance for land grabbing.

Safety

Always provide your employees with the necessary occupational safety and personal protective equipment free of charge, and make sure the equipment is used properly.
Make sure that your employees working at or visiting UPM premises know UPM's safety procedures and that they receive job-specific and site-specific safety training. The UPM Safety Induction tool presents and demonstrates the basic safety requirements. Depending on the nature of the work, the required modules must be completed before entering the UPM site.

Addressing the environmental impact and product safety

The UPM way

UPM complies with applicable environmental and product regulations and knows its impact on air, climate, water, land, and biodiversity. We aim to minimize any direct or indirect negative impacts on the environment or people in our sphere of influence. UPM is committed to science-based actions to mitigate the impact of our operations on climate and biodiversity and to adapt to climate change. We work to ensure that our operations and activities do not cause or contribute to deforestation. We measure and assess continuously the direct and indirect environmental load and impact of UPM operations. We handle chemicals and other hazardous substances safely in accordance with internationally recognized management systems.

Examples and good practices for you

Determine and assess your environmental aspects and their associated environmental impacts. Manage significant impacts in both normal and exceptional situations.
Obtain and maintain the required environmental permits for waste, air, water, and chemicals. Ensure your contractors also have the required permits.
Measure and record emissions and waste affecting air, soil, and water. Track your direct CO₂ emissions as well as emissions from purchased energy.
Set targets to reduce emissions.
Require your suppliers to report on their CO₂ emissions.
If you operate in the field (forestry, agriculture, open pit mining, etc.), promote biodiversity in the areas under your influence.
Make sure your products fulfil legal and UPM product safety requirements.
Conduct thorough safety testing to guarantee your products meet regulatory standards, ensure compliance with safety guidelines, and avoid harmful substances.

Comply with material restrictions specified in applicable laws and by UPM.
Maintain a complete data record of raw material content, such as the chemicals and compounds used.
Ensure that all your raw materials come from legal sources.
Prevent chemicals and other hazardous substances from leaking into the environment by having proper processes, such as secondary trays and/or pools, and a means for managing these substances. Report any relevant deviations or leaks to UPM.
Set up and maintain procedures that ensure compliance with waste management obligations. Seek opportunities to reduce and reuse waste from your operations, products or customers’ assets. Ensure hazardous waste is treated according to applicable legislation and manufacturer instructions.
Apply an appropriate environmental management system (EMS) in your operations. UPM prefers an EMS certified in line with appropriate environmental standards such as ISO 14001.

Commitment

Business integrity