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Production sites

Our approach to responsible water management aligns with key areas of good water stewardship: minimizing wastewater quantity and maximizing its quality.

Minimizing wastewater quantity

Our pulp and paper production are by far our most water-intensive operations and the focus of most of our water-related efforts. We apply circular thinking to reduce the amount of our water usage, and to minimize wastewater. The average water reuse and recirculation ratio is 20.*

Water in local communities

We do not operate in areas of low water availability to ensure efficient water use for local communities.
We manage water responsibly to ensure minimal impact on the environment and local communities.
We build and maintain good relations with the local communities close to our operations and carefully identify and mitigate our environmental and social impacts.
We are committed to being a responsible employer and fostering a safe working environment. We promote access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation facilities, and good hygiene at our production sites.
Developing our safety practices from employees’ perspective is important to us. Read more about safety.
We support learning and education initiatives in various mill communities.

Using only recycled nutrients in our waste water treatment

We are working toward our goal of using only recycled nutrients in our wastewater treatment plants. By utilizing nutrient-rich side streams from other industries, we replace nitrogen and phosphorus, which are added to the biological stage of effluent treatment to support bacterial activity. This approach reduces the need for energy-intensive nitrogen production and helps conserve phosphorus, a depleting natural resource. UPM Rauma is already close to achieving this milestone, and many of our other mills are already substituting a part of their nutrients with recycled sources.

We are constantly looking for new recycled nutrient sources. If you can help us in reaching our target, please let us know.

Saving water in China

Our paper mill in Changshu, China, is a prime example of minimizing water usage and maximizing quality through advanced water treatment technologies and strong collaboration. The mill

has made significant improvements in water efficiency in recent years, leading to a 15% reduction of process wastewater volume over the last five years
has invested in the recycling of its wastewater to be used as cooling water at the power plant.
began using recycled nitrogen sources in wastewater treatment in 2015, and by 2024, the substitution rate had reached 96.8%. In 2024, the factory also explored locally available recycled phosphorus resources, with related tests currently underway, aiming for a breakthrough in 2025.

For these actions and many more, UPM Changshu has received environmental recognition, including National Green Factory, Jiangsu Province’s first batch of Green Leading Development Enterprises, and Changshu City's first Green Factory. Since 2017, the mill has been rated as a National Water Efficiency Leader for four consecutive terms, the highest recognition for water management by the authorities.