Safeguarding forests for future generations

We are committed to doing right. We strive to create long-term profitable business ethically and responsibly,  supporting all aspects of sustainability. We have company-level commitments and rules in place for our wood sourcing, and we adhere to internationally accepted principles of sustainable forestry.  We apply credible, third-party verified schemes such as forest certification to ensure  our full transparency and continuous improvement.

Our very business depends on the continuous growth of forests and the long-term availability of wood. Our commitment to sustainable forestry ensures continued forest growth for centuries, enabling us to continue creating new, renewable and responsible solutions in the categories of pulp, paper, timber, energy, fuels, labels and plywood. The excellent care we take of our forests also benefits the climate, environment and society.

Our long-term view ensures that we plant more trees than we harvest. We plant at least one new tree to replace each one we harvest, which totals 50 million new saplings every year – that’s 100 new trees every minute. We have made a long-term promise guaranteeing sustainable forest management for decades to come.

We source wood from our own forests, from private forest owners and from b-to-b partners such as governments and other forest industry companies. All wood used by UPM is 100% traceable. We do not source wood from protected areas or from areas where the rights of  indigenous people are threatened.  

We monitor and verify the origin of all raw materials in our wood supply chains.  Our suppliers are required to comply with responsible business practices specified under the UPM Supplier and Third Party Code and our company policies and rules. Specific criteria for wood sourcing are defined in the UPM requirements for wood suppliers. 

Forest certification is a great tool for promoting sustainable forestry. We use and promote recognized forest certification schemes such as FSC and PEFC. We use certified chain of custody and controlled wood systems verified by independent external auditors to ensure  that our wood is 100% responsibly sourced.

Our company harvests wood both from semi-natural forests and plantations. Biogeography, climate conditions, forestry methods and wood sourcing models vary in different geographical regions. Our practices are aligned with local conditions, but we observe the same basic sustainability principles in every location across the globe. We have identified five strategic global fundamentals and cornerstones that guide our forestry operations: wood, climate, water, biodiversity and people.

As defined in the UPM Code of Conduct and responsibility principles, we aim to create long-term profitable business ethically and responsibly, supporting economic, social and environmental sustainability.

We are committed to forestry practices based on internationally accepted principles of sustainable forest management. These include the forest certification schemes and certified chain of custody systems that we use to verify the responsible origins of our wood. We naturally also respect and comply with local legislation and statutory regulations in every country in which we are active.

Social licence is a key element of sustainable forestry. We engage in a continuous dialogue with our local stakeholders and respect their needs and rights.  We do not harvest wood from indigenous territories.

UPM has been involved in developing forest certification since the 1990s. Forest certification is an excellent tool for promoting sustainable forestry and for demonstrating to our consumers and downstream processors that the raw materials used in our products are legally sourced from sustainably managed forests. 

We promote all responsible forest certification schemes. On a global scale, the two major certification schemes are FSC® (FSC C 109750) and PEFC^TM. Our target is to increase the use of certified wood so that all sourced wood will be certified by 2030. To reach this target we participate actively in the development of standards as well as offering forest certification to forest owners according to their needs.

All forests owned by UPM are covered by PEFC and/or FSC certificates. In addition, we manage our own FSC group, which private forest owners are welcome to join. We are responsible for ensuring that the forests covered in the certificate are managed with the applied standards. Independent third-party auditors verify that our operations meet the standard requirements.