Acknowledged industry leader

Over the past few years UPM’s performance and consistent work in the field of corporate responsibility has received recognition from many external parties. Here are some examples:

UN Global Compact LEAD Participant 

We have held a Global Compact LEAD participant status during years 2016 - 2021 for our strong engagement to the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. Less than 40 companies receives this recognition annually. To receive the status, companies were to join distinct collaboration platforms and, in general, demonstrate strong engagement with the Global Compact initiative and commitment to defining and fostering leadership practices in line with the Global Compact Ten Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Currently, the collaboration model and criteria for LEAD eligibility are under review within Global Compact, and during the transition time there will be no LEAD recognition granted.

Top 1% S&P Global ESG Score in S&P Global's Sustainability Yearbook 2023

In February 2023 we were recognised with a Top 1% S&P Global ESG Score in the Sustainability Yearbook 2023 by S&P Global. We were one of the top-scoring companies in the Paper and Forest industry and receive this recognition for our excellent sustainability performance. 

In 2023, 61 industries and 7,800 companies in total were assessed for potential inclusion in the Yearbook. 

Read more: The Sustainability Yearbook | S&P Global (spglobal.com)

Dow Jones Sustainability Index

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) lists top-performing companies in sustainability from each sector, both on a global and regional level.

The annual review of the DJSI is based on a thorough analysis of corporate environmental, social and governance performance, assessing issues such as climate change mitigation, supply chain standards, labour practices, corporate governance and risk management.

On 12 December 2022, UPM was listed as the forest and paper industry leader in the Dow Jones European and World Sustainability Indices for 2022 - 2023. 

Read more on our press release.

AAA in MSCI ESG ratings

In October 2022, UPM renewed its AAA rating in the MSCI ESG Ratings assessment.

MSCI ESG Research provides MSCI ESG ratings on global public and a few private companies on a scale of AAA (leader) to CCC (laggard), according to exposure to industry-specific ESG risks and the ability to manage those risks relative to peers.

Learn more about: MSCI ESG ratings

MSCI Disclaimer Statement

Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI)

In January 2023 we were selected among the 484 listed companies in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) as one of the three Finnish companies. UPM has been selected in the index for five times in a row. The index lists the most committed companies to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality. We acknowledge that diversity is becoming increasingly important topic for many of our stakeholders and are committed to continuously improve our reporting and show the progress of our work transparently.

Read more about the index here.

Water Efficiency Frontrunner in China 

UPM has been recognised as a Water Efficiency Frontrunner in Jiangsu Province and China at large. This recognition has been issued twice since 2018, and UPM is the only paper company in China to receive this recognition both times. The qualification process, including on-site audits and a review of all relevant documentation, was done by the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Water Resources. As a frontrunner, we set the industry benchmark for the promotion of water efficiency in China.

Read more. 

Platinum level LEED® green building certification for UPM's head office Biofore House in Helsinki, Finland

In January 2019 our Biofore House in Helsinki was awarded a platinum level LEED® green building certification. It is the first platinum level certification achieved with version LEED v4 for Building Operations and Maintenance and third in Europe. The achieved certification level verifies the building’s excellent energy and environmental performance.

Bioenergy Industry Leadership award

In December 2017 UPM Biofuels was chosen as the Bioenergy Industry Leader at the 2017 Platts Global Energy Awards - often described as the Oscars of the energy industry. UPM Biofuels was nominated for its wood-based, low-emission advanced UPM BioVerno biofuels, and its one-of-a-kind commercial scale biorefinery in Lappeenranta, Finland. UPM outperformed energy companies from nearly 30 countries on four continents, including some of the world's leading energy giants.

Read more in UPM press release 8th December 2017.

Nordic bioeconomy - 25 cases for sustainable change

The Nordic Bioeconomy Panel under The Nordic Council of Ministers has chosen UPM BioVerno and GrowDex® for the Nordic bioeconomy - 25 cases for sustainable change catalogue. 

UPM BioVerno is a renewable diesel made of crude tall oil, a wood residue from pulp production. GrowDex® is a wood-based nanocellulose hydrogel developed for the needs of the pharmaceutical industry. 

Read more in UPM press release 19 January 2017.

CDP

In December 2022 CDP, a global non-profit organisation, recognised us with a triple ‘A’ score for our performance and transparent reporting on climate change, forests and water security. Out of nearly 15,000 companies scored, we are one of only 12 companies that achieved the triple ‘A’.

In March 2023 we were again included in the 2022 CDP Supplier Engagement Leaderboard. This means that we are among the top 8% assessed for supplier engagement on climate change, based on the 2022 CDP disclosure. This recognition is a result of our work to engage with our suppliers to tackle climate change. The persevering work to decrease the CO2 emissions of our supply chain is done in the ambitious -30by30 programme.

By scoring businesses from A to D-, CDP evaluates organisations’ activities from being transparent; being aware of the issue; managing the issue and finally being the leader. As an international non-profit organisation CDP drives companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. 

Read more on our press release 13th December 2022.

Read more on CDP's website. 

Platinum score in responsibility assessment by EcoVadis

In August 2023 the global sustainability ratings provider EcoVadis recognised UPM with the highest possible Platinum score for its responsibility performance. 

EcoVadis’s methodology covers four categories: environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement and it’s based on leading standards, such as GRI, UN Global Compact and ISO 26000. The assessment process and methodology are supervised by an international scientific committee.  

UPM’s score was 87/100 for the second time in a row. The Platinum score was addressed only to one per cent of over 100,000 companies assessed across over 175 countries and over 200 industries.  

EcoVadis acts as a trusted partner for procurement teams all over the world and helps the organisations to reduce risks and drive innovation in their responsibility activities. Also UPM Sourcing uses EcoVadis to assess its suppliers.

Read more on EcoVadis web site: https://ecovadis.com/

Euronext Vigeo 

UPM has been listed on the Euronext Vigeo Europe 120 Index and Eurozone 120 Index. These indices recognize companies achieving advanced standards of excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance performance. Index components are reviewed every six months, in December and June.

A list of the full SRI index range can be viewed on the Euronext and Vigeo Eiris websites. 

Global Compact Stock Index

UPM has been included in the United Nations Global Compact 100 since 2013. Combining corporate sustainability and baseline financial performance, this global stock index recognizes 100 companies selected for their adherence to the Global Compact’s ten principles as well as evidence of executive leadership commitment and consistent baseline profitability.

UPM forest management practises recognised by FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recognised UPM for its exemplary forest management practices  in June 2015. The recognition was conferred by the Forestry General Direction of Uruguay as part of a National Workshop titled “Methodological Transfer of Exemplary Cases of Sustainable Forest Management”.

STOXX Global ESG Leaders Index

The STOXX Global ESG Leaders Index is a listing of leading global companies based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and indicators provided by Sustainalytics. UPM has been listed since the launch of the index in 2011.​