We are living through the Covid -19 pandemic together with the communities all over the world. In response to the needs arising from the pandemic, our Biofore Share and Care programme has contributed to common good through sponsorships, donations, in-kind contributions and pro bono voluntary work. There are a number of local initiatives that we have been supporting during the past months and the valuable work continues.
Covid-19 support for local communities
The pandemic has witnessed a huge surge in demand for facial masks all over the world. UPM Sourcing team has worked closely together with other UPM expert teams to procure all together half a million facial masks that UPM production sites can provide for their local community free of charge. The masks can be given to local healthcare units, nursing homes or similar beneficiaries, and each UPM production site can choose whom they regard as the most deserving local recipient.
The distribution of the facial masks started in the end of June 2020. We want to share with you the stories about our local support and the journey of the masks in various countries.
UPM Changshu provided 15,000 masks to the local municipal government who coordinated the distribution. In addition, close to 1,500 boxes of copy paper were given to 16 hospitals in Wuhan. Hospitals need a great amount of copy paper to print various instructions and guidelines to patients and health care personnel, for example.
UPM Raflatac Changshu distributed 10,000 face masks for Dongzhang Health Center that will distribute the masks to first responders and long-term health facilities.
UPM Otepää provided Otepää Parish with 10,000 protective face masks through its Biofore Share and Care programs. Parish government has the best understanding who can benefit from masks most in the case of emergency. UPM is among the biggest employers in the region and has a role to play in fighting this pandemic.
UPM is participating in a project aiming to double COVID-19 testing capacity in Finland. A coalition of ten Finnish companies are contributing protecting public health and ensuring that everyone in Finland has equal opportunities to be tested if symptoms appear.
UPM is collaborating with the National Emergency Supply Agency of Finland (NESA) in sourcing protective masks from China. UPM’s pro bono involvement is for the common good. The company has made its sourcing personnel available for NESA free of charge.
Kouvola
In Kouvola UPM Kymi, UPM Energy and UPM Plywood joined forces and provided all together 40,000 facial masks to home care services and a service provider helping elderly and handicapped people.
Rauma
UPM Rauma has supported the social and healthcare services of Rauma city by providing 10,000 masks to health services for older people.
Jyväskylä, Savonlinna and Mikkeli
UPM Plywood has distributed facial masks to various locations. In Jyväskylä, Jokikartano and Jokihovi home care services received a delivery of 10,00 masks in total. In Savonlinna, the mask contribution was provided for the care of the elderly, for Iltakoti ry and Hopearanta ry. 10,000 masks were given to Kotikaari ry in Mikkeli.
South Karelia
In South Karelia, UPM Kaukas plant provided their support for the social welfare services for senior citizens of the South Karelia Social and Health Care District (Eksote) by giving 40,000 facial masks in total.
Vaasa
UPM Pietarsaari gave 20,000 masks for the Vaasa Central Hospital.
Valkeakoski and Jämsä
UPM Tervasaari and River Mills supported municipal health care services by providing 20 000 masks in total for the City of Valkeakoski and City of Jämsä. The masks will be used in care for disabled people and elderly care. Read more
Joensuu
UPM Plywood in Sirkkala and UPM Energy in Eno provided their support for the North Karelia Health Care District (Siun sote) at Joensuu region. The masks will be distributed for the elderly care home units around Joensuu.
Tampere
The UPM Raflatac Tampere factory in Finland distributed 10,000 protective face masks to a local Tammenlehvä rehabilitation center. Part of Tampere City Group, Tammenlehvä Center provides social and health services to elderly people and people with dementia as well as neurological and orthopedic rehabilitation needs.
Joroinen
UPM’s tree nursery in Joroinen supported the social and healthcare services in Varkaus by providing 10,000 face masks for the home care unit of Joroinen.
Helsinki and Lappeenranta
We support Finnish universities and makes a contribution of 40,000 face masks. The masks were handed to the students in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Helsinki, the School of Chemical Engineering at Aalto University, the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University and Chemical Engineering students at Lappeenranta University of Technology. Read more
Cancer Society of Finland
UPM Forest provided 20 000 facial masks for the use of the Cancer Society of Finland. UPM Forest’s operations cover almost the whole Finland why a national cancer society with more than ten regional member societies was a natural choice. In the focus of these societies is to meet the cancer patients and their relatives and loved ones, to give psychosocial support, advice and practical guidance.
UPM Raflatac Nancy in France distributed 10,000 face masks to four different organizations of the city of Pompey. The recipients were two nurseries and two retirement homes. The masks are used by the employees and medical people who take care of the children and older people.
UPM Augsburg paper mill and UPM Augsburg office (the head office of UPM Communication Papers) joined forces and distributed altogether 20,000 face masks to seven social and charitable organizations in the region. The chosen organizations are mostly involved in taking care of homeless people and drug addicts or other people in need.
UPM Plattling distributed 10,000 face masks to Bezirksklinikum Mainkofen and DIE RADIOLOGEN Deggendorf. Both institutions need this kind of help to fulfill their tasks in times of pandemic.
UPM Hürth gave 10,000 face masks to a nursing home for the elderly in the local township. “We want to engage locally in the fight against the pandemic. There are a lot of caritative institutions at Hürth, but we think that those caring for elderly people need special help at the moment. On the one hand their residents are a high-risk group, on the other they now are allowed to see their families again. An adequate supply of face masks is a must in this situation”, General Manager Armin Schmidt explains the motivation for the choice.
UPM Schongau gave 10,000 face masks to three social institutions. The masks were provided to the AWO senior center in Peiting, a retirement home of the Heiliggeist Spital Foundation in Schongau and the Marienheim institution in Peiting. All institutions work for the prosperity and well-being of the local community.
The Johor Bahru Factory in Malaysia has distributed 20,000 medical face masks to local Pasir Gudang Education Department (PPD Pasir Gudang) as part of UPM’s Biofore Share and Care Program. The schools in Malaysia started to open in July and there has been a high need of face masks as part of mitigation plan during this pandemic situation. The mask contribution will help the students as well as ease the burden of their parents and schools administration.
UPM Raflatac supports the ‘We Test – We Support’ project by the leading laboratories “Diagnostyka” which provides free COVID-19 tests for healthcare personnel and enables easy access to mobile testing also for private citizens in Wrocław region, where UPM Raflatac Poland has factories. Samples are taken at special drive & go-thru collection points.
Business HUB Wrocław donated 20,000 surgical masks to Care and Treatment Institute for children in Wierzbice and Jaszkotle in Poland. These non-public health care facilities that provide 24-hour medical, nursing and rehabilitation care for children with varying degrees of intellectual and motor disabilities, were indicated by our employees.
UPM Plywood in Chudovo provided personal protective equipment to Central Regional Hospital, including surgeon’s overalls, protective masks, shields, hats, shoe covers and respirators, elbow dispensers and alcohol wipes. In addition, over 2,000 protective masks have been delivered to kindergartens and city volunteers who help elderly people.
UPM Raflatac in Scarborough provided local NHS units and care homes with personal protective equipment including visors, safety glasses, aprons, gloves, anti-bacterial wipes and sprays and hand cleansing products. Local care providers and NHS departments were contacted to offer these items, which were then distributed to a variety of locations.
UPM Caledonian have handed out 10,000 surgical face masks to Hansel a social care provider, based in Ayrshire, supporting adults with living and learning disabilities.
UPM Shotton provided 20,000 masks via UPM’s Care and Share Programme to two worth local community charities. Masks were gratefully received by St John’s Hospice, and end-of life care provider in Wirral where previously the employees of UPM Shotton had also donated an owl carved from wood to adorn their social area. Masks were also gratefully received by a Flintshire centre to be used in care homes and health settings across the county.
UPM is one of the main sponsors of a public fund raiser called #WeTakeCareUnited in ColectaTe.com.uy. The proceeds have gone towards importing 100 mechanical ventilators and 100 bed monitors for Intensive Care Units, in addition to 31,000 diagnostic kits and 25,000 medical scrubs that are being produced in Uruguay. The campaign was initiated by a group of private businesses that, in dialogue with local government, have identified the critical supplies needed by health professionals in order to cope with increasing patient numbers.
The proceeds are managed by a committee appointed by the sponsoring businesses. The equipment will be donated to the Ministry of Public Health of Uruguay, which will allocate the supplies to public hospitals and health facilities in greatest needs of them.
UPM Blandin shared 10,000 protective face masks to local health care facilities. Blandin supplied 6,000 facial masks to Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital and 4,000 to Essentia Health Clinic. The mill was pleased to provide facial masks during this critical time to help stop the further spread of Covid19 in the local community. In addition, Blandin was also able to donate critical PPE equipment including N95 respirators and Tyvek suits this spring to Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital.
UPM Raflatac Dixon factory gave 10, 000 protective face masks to the local Lee County Health Department. The Department will distribute the masks to first responders and long-term health facilities. The mask contribution helps prevent the spread the virus to the most vulnerable in the local community of Dixon.
