Product safety - always a priority

Product safety is an important cornerstone of product stewardship. Always prioritising safety, we use materials that are renewable or recyclable or, in the best case both, to create a solid basis for responsible product stewardship from the product’s cradle to its grave – and beyond.

Product safety systems at UPM cover the entire manufacturing process – from the procurement of raw materials to the delivery of end products. Our sustainable product desing approach means that impacts of our raw materials and manufacturing processes are properly identified along the product’s entire life-cycle and negative impacts are minimised already in the design stage.

Protecting the whole value chain

As part of our sustainable product design approach, all chemicals used in production are subject to a strict selection process during the product development phase. The chemicals chosen must fulfil all functional and operational demands, but they must also meet various legislative, environmental, and occupational health and safety requirements for the the whole lifetime of a product. UPM products are designed safe for their intented uses. On top of the regulatory reguirements and voluntary commitments, like ecolabels, we have defined a specific criteria to provide additional control for use of hazardous chemicals and to guide in selection of chemicals. UPM's Chemical Management Standard requires a careful assessment of the chemical hazard properties. All chemicals selected for use are required to have the lowest possible adverse effects on human health, the environment and the safety of UPM's products. The list of restricted chemical substances includes substances with selected hazard classifications, substances on the European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA) list of substances of very high concern (SVHC) or substances with endocrine disrupting effects. At UPM, a similar list has been in place since 2010. We apply the approval process not only to raw materials and direct process additives but also to chemicals used in maintenance. Only approved chemicals can be used. If a product is intended for contact with food or for children’s toys, it must in addition pass stringent testing according to national food contact material regulations or EU Harmonized Standards for toys. At the end of the product’s life cycle, we must be able to guarantee that it can be disposed safely or efficiently collected for recycling.