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Our human rights due diligence is an ongoing process

Human rights due diligence is an ongoing risk management process to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for adverse human rights impacts.

We implement a Group-wide human rights due diligence process that covers our own operations and value chains. As part of our ongoing due diligence work, we have identified vulnerable groups of people requiring special attention from us.

Our human rights journey began in 2013 with an initial focus on identifying and managing potential human rights- and labor-related risks in our supply chains.

Since 2017, we have also focused on identifying the salient human rights issues in our own operations, including self-assessments of our units and a human rights impact assessment of our operations in Uruguay, conducted in collaboration with external advisors.

Focus on supply chains

UPM buys materials and services from more than 22,000 B2B suppliers globally. Our sourcing network includes suppliers from start-up companies to international corporations. We also buy wood from nearly 15,000 private forest owners.

Our risk-based approach consists of various elements applied before and during the onboarding of new suppliers and the monitoring of business partners. These elements include Know Your Supplier screenings, third-party sustainability assessments by Ecovadis, and UPM´s high sustainability risk supplier framework. The minimum requirements for suppliers are outlined in our  Supplier and Third-Party Code.

Supplier audits are conducted on a risk basis by trained UPM lead auditors or accredited external auditors. UPM is a member of the Together for Sustainability initiative, which consists of over 50 companies that collaborate to scale up supplier assessments and audits.

Close internal coordination and capacity building

In our own operations, accountability for continuous human rights due diligence lies with our businesses, supported by corporate teams. This consists of the regularly identifying their impacts on people and the environment and prioritizing the most salient issues for further focus and action through human rights workshops and various assessments. UPM’s Responsibility team coordinates global efforts, develops tools, and builds capacity to address human rights issues.

Raising concerns

In line with our compliance system and human rights due diligence process, we have a mechanism in place to report any human rights related cases through the UPM Report Misconduct channel. The channel is available worldwide on our website for all stakeholders, including our employees, in multiple languages. Submitting a report is fully confidential and can be done anonymously. 

Voice your concerns

All stakeholders play a crucial role in maintaining our standards of integrity. One of the most important contributions is to report knowledge or suspicion of unethical behavior.

Report misconduct

Monitoring and reporting

We use insights from our human rights due diligence and compliance systems, grievance mechanisms, and stakeholder feedback to monitor and track our human rights performance. We also use these insights to continuously develop our approach. UPM's annual report, based on the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) reporting framework, provides comprehensive information on human rights impacts, risks, opportunities and actions taken.

Learn more about our social performance

We disclose a comprehensive amount of information about our environmental, social, and governance performance in our Annual Report 2024. The report complies with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

Read more in our Sustainability Statement.