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Meaningful engagement with local communities

Building and maintaining good relations with and supporting the vitality of local communities close to our operations is a foundation for responsible and successful business.

Our aim is to be a good neighbor and a trusted partner to the people and communities wherever we operate. This requires open, proactive engagement with those who may be affected by our activities. Through ongoing dialogue, we build trust, deepen our understanding of potential community impacts, and enable meaningful participation in matters that concern them. We use these insights to prevent and mitigate adverse impacts and to enhance positive outcomes.

We aim to bring long-term value to local communities. From developing infrastructure to generating employment and paying taxes, our presence supports prosperity and opportunities.

We invest in people and future generations through:

Apprenticeship programs in Finland, Germany, and Uruguay

Collaboration with educational institutions and research networks

Initiatives that strengthen local skills and social capital

In Uruguay, the UPM Foundation works closely with local organizations and representatives to promote education and entrepreneurship and to build more resilient communities.

Engagement in practise

We engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including local communities, employees, contractors, NGOs, local authorities and other relevant groups ensuring their needs and concerns are integrated into our operations.

Community engagement includes:

Mapping and prioritizing stakeholders
Planning engagement
Identifying and mitigating impacts
Monitoring effectiveness of the actions
Having local grievance mechanism for managing concerns and feedback
Supporting local initiatives with long-term impacts

The Standard for Community Engagement and the Share and Care Program guides our engagement with stakeholders and society. It establishes a common framework for sites and forestry operations with potentially significant impacts on surrounding communities and the environment.

The Standard builds on existing engagement practices by bringing structure and consistency to community engagement, local dialogue, and local support. It strengthens trust‑based dialogue with local communities, supports the effective resolution of concerns and grievances, and enhances the long‑term impact of local support activities.

Share and Care Program

Our Share and Care Program reflects our commitment to building a sustainable, innovation-driven future. We support causes that promote youth, education, climate change mitigation and biodiversity. In 2025, we contributed approximately €1.7 million in local support and charitable donations.

Supporting employees in restructuring

In restructuring situations, we work closely with employees, their organizations, authorities, and other stakeholders. We provide financial support for retraining, re-employment, relocation, and new business initiatives. All actions follow national labor laws and international best practices.

Beyond our mandatory obligations, we offer extensive re-employment programs for those affected by permanent closures or restructuring. These include retraining, relocation within the company, support for entrepreneurship, severance payments, and outplacement guidance. These efforts are carried out in cooperation with relevant authorities and partners.