Did you know that UPM-Kymmene, in partnership with customers, environment groups and local government, is working to increase transparency in the paper chain in general and in Russian wood imports in particular?Protecting the environment is an important part of UPM-Kymmene's activities as a giant in the forest industry.
The Finnish Group's environmental policy statement contains a commitment to the principles of sustainable development as set out by the International Chamber of Commerce.
Much work has been done to develop the Group's environmental management systems, which now cover areas such as wood procurement, the use of recycled materials, emissions to air and water, and the use of energy.
Due to the problem of illegal logging in Russia, UPM-Kymmene and its German customers, mail order company Otto Versand and newspaper and magazine publisher Axel Springer Verlag, launched a project to increase transparency in the paper chain from tree to magazine, with the cooperation of Det Norske Veritas, Greenpeace Russia, and the Russian State Forest Administration.
The goal of the project was to show, as clearly as possible, how wood imported from Russia is monitored on its way from the forests to the paper mill, including an in-depth description of the management and operating systems used, as well as of the practices applied.
UPM-Kymmene imports wood to Finland for reasons of availability and quality. The volume of wood imported represents over 15% of the total wood raw material requirement of UPM-Kymmene's Finnish mills.
In 1996 UPM-Kymmene created an information system for tracing the origin of imported wood. The system consists of three elements:
a Statement of Origin
database and GIS mapping program
audits in the country of origin.
Creating transparency goes far beyond mere “corporate communications”. It is not restricted to conveying selected messages to selected audiences. It is much more about showing how the company works - not only the positive aspects, but also the problems.
Stakeholders increasingly ask for product information that is not limited to a list of the product's contents. They ask for information about the entire “production history” of the product.
Paper companies have a business interest in implementing sustainable forestry standards for the timber they use and explaining to their stakeholders that there is not necessarily a link between the feared forest degradation and paper production.