UPM Biochemicals sourcing practices & forest management approach

Just as we have embarked on the decarbonisation of the energy sector, a transition to renewable carbon in the chemical and plastics industries is necessary if we are to stop adding to the earth’s greenhouse gases. In the future beyond fossils, there will only be three sources of carbon – grown, captured or recycled.

The process to manufacture UPM’s bio-based materials uses regionally-sourced wood from forests and side streams from sawmill operations, all from within a 250-km radius of the biorefinery. One hundred percent of the wood used to produce UPM’s renewable #biochemicals is either FSC®- or PEFC™-certified and sourced from regional beechwood forests – conserving #biodiversity and natural ecosystems.

This is an excellent example of how the bioeconomy enables the defossilisation of entire product streams and creates economic impact in the regions around bioeconomy businesses like our Leuna biorefinery.