UPM awarded the “Certification of High-tech Enterprise” in China

(UPM Helsinki, 16 April 2013) – UPM China has been awarded the “Certification of High-tech Enterprise” jointly issued by China Jiangsu Province’s Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Finance, the Bureau of State Taxation, and the Bureau of Local Taxation. The certification was received in December 2012 and it recognizes companies that have made outstanding contributions to China’s economic and social development in terms of leadership in high-level scientific research, highly qualified research professionals, state-of-the-art technologies, outstanding operational efficiency, and strong market competitiveness. The issuance of the certificate demonstrates that the sustainability of the operations of UPM in China is recognized.

As the leader of the new forest industry, UPM focuses on sustainable development, and has continuously organized cooperation with research institutes and universities to advance its capacity for innovation.

“Achieving the High-tech Enterprise status is an exceptional achievement. UPM utilizes sustainable development concepts, state-of-the-art production technology, equipment and management methods. Our way of doing truly is high-tech and environmental friendly,” commented Raul Ikonen, Finance Director, UPM Asia Pacific.

UPM confers great importance to technological R&D as well as to how to find new material. “We are paying close attention to the development of industry standards and are always striving to have best practices in use,” commented Jaakko Nikkilä, Vice President of Sales, UPM Paper APAC.

The Asia-Pacific R&D centre in Changshu (located in the Jiangsu Province) has a solid team of engineers and researchers that will provide technical support to the ‘PM3 project’. The new machine will start by the end of 2014 and is capable of producing up to 360,000 tonnes of uncoated woodfree grades and high-quality label papers.

The aim of UPM is to deliver “More with Biofore” by continuously reducing the environmental impact of its products over the whole lifecycle. To achieve this ambitious goal, material efficiency needs to play a key role in all company operations. In the case of China, UPM Changshu mill has reduced water consumption by 65% and energy consumption by 25% per tonne of paper produced during the last ten years. Regarding sustainability, the company verifies that all wood fibre is responsibly sourced, and that all of UPM’s forests and plantations are certified.

For further information please contact:
Raul Ikonen, Finance Director, UPM Asia Pacific, tel.  +86 21 6448 5536

Links
Read more about UPM Paper’s sustainability in: http://www.upmpaper.com/en/environment/Pages/default.aspx

UPM Paper
UPM has 21 modern and sustainable paper mills in Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, China, and the United States. As the world’s leading producer of graphic papers, UPM Paper provides customers with renewable high-performance products, and delivers more through efficient practises and continuous innovation. UPM Paper’s annual net sales amounted to EUR 7.2 billion in 2012 and the business group employs approximately 12,600 people. To learn more about UPM Paper, visit: www.upmpaper.com

UPM
UPM leads the way in integrating bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. The company’s business is divided into three business areas: Energy and Pulp, Paper and Engineered Materials. UPM employs approximately 22,000 people and has production plants in 17 countries. The company’s annual turnover amounts to more than EUR 10 billion. UPM's shares are listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. UPM – The Biofore Company – www.upm.com

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