UPM-Biofore-Magazine-3-2014-EN

TEXT VESA PUOSKARI

PHOTOGRAPHY UPM

F orest certifications define exactly how forest with Chain of Custody model guarantee UPM’s customers and consumers that the whole value chain is operating according to the same principles,” explains Sami Oksa , Environmental Manager, Wood Sourcing and Forestry, fromUPM. UPMpromotes all credible forest certification schemes, including the two major international schemes PEFC and FSC. The SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative), which is the most common system in the US, is endorsed by PEFC. “Overall, the objective of all schemes is to ensure that forests are managed in an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable way”. UPMowns a total 1.1 million hectares of forestry land in Finland, the UK, Uruguay, andMinnesota, USA. All UPM-owned own forests and the majority of private forests under UPMmanagement are certified. Approximately 80% of wood fibres used by UPMoriginates from certified forests. Communicating sustainability UPMutilises Chain of Custody (CoC) certification – a wood fibre tracking systemproviding a traceable link between forests and end products. UPMhas created its own UPM Generic Chain of Custody model which fulfils both PEFC and FSC certification requirements. According to Oksa, the system is used to verify that procured wood is legal and doesn’t come from controversial sources like nature protection areas or violate the rights of indigenous people, for example. UPMutilises forest certification logos for communicating the sustainability and certification status of timber, paper and other wood-based products to customers. “PEFC and FSC logos can be used in various products on condition that the whole supply chain has a certification. Thanks to the system the origin of wood used for products can be verified all way down to customers who buy the end products”, Oksa concludes. owners have to look after their land property and how to harvest forests in a sustainable manner. “At the same time, forest certifications together

TRACING THE SOURCE OF WOOD

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