Forests provide UPM with the company’s main raw materials: wood and wood fiber. The company is using forest certification schemes, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Programme for the Enhancement of Forest Certification (PEFC), for its sustainable forest management, but realizes that many consumers do not recognize the forest certification logos or know what they mean, and even when they do recognize the logos, most do not understand the concept of sustainable forest management.

The UPM biodiversity program was developed to meet these challenges directly and to differentiate UPM from other companies with the same accreditation. This approach also helps to promote sustainability issues on all levels of the company. The clear commitment to biodiversity conservation has helped UPM enter markets, maintaining old, and reaching new customers and stakeholders.