(1888PressRelease)
October 09, 2006 - United States -- Environmental and social responsibility information released by global forest products leader UPM (NYSE:UPM)has been judged the best in the industry by the environmental research center of an elite U.S. liberal arts college.
UPM achieved the highest overall score in the 2005 Roberts Environmental Center Pacific Sustainability Index, which is compiled annually by the center, a research institute at Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles.
"UPM works very hard to ensure that our commitment to environmental sustainability and responsibility is transparent to our customers and the public, so we're pleased that this work has been recognized by a prestigious research center like Roberts," said Philippe Riebel, Environmental Director for UPM North America.
Roberts' 2005 study was based on information available on the web sites of all companies in the forest and paper products sector of the 2004 Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 1000, as of May 18, 2005.
All analyses are available on the center's Website, http://www.roberts.mckenna.edu/ . Claremont McKenna College is ranked as the 10th best liberal arts college in the United States by U. S. News & World Report magazine.
UPM's 22 production facilities annually produce environmental reports, detailing their sustainability and social responsibility practices. In addition, in 2005, UPM North America produced its first regional environmental statement detailing its environmental performance in the United States and Canada. Copies of this statement, and the environmental statements for its two North American publication paper production facilities -- UPM Blandin Paper Mill in Grand Rapids, Minn., and UPM Miramichi, in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada, are available in PDF format at http://www.upm-kymmene.com/northamerica (under the "Environment" link).
In addition, UPM issues a corporate responsibility report each year that details its globally responsible use of raw materials and energy, the environmental impacts of its operations and what it does to mitigate them and its policies toward responsible employment of people and support of society. The global corporate responsibility statement is available in PDF format at http://www.upm-kymmene.com/ (also under the "Environment" link).
ABOUT UPM NORTH AMERICA
Based in Westmont, Ill., UPM, North America comprises the North American publication paper operations of global paper and forest products company UPM, and is the continent's third-largest supplier of lightweight coated paper to magazine and catalog publishers, retailers and printers.
ABOUT UPM
Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, UPM is the world's leading producer of lightweight coated magazine and catalog printing papers. UPM operates production plants in 15 countries and sells products in 170 countries. UPM's 2004 revenues were more than US$13 billion, and the Company employs approximately 33,400 people. The Company's shares are listed on the New York and Helsinki stock exchanges.
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