Public consultation: Finland forest certification system

From the high use of water and pesticides to produce cotton, to the climate impact of manufacturing synthetic fibres, the fashion industry is one of the most resource intensive industries in the world. In response, the fashion industry is increasingly looking to implement sustainability within its supply chains. This week, we are at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit to promote our solution directly to fashion brands and retailers. The solution? Forests, of course! Forests provide materials and fibres for many of the common consumer products we use today. Yarn from cypress, beech and eucalyptus trees can make fibres for clothing. Cork and wood can be used for not only clothing, but accessories too. Check out the shoes we are taking to the Summit, made from eucalyptus and natural rubber. Click Read More below for additional information.

At UPM, we have zero tolerance for deforestration and have strict processes in place to ensure that forests always grow more than they are used. In the North, commercial forests have a growth cycle of between 60 to 100 years, so the forests we plant today will be harvested by our children and our children’s children. Jue Wang, a Senior Environmental Specialist with UPM Specialty Papers, says that there is a false belief that using paper and pulp drive deforestation. The key element to commercial forestry is imitating how natural forests grow, she adds: “We analyse the differences and try to mimic them, such as increasing the share of broadleaf trees and leaving deadwood as a habitat for insects. This way, forests can be healthier and more resilient to the environment.” Forest planning generally covers a period of ten years and defines the activity proposed for the area each year. “Through skilled management, the trees can better adapt to climate change and eventually produce a better quality of wood. It’s not about getting the most trees, but to obtain the healthiest forests in the long term,” says Wang,

The team at our Cedar Springs, Georgia, mill believes not only in being a good neighbor, but also a responsible environmental steward. In fact, the Wildlife Habitat Council recently certified the mill as a Wildlife at Work property, a distinction designed to recognize outstanding habitat management on industrial lands. Wildlife at Work certifications aren’t easy to come by, but for Cedar Springs, the recognition is well-deserved. The employees working at the nearly 5,000-acre site go out of their way to minimize disruptions to wildlife living in the area. For example, the team has carefully relocated a dozen gopher tortoises over the years to ensure the animals are not harmed when a mill expansion or construction project occurs. Other species the team is working to increase include bluebirds, purple martins, bats, and insect pollinators, and it protects endangered mussels living in the Sawhatchee Creek, which runs through the property. The team is also planning to replant longleaf pine trees on 300 acres of the site, a move which will benefit a multitude of indigenous creatures, including the gopher tortoise.