PARTNERSHIP IN DEVELOPING WATER FOOTPRINT OF PAPER

Within UPM, water is among the most important areas of environmental responsibility. Last year UPM signed the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, joined the Water Footprint Network and the Baltic Sea Action Summit.

 

The forest industry is seen as a major user of water, which is why UPM is taking a proactive stance and is preparing for a debate on sustainable water management.

 

Partnership with the Water Footprint Network provided an opportunity to look into calculating the water footprint of paper too. It was tested by UPM at the Nordland Papier mill in Germany and at the Changshu paper mill in China.

 

UPM has taken a leading role in the development of water footprinting in the paper industry. At our Nordland Papier mill,  around 99% of the water footprint comes from the paper subcontracting chain, and only 1% from the paper mill's actual production processes.

 

Supply chain has a key role

The Water Footprint Network method examines three different types of water: green, blue and grey. Green water is water that has fallen as rain, which is at the disposal of plants – in the case of UPM, trees - and is required for their growth. Blue water is the portion of water extracted from rivers and lakes by mills, which evaporates during the production process. Grey water, on the other hand, is the volume of water that is required to assimilate treated wastewater to such an extent that the quality of the water remains above agreed water quality standards.

 

According to the calculations, 60% of Nordland Papier’s water footprint is green water, 1% blue water and 39% grey water. Approximately 99% of the water footprint derives from the supply chain, and the Nordland Papier paper production process itself accounts for around 1%.

 

The current method, however, treats all elements of the footprint as negative impacts, including green water taken up during tree growth. UPM believes that this does not truly reflect the positive role of forest growth. The Water Footprint Network wants to strengthen cooperation and further develop the method for calculating the water footprint of paper in collaboration with UPM. The company is also carrying out a water footprint sustainability assessment.

 

This article is based on an interview with Jesse Rep, Senior Environmental Specialist at UPM.

 

Text: Tuovi Similä
Photos: Viljak