Fighting Climate Change With Advanced Biofuels

Mitigating climate change and resource scarcity require fast actions and bold solutions. Fortunately, these solutions are already at hand today. Advanced biofuels are immediately available to meet today's need to reduce transport emissions. In addition, UPM BioVerno naphtha can substitute fossil raw materials to produce most common plastics.

Advanced biofuels produced from wastes and residues, as well as non-land use change feedstocks, form the backbone for a long term fuel supply. These biofuels have exceptionally good emission reduction effects making them well suited to mitigate climate change with high greenhouse gas emission savings.

What makes our biofuels so sustainable?

Replacing fossil products and resources

Origin in sustainable forestry

No food or feed competition

Around 80% fewer CO2 emissions

Significantly reduces tailpipe emissions

No direct or indirect land use change

Extensively certified

The global need for biofuels is rising

The EU has set ambitious targets for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction in all sectors. In transport, a 30% reduction is needed by 2030 to step towards a low carbon economy and make a fair and ambitious contribution to the Paris Agreement to mitigate climate change.

Global demand for biofuels is forecast to increase, especially in road haulage and in sea and air transport. Besides improved engine efficiency, reducing CO2 emissions will require electrification of transport and significant quantities of renewable low-emission fuels.

GHG reduction is by far the most important driver for the use of biofuels in transport.

One of the advantages of high quality liquid biofuels is that there is no need for new vehicles or new distribution infrastructure – they work well in existing vehicles and current distribution systems. Advanced biofuels are a tested, well-functioning solution and could be a fast track to low emission traffic as they could be taken into use immediately and clearly cut CO2 and tailpipe emissions.

A fast lane solution for decarbonisation

Biofuels are vital to the road transport energy mix to meet the EU's GHG reduction targets.
With sustainable biofuels, a rapid reduction in GHGs can be achieved as no infrastructure or vehicle changes are required.
In the short term, high quality advanced renewable fuels such as UPM BioVerno can significantly cut both GHG and tailpipe emissions in vehicles with internal combustion engines.
In the long term, other transport sectors such as aviation, marine and heavy duty – also hardest to electrify – can be decarbonised with advanced biofuels.

Growing demand for renewables in plastic industry

Petrochemicals are projected to account for one third of global oil demand growth by 2030 despite the efforts put into recycling and reduction of single use plastics. We need sustainable alternatives such as UPM BioVerno naphtha to replace fossil feedstock.

International recognition for UPM corporate responsibility

The UN Global Compact initiative

The world's largest corporate responsibility project released ground-breaking global sustainability goals in 2015. UPM Biofuels was selected as a model example for the climate change objective, which seeks to prevent climate change and its impacts as a matter of urgency.

The Global Compact gives enterprises a framework that helps guide their strategic objectives and operations for the benefit of society and provides an excellent opportunity for promoting sustainable business. The significance of enterprises, investors and civil society as a positive force for sustainable development is constantly growing - and expected to play an important role in achieving the goals of sustainable development.

Discover the main sustainable development goals of The UN Global Compact initiative

The UN recognises UPM as the only forest industry representative and the only Finnish company in the Global Compact LEAD network

UPM has been recognised as one of the world’s 37 most sustainable companies by the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. The company has received the LEAD Participant status as the only forest industry representative and the only Finnish company. UPM has had the LEAD status since 2016 already.

Platts Global Energy Awards 2017

UPM Biofuels won the Bioenergy Industry Leadership award in the 2017 Platts Global Energy Awards - often described as the Oscars of the energy industry.

Dow Jones Sustainability Indices

UPM has been listed as the forest and paper industry leader in the Dow Jones European and World Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for 2020 - 2021.

WBM Bio Business Award

The UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery won the Commercial Scale Plant of the Year Award in the 2015 Bio Business Award competition at the World Bio Markets event.

Sustainable Energy Europe

UPM BioVerno diesel won the European Commission's Sustainable Energy Europe Award in the Travelling category in 2014.

Sustainable Biofuels Awards

UPM Biofuels won recognition for its ground-breaking and sustainable technological innovation work in the 2013 Sustainable Biofuels Awards.

UPM BioVerno one of 25 unique example cases of Nordic bioeconomy

The Nordic Bioeconomy Panel under The Nordic Council of Ministers chose UPM BioVerno among the Nordic bioeconomy’s 25 cases for sustainable change catalogue published in 2017. Versatile use of recyclable and renewable wood biomass, combined with innovation, efficiency and responsibility lies at the core of UPM’s Biofore strategy.

“The Nordic countries are strongly placed to be global leaders in the production and utilisation of bioresources that will enhance both competitiveness and sustainability.”

Fighting climate change with advanced biofuels