Papermaker UPM says it has scored the first European Ecolabel certification for newsprint grades.

UPM News and EcoBasic have both obtained certification under criteria which include energy and chemical use requirements, forest sustainability (origin of wood), and production-related emissions to water and air.

The two are the first newsprint grades in Europe to receive the EU Ecolabel since the criteria were approved in July 2012. They are produced with at least 70 per cent recovered fibres with the balance of fibres from PEFC or FSC certified sources. The EU Ecolabel for newsprint further certifies that the energy use, chemicals used as well as emissions and waste management comply with strict benchmark standards.

UPM’s vice president of newspaper publishers Wolfgang Bucher says the company aspires to deliver products that have minimal environmental impact. “The Ecolabels help our customers to choose the most environmentally responsible products available on the market.

Th Ecolabelled newsprint is produced in seven mills – Kaipola (Finland), Ettringen, Schongau, Schwedt (Germany), Steyrermühl (Austria), Shotton (UK) and Chapelle (France).


 Bucher says the company made significant investments including new waste water treatment facilities and biomass-based renewable energy plants to achieve this level of environmental performance. “All this means more efficient paper production, with less energy, less water, less waste, and with less carbon,” he says.