Since April 2024, UPM Plywood has used renewable diesel in all domestic road transport of WISA plywood. As a result, the calculated emission reduction for the same year was already around 65 percent compared to the previous year.
“In 2025, when renewable diesel will be used throughout the entire year, the emission reduction is expected to reach as high as 90 percent compared to 2023,” says UPM Plywood’s Logistics Manager Erkki Pietikäinen.
This development is part of UPM Plywood’s long-term climate efforts, aiming to reduce scope 3 emissions across the value chain by 30 percent by 2030, when compared to 2018 levels.
Emissions from road and rail transport continue to decline
WISA plywood is transported by both road and rail to meet the needs of the construction and transportation industries. Rail transport from the UPM Pellos mill switched to renewable diesel at the beginning of 2024, and now fossil diesel has been fully replaced in all of UPM Plywood’s domestic transport operations.
“This is the most straightforward and quickly implementable way to reduce the logistics carbon footprint using the existing fleet of our transport partners. Every small stream contributes to reaching our overall climate targets,” Pietikäinen adds.
Mass balance enables the use of renewable fuel
The fuel used is HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil), a renewable diesel made from sustainable raw materials. Compared to fossil diesel, CO₂ emissions are reduced by up to 90 percent.
The emission reductions are based on the mass balance approach, in which the transport partner commits to purchasing and using the same amount of renewable diesel as is consumed by UPM’s transport operations.
“While every individual vehicle may not be filled with renewable diesel at every refueling, the transport partner guarantees the use of an equivalent volume of renewable diesel. This is verified through third-party certified documentation.”
Lower transport emissions benefit the entire value chain
The switch to low-emission domestic road transport supports UPM Plywood’s emission reduction targets, which aim to reduce the climate impact of its products, operations and supply chains.
“It’s clear that we must reduce transport-related emissions across all our operations. Domestic logistics in Finland serves as a pilot, but the same approach could be extended to international transport if suitable partners are available,” Pietikäinen says.
Low-emission transport helps reduce the overall carbon footprint of WISA plywood, supporting the climate goals of UPM, its distributors, and end-users alike.
