UPM promotes biofuels on CNN

Finnish forest industry company UPM has featured on news programme CNN espousing the benefits of using biofuels.

In an Eco Solutions programme entitled ‘The sustainable fuel growing on trees’, UPM Biofuels’ vice president Sari Mannonen discussed the process of making its wood-based diesel fuel – UPM BioVerno diesel.

UPM BioVerno is a local, Finnish diesel fuel. It is derived from crude tall oil, a residue of UPM's own pulp production, which mostly originates from Finnish forests.

This fuel was developed in Finland, and it is produced in the UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery. Consequently, UPM BioVerno has been granted the Key Flag Symbol for Finnish products.

Out of the woods

Speaking to CNN, Mannonen said: “When we take the tree out of the forest, we use every piece of that wood.”

Mannonen also reiterated UPM’s commitment to sustainable forestry. Around 30,000 contracts are made in Finland to ensure the firm gets a sustainable supply of wood and that the firm knows the origin of that wood. “We plant 50 million seedlings per year,” Mannonen explained.

Elsewhere, the CNN newscaster mentioned that 90% of “trade moves through the oceans” and pollution from this mode of transportation “affects us all”.

Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO of GoodFuels Marine, a provider of sustainable marine biofuels to the global commercial shipping fleet, said that it would be working in conjunction with UPM to supply its BioVerno to the shipping industry.

He said the world need to get rid of “dirty” fossil fuels as soon as possible.

This story was written by Liz Gyekye, editor of Biofuels International.