(UPM, Shotton, July 8, 2011) – UPM CEO Jussi Pesonen and the Ambassador of Finland to the United Kingdom officially opened the £17m Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at UPM’s Shotton paper mill today.

The state-of-the-art facility, supported by a £1.7m investment by the Welsh Government, has the capacity to sort 270,000 of comingled material and has been designed to achieve the highest recovery rates in the UK of 99 per cent. In addition to a unique design, the facility has the latest sorting and screening equipment in the market. Using UPM’s technical knowledge combined with world-class installers and technology providers, the UPM MRF will output high quality materials for further reprocessing off site. 120,000 tonnes of high quality paper will be recovered for paper making at the North Wales site.

Speaking at the inauguration of the facility Mr Jussi Pesonen, President and CEO of UPM said: “The MRF clearly demonstrates how integrated manufacturing can work. We are working hard to maximise reuse and minimise waste. The UPM Shotton site is a clear example of our Biofore vision and strategy in action.” Currently, 90 % of UPM’s production waste is reused or recycled.

Mr Pekka Huhtaniemi, the Finnish Ambassador to the United Kingdom said: “UPM has created a fantastic facility here on their Shotton site. Not only is the technology impressive but also the motivated workforce. In addition to their renewable energy power plant, UPM Shotton is a good example of Cleantech thinking.”

The facility was opened in front of 180 key suppliers and partners at a short opening ceremony on Friday 8 July. It is capable of sorting six types of plastic as well as metals, paper and glass. The building is rated BREEAM excellent using abundant levels of natural light and recycled water.

At full operation the facility will employ 160 persons in addition to the 405 staff working for UPM Shotton site which produces 100% recycled fibre newsprint.  UPM is the largest manufacturer of 100% recycled newsprint in the UK, recycling 640,000 tonnes.

UPM
UPM leads the integration of bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. UPM consists of three Business Groups: Energy and pulp, Paper, and Engineered materials. The Group employs around 22,000 people and it has production plants in 16 countries. In 2010, UPM's sales amounted to EUR 8.9 billion. UPM's shares are listed on the Helsinki stock exchange. UPM – The Biofore Company – www.upm.com

UPM Shotton
UPM Shotton is part of the UPM-Kymmene Corporation, Europe’s biggest recycler of newspapers and magazines. It recycles 640,000 tonnes a year – equivalent to 90,000 double decker buses. UPM Shotton is the largest newsprint mill in the UK, producing newsprint for the national and the regional press, with capacity to produce 500,000 tonnes a year. Following the investment of over £120million to create the world’s biggest single line recovered fibre pulping facility. A £52m renewable energy power plant started up in 2006 further reducing onsite CO2 emissions by 100,000 tonnes per annum.  In 2011 a £17m materials recovery and recycling facility started up creating up to a further 160 jobs and recovering 270,000 tonnes of comingled material.

UPM Paper
Responsible, innovative and passionate about paper. Responsible means we are guided by sustainability in every aspect of our work, starting with the renewable and recyclable raw material used: wood.  Innovative means commitment to continuous improvement, and listening sensitively to our customers’ needs. Passionate means dedication to the ongoing success of paper and print. We strive to be at the forefront of the industry, with a deep understanding of the market and the media, and outperforming cost efficiency.

UPM has 19 modern and sustainable paper mills in Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, China and the United States. Many of them are large recycling centres and bioenergy producers, as well as paper manufacturers. UPM Paper employs almost 12,000 people. In 2010, the company’s net sales amounted to EUR 6.3 billion. To learn more, visit: www.upm.com/en/paper. UPM - The Biofore Company