UPM Plywood is taking another step with WISA BioBond to help builders meet sustainability targets
(UPM, Helsinki, 9 June 2022 at 10:00 EEST) – Starting from May 2022, the lignin-based WISA® BioBond bonding technology is being used in all UPM’s WISA spruce plywood products. WISA BioBond is UPM Plywood’s proprietary bonding technology in which at least 50% of fossil-based phenol in the glue is replaced with wood’s own natural bonding agent, lignin. UPM is the first plywood manufacturer in the world to adopt such a lignin-based solution in its entire range of spruce products.
More than just a new type of glue, WISA BioBond is a comprehensive technology that helps further reduce WISA products’ already low fossil CO2 emissions over their lifecycle. The technology has been used in UPM’s birch plywood mills since 2017. By making it the standard in the WISA spruce range, UPM is helping constructors and builders meet their own sustainability targets.
Starting from May, all UPM's WISA spruce plywood is manufactured using ligning-based WISA BioBond technology.
“WISA plywood is a material with excellent sustainable qualities already. It is made from renewable raw material and acts as a carbon storage throughout its lifetime. With WISA BioBond, we develop our plywood products and take their environmental performance one step further. This brings the material closer to the UPM vision of a future beyond fossils,” says Susanna Rinne, VP, Strategy and Business Development at UPM Plywood.
UPM’s WISA-Spruce products are high-quality plywood panels typically used in the construction where their light weight and strength make them ideal for structural uses. The range includes special products, such as fire-retardant and water-repellent plywood that improve performance in various demanding applications.
“With structural construction material, it is highly important that the technical performance and reliability of the product stay consistent even when we change from one technology to another. Rigorous and persistent testing has helped us to be 100% confident that there is no compromise to the technical performance, quality and strength of WISA spruce plywood as we make WISA BioBond the new standard,” says Rinne.
All WISA spruce products are made at the UPM Pellos mill in Finland from sustainably sourced wood material. Users can reliably verify and compare the products’ environmental impact from third-party verified and internationally comparable Environmental Product Declarations.
For further information, please contact:
Susanna Rinne, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, UPM Plywood, tel. +358 2041 56463
Sami Uuksulainen, Director, Product Management and Development, UPM Plywood, tel. +358 2041 56288
UPM, Media Relations
Mon-Fri 9:00-16:00 EEST
tel. +358 40 588 3284
media@upm.com
UPM Plywood offers high-quality WISA® plywood and veneer products for construction, vehicle flooring, LNG shipbuilding, parquet manufacturing and other industrial applications. In 2021 UPM Plywood sales were EUR 490 million and it had around 2,100 employees. – www.wisaplywood.com
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UPM
We deliver renewable and responsible solutions and innovate for a future beyond fossils across six business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Communication Papers and UPM Plywood. As the industry leader in responsibility we are committed to the UN Business Ambition for 1.5°C and the science-based targets to mitigate climate change. We employ 17,000 people worldwide and our annual sales are approximately EUR 9.8 billion. Our shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. UPM Biofore – Beyond fossils. www.upm.com
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