--- title: "UPM Nordland Papier Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025, Dörpen, Emsland, Lower Saxony; paper machine 3 shutdown, emissions and water circulation" sdDatePublished: "2026-08-21T11:07:00Z" source: "https://www.upm.com/siteassets/reporting-hub/emas-reports/emas-report-2025-upm-nordland-paper-mill-english.pdf" topics: - name: "environmental policy" identifier: "medtop:20000423" - name: "energy industry" identifier: "medtop:20000261" - name: "paper and packaging product" identifier: "medtop:20000326" - name: "sustainability" identifier: "medtop:20001374" locations: - "Lower Saxony" - "Emsland" - "Dörpen" - "Essen" - "Germany" --- UPM Nordland Papier Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025, Dörpen, Emsland, Lower Saxony; paper machine 3 shutdown, emissions and water circulation Environmental and societal responsibility 2025 UPM Nordland Papier Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025 PEFC/02-31-80 Promoting Sustainable Forest Management www.pefc.org UPM Nordland Papier UPM Nordland Papier is based in Dörpen, Emsland in Lower Saxony. The paper mill was founded in 1967 and is now one of the world’s largest paper mills. Three paper machines and two coating machines are used to produce wood-free graphic writing and printing papers, known as fine papers, as well as specialty papers. Pulp is the main raw material used in paper production. Calcium carbonate is used as a filler. Kaolin is additionally used as a pigment for coated papers. Process wastewater is treated in the mill’s own wastewater treatment plant before being discharged into the River Ems. Freshwater is extracted from deep wells, taking into account the sustainable regeneration of groundwater. 100% of the electricity required is drawn from the public grid. Part of the steam required for drying the paper is generated from natural gas in the mill’s own combined heat and power plant. An in-house cogeneration power plant was commissioned in 2022. The highly efficient 84 MW gas-fired power plant has improved the environmental footprint and covers a large percentage of the paper mill’s heat demand while actively participating in the increasingly volatile German electricity market. UPM Nordland Papier Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025 is a supplement to the Corporate Environmental and Societal Responsibility Statement of UPM’s pulp and paper mills (available at www.upm.com) and provides mill-specific environmental and societal performance data and trends for the year 2025. The annual mill supplements and the UPM Corporate Environmental and Societal Responsibility Statement together form the joint EMAS Statement of UPM Corporation. EU Ecolabel : FI/011/001 For more information about PEFC certification visit pefc.org For more information about FSC certification visit fsc.org UPM is a material solutions company, renewing products and entire value chains with an extensive portfolio of renewable fibres, advanced materials, decarbonization solutions, and communication papers. Our performance in sustainability has been recognized by third parties, including EcoVadis and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. We operate globally and employ approximately 15,100 people worldwide, with annual sales of approximately €9.7 billion. Our shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. UPM – we renew the everyday Production capacity Up to 843,000 tonnes per year Personnel Approx. 1,106 employees total inc. trainees, as of December 31, 2025 Products Fine Papers: UPM Fine UPM Preprint UPM Office UPM Sollum UPM Finesse UPM Digi UPM Poste UPM PrePersonal Specialty papers: UPM Brilliant™ UPM Brilliant™ Forte UPM Honey™ Plus UPM Honey™ Plus Forte UPM Honey™ Plus Recycled  UPM Honey™ Plus Recycled Forte UPM Golden™ UPM Golden™ Forte UPM Golden™ Recycled Forte UPM Asendo Pro UPM Confidio Pro Certificates EMAS – EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme ISO 14001 – Environmental Management System ISO 9001 – Quality Management System ISO 50001 – Energy Management System ISO 45001 – Occupational Health and Safety Management System PEFC™ Chain of Custody - Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification FSC® Chain of Custody – Forest Stewardship Council ISO 22000 – Food Safety Management System (for specific parts of the mill) All certificates can be found from UPM’s Certificate Finder (available at www.upm.com/responsibility) Environmental labels EU Ecolabel for copy and graphic paper 2 Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025 Our environmental year 2025 The year 2025, like the years before it, was marked by a challenging order situation. The shutdown of our paper machine 3 at the end of 2024, which resulted from this situation, also had an impact on our specific emissi- ons and our water circulation systems. Clean Run Initiative In 2025, the Clean Run Initiative once again received significant attention. Its objective is to ensure environmentally responsible production without environmentally relevant incidents. Within the group-wide database, employees can record deviations according to predefined categories ranging from 0 (not sig- nificant) to 5 (serious environmental damage). The majority of reported cases were minor observations, reflecting the high level of employee awareness regarding environmental safety. For lower categories (0–2), root cause analyses are conducted regularly in order to systematically eliminate recurring Clean Run issues. However, we did not achieve our goal of reporting no category 3 Clean Run incidents in 2025. This was largely due to the changed operating mode of the mill following the shutdown of Paper Machine 3. Immediate corrective measures were implemented in each case, and optimization concepts were developed accordingly. Investing Energy in Energy Savings Our active energy management system, certified under ISO 50001, once again led to energy savings in 2025. In particular, an addi- tional series of heat exchangers was installed in the exhaust air tower of PM4. In the area of electrical energy, measures included the use of new motors, the continued systematic elimination of compressed air leaks, and reductions in overall air consump- tion. Furthermore, numerous conventional light fixtures were replaced with LED technology, and operational modes were optimized across various areas. Protecting the Resource We Depend On When purchasing pulp, we support sus- tainable forestry by operating in accordance with PEFC and FSC standards. In September 2025, our site participated in UPM’s external multi-site audit and thereby actively contribut- ed to maintaining our certifications. We are participating: ScanStar is a Nordic packaging competition organized annually since 1969 by the Scandinavian Packaging Association (SPA). It recognizes packaging that is practical, sustainable and visually appealing. In the field of sustainable products, we developed the grade UPM Asendo Pro in a six- month pilot project together with UPM R&D at our mill. This new paper-based packaging was designed for Panda milk chocolate. It is certi- fied for food safety, recyclable within existing fiber recycling streams, and is compatible with Orkla Suomi’s existing flowpack packaging machines. We are proud that this product received the ScanStar 2025 Award. The jury highlighted the attractive design of the solution and the potential of paper for chocolate packaging. In their view, it opens up new opportunities to replace plastic in an important product cate- gory while promising improvements in pack- aging waste management and recyclability. Water savings are always taken into account in our considerations A mill-wide project with significant wa- ter-saving potential is the reduction of seal water consumption through the use of opti- mized mechanical seal technology on pumps and other rotating equipment. Launched in 2023, this project continues to this day. Upcycling Instead of Recycling In 2025, we successfully completed the conversion project in our wastewater treat- ment plant to separate the material streams of primary and secondary sludge. By the fourth quarter, initial quantities of primary sludge were already used as a by-product in a nearby board mill. The commercialization of primary sludge as a by-product will be evident in 2026 in the form of significantly reduced waste volumes. Barbara T. Köster, Manager Environmental Affairs Eva Kriegbaum, General Manager Environmental protection is an integral part of our processes at UPM Nordland Papier. Since 1998, we have participated in the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). Through this framework, we continuously develop our environmental work and document our environmental performance in a transparent and traceable manner. 3 Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025 4 Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025 UPM Nordland Papier Contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goals Water 45 % Reduction of the total inorganic nitrogen concentration in the discharge into the river Ems compared to 2015. Energy 8888 MWh/a thermal energy savings through targeted measures in 2025 Certified fiber 100% fibers from controlled sources 98% certified according to PEFC/FSC (sustainable forestry) Waste 99.5% total recovery rate 81.8% material recovery Health 2924 employee participation in 2025 health programs Air 22% CO2 savings (Scope 1 + Scope 2) compared to 2024 5 Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025 Waste Water Waste volumes in 2025 were below the previous year’s level. The main waste fraction continues to be fiber and paper sludge, which was significantly reduced compared to 2024. Following completion of the conversion project at the wastewater treatment plant to separate the primary and secondary sludge streams, initial quantities of primary sludge were already utilized as a by-product at a nearby board mill in the fourth quarter. The commercialization of primary sludge as a by-product will lead to a substantial reduction in overall waste volumes in 2026. The waste recovery rate in 2025 exceeded 99%, maintaining our consistently high level of material utilization. All waste is disposed of exclusively through certified waste management companies, and waste classified as hazardous is avoided wherever possible. After shutting down our Paper Machine 3 at the end of 2024, we had to adapt our waste- water treatment plant to new operating condi- tions. This resulted in a total of six Clean Run Category 3 incidents in which discharge limits were temporarily exceeded during internal monitoring. These incidents were processed promptly and thoroughly in close coordination with the authorities. Despite these events, the annual average discharge values remained well below the statutory requirements. Due to the new conditions, slight increases in COD, BOD₅ and phosphate levels were ob- served in 2025 compared to the previous year. Since the beginning of 2025, the plant has been operating with recycled nitrogen as a nutrient source. This replaces the pre- vious nitrogen source derived from a con- ventional chemical process. In addition, the discharge concentration for total inorganic nitrogen was further reduced. Wastewater treatment Nordland Papier The mill’s wastewater treatment plant consists of primary treatment, biological treatment, and secondary clarification. Limit value Annual average Biological oxygen demand, BOD7 mg/l Chemical oxygen demand, COD mg/l 25 30 15 10 0 5 20 10 6 4 0 2 8 8 4 0 2 6 800 400 0 200 600 2.0 1.0 0 0.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 0 1.0 2.0 Nitrogen (inorganic), N mg/l Phosphorus, P mg/l Process wastewater volume million m3/year Adsorbable organic halogen compounds, AOX mg/l 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 6 Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2025 Air In 2022, our new cogeneration power plant was commissioned. Under full-load operation, it replaces approximately half of the steam re- quired for production with steam generated by the plant itself. The remaining steam demand continues to be supplied by the existing gas- fired boiler systems. Due to the use of pure, low-sulfur natural gas, no sulfur measurements in the exhaust air are required. In addition, since commis- sioning of the power plant, fuel inspections Legally appointed officers advise the plant management and technical departments in the areas of water protection, emissions con- trol, waste management, hazardous materials, radiation protection, fire safety, laser safety, and data protection. Specific individuals are