HELSINKI (News release) -- UPM Biofuels has received a new acknowledgement of the sustainability of its value chain by receiving an RSB (The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) certificate for both UPM BioVerno renewable diesel and naphtha, as well as production sidestreams turpentine and pitch. RSB verifies the sustainability and reliability of feedstock sourcing and production.

In RSB certification, the sustainability of biofuels is evaluated against 12 principles which have been approved by many stakeholders, including NGOs and UN agencies. In addition to the greenhouse gas savings compared to fossil fuels, the RSB principles cover biodiversity, human rights and environmental and social responsibility throughout the value chain.

RSB is one of the European Commission's approved voluntary schemes, which can be used to show compliance with the EU Renewable Energy Directive's sustainability criteria.

UPM Biofuels has previously received sustainability certificates under the Finnish National Sustainability Scheme, ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) schemes.

UPM's renewable fuels known as UPM BioVerno fuels are an innovation that reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% when compared with fossil fuels.

UPM started production of its wood-based renewable fuels in the UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery in January 2015. The production capacity of the biorefinery is 120 million litres of renewable fuels annually.