Transforming rubber from within

With our new, 100% wood-based Renewable Functional Fillers (RFF), we aim to revolutionise the rubber and plastic industry.

UPM stepped up this year to present the innovative Renewable Functional Filler (RFF) to the rubber industry at this years DKT International Rubber Conference in Nuremberg.

Our first trade fair presence at the DKT was an enormous success for UPM Biochemicals and our UPM BioMotion™ Renewable Functional Filler (RFF) – a breakthrough new generation of sustainable materials for rubber and plastics. RFF are wood-based functional fillers, ready to replace fossil-based, highly CO₂-intensive carbon black and precipitated silica.

Watch our official DKT After movie and learn more about the feedback we got from the industry.

It's a milestone…

Ten years of development are finally paying off. We are building the world's first-of-its-kind biorefinery in Leuna, Germany. After the groundbreaking in 2020, the construction is in full swing. We expect the technical start-up for the end of 2023, with production ramped up in 2024. We plan to produce several thousand metric tons of RFF in our modern biorefinery in Leuna, Germany.

Feedback from the market has been enormous as well. In our first steps towards commercialization, we have closed first exclusive distribution agreements with strong and highly acknowledged partners.

Furthermore, the highly regarded European Rubber Journal ranked UPM BioMotion^TM Renewable Functional Fillers (RFF) number one of today's most important sustainability projects in the elastomers and rubber industry for the second time in a row.

It’s just the beginning!

Scroll through the slideshow and see why we won the prize for the best large booth at the DKT.

Transforming rubber from within

It's a milestone…

Towards fossil CO₂-free sea transport – UPM switches three vessels to bio-LNG

Driving climate action through energy efficiency

Reflections from the UN Global Compact and Climate Week NYC: the drive for sustainability is far from over