Shareholder Matti Ikonen (right) shakes hands with Ph. D. Thomas Wallgren before the AGM of UPM-Kymmene today. Wallgren has been proposed to the board of directors of the company.

Press release March 21, 2000

Shareholders: Philosopher Thomas Wallgren proposed to the board of directors of UPM-Kymmene

Helsinki, Finland - Shareholders of UPM-Kymmene encourage the AGM to consider Ph.D. Thomas Wallgren to the company's board of directors instead of the former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari. Shareholder Tuomas Rantanen stated that electing a former president would mean "harnessing the national interest and authority for the economical interests of a single multinational company".

Rantanen emphasized that the critic is not aimed at the person of Martti Ahtisaari. Instead, it is a matter of independence of national institutions and the general belief in how nations and markets function.

Rantanen reminded the AGM that a multinational company acts in its own economical interest. "This interest is evermore different from the national interest seen by the Finnish people or the elected officials. A multinational company can take less and less into account employment, regional development or environmental issues of a single country."

Ethical sustainability of business activities should be an important part of modern business management. Ph. D., philosopher Thomas Wallgren represents strong moral vision and knowledge in social and environmental issues, and would therefore be an excellent choice to the UPM-Kymmene's board of directors.

"I believe that the company would have real benefit for having a person like Thomas Wallgren in its board. Person like him can give the company such knowledge about people and societies that help to evaluate the ethical sustainability of profit making", said Rantanen about why he proposes Wallgren to the board of directors of UPM-Kymmene.

Thanks to the company for ending Indonesia co-operation

Shareholder Thomas Wallgren thanked the company's management for its determined actions during 1999 to end its activities in Indonesia. The partner of UPM-Kymmene, APRIL, is known for human rights' violations and rainforest destruction especially in Riau, Sumatra.

"As a co-owner of this company, I would like to thank the management for ending the participation in precarious activities in Indonesia. Now our company has a chance to profilate as an ethically responsible trendsetter in the field of environmental politics", stated Wallgren.

Wallgren also stated that the decisions made in 1999 are not enough alone. He encouraged the company also to dissociate from the co-operation with APRIL in China. The Changshu fine paper mill owned jointly by UPM-Kymmene and APRIL uses pulp from APRIL's Riau mills as raw material.

 

Shareholder Thomas Wallgren

 

More information:

Mr Tuomas Rantanen +358-40-5077 165, rantanen(@)siili.sll.fi

Read more about UPM-Kymmene at http://www.luontoliitto.fi/forest/UPM/
Read more about the co-operation between UPM-Kymmene and APRIL at http://www.maanystavat.fi/april