Partner for development and climate action

Profile & Contact

UPM Umwelt-Projekt-Management GmbH, based in Munich and Beijing, was founded in 1991 and specialises in combating and adapting to climate change and promoting sustainable development.

UPM is an experienced developer of high-quality climate protection projects with great added value for the local population and a leading player in the international carbon markets. We enable our private and public sector customers to achieve their climate protection and sustainability goals. We enable the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people to cope with the negative effects of climate change and ensure that they too can participate in sustainable development.

Providing needs-based solutions for sustainable sanitation and waste management systems plays an important role for us.

UPM Umwelt-Projekt-Management GmbH
Lamontstraße 11
81679 München
Germany
+49-(0)89-1222197-50

info@upm-cdm.eu

Open website

Photo credits: UPM

Specifications

Project countries and regions:

Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Oceania

Project sectors:

Renewable energies, Energy efficiency & fuel switching (e.g. from coal to gas), Sustainable agriculture and land use, Waste management or landfill gas

Co-benefits/Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

SDG 1 – No Poverty, SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being, SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities, SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 14 – Life below Water, SDG 15 – Life on Land, SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals

Target group:

Schools, Local communities, Other

Employed project standards:

Clean Development Mechanism + Gold Standard (CDM CER + GS), Gold Standard bzw. Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS VER)

Legal form:

Commercial

Portfolio:

Own climate protection projects:

Offers and services:

Marketing support, Projects with a biodiversity focus, Projects with insetting approach (linked to supply chains)

Specific features:

Technical and commercial feasibility analyses for climate projects with a high sustainability contribution; SDG impact assessments for projects; compilation of project portfolios for GHG compensation programmes; consulting and project development in the field of sustainable sanitation systems and waste management; emergency response support for humanitarian crises (e.g. in refugee camps)

PROJECT EXAMPLE

China – Sichuan Rural Poor-Household Biogas Development Programme

Project background

The rural areas in Sichuan province are among the least developed in China. To improve the lives of the people there and at the same time contribute to climate protection, UPM’s Sichuan Household Biogas Programme aims to supply up to one million low-income rural households in Sichuan with proven and reliable biogas digesters and efficient biogas cookers. The biogas digesters are filled with animal manure, which was previously only disposed of in open slurry pits, and convert this organic waste into clean and affordable biogas that can be conveniently used for cooking, heating or lighting in place of coal and firewood. After switching to biogas, each of the approximately 400,000 participating smallholder families saves around 2 tonnes of CO2e from methane and carbon dioxide emissions every year.

Country/Region

China, Sichuan province

Technology

Household biogas

Standard

CDM and Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG)

Status and duration

Project launch 2010

Target group

Rural smallholder households with an annual per capita income of less than €500

Effect achieved

Emission reductions: approximately 800,000 tonnes CO2e per year (with nearly 400,000 households currently participating)

Co-benefits achieved

The project makes a particularly significant contribution to improving the health situation of the participating households due to lower indoor air pollution and a higher standard of hygiene. By processing the waste in the biogas digesters, the households also benefit from a reduction in the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. The clean, easily available and affordable biogas is used for cooking, lighting and heating. The programme has created up to 10,000 jobs in the region, which is a significant boost for the local economy. Overall, the project makes a demonstrable contribution to UN SDGs 1-10 as well as UN SDGs 12, 13, 15 and 17.

Local cooperation partners

All biogas plants distributed through the programme are installed and maintained by the Sichuan Rural Energy Office (SREO) via its dense network of local service centres and its many certified biogas technicians. UPM’s Chinese partner Chengdu Oasis coordinates the implementation on site.

Link to further project examples