Oscar Duarte’s journey to Europe started at an Austrian International School in Guatemala City, where he first grappled with learning German. “After university, I felt like I needed to use the German language, which took forever to learn in school, so I started looking for opportunities abroad,” he recalls.
Ten years ago, after completing his degree in chemical engineering, he moved to Germany and began an 18-month Stora Enso/IMD joint trainee and graduate program, which Duarte describes as a “truly unique” experience. Not only did he learn about customer-centric innovation, digitalization, and finance – topics he found engaging and were taught at a very high level – but his personal growth journey left the biggest impression on him. “The most impactful takeaway was learning about how teams work and developing my understanding of group dynamics,” he shares.
Duarte recalls an exercise where participants were divided into teams, creating a safe environment to share how they perceived one another. “We learned about our strengths, weaknesses, and personalities. The power of feedback, creating a safe environment, and understanding how different roles affect communication and collaboration across an organization were incredibly insightful,” he says.
After completing the program, Duarte was offered a position in Stora Enso’s Helsinki-based office and moved north. Transitioning from a tropical home-country climate to the Nordic chill required big adjustments. “From finding the right clothes to drinking the right amount of coffee – Finns are among the top coffee consumers in the world – it was all about adapting,” he says with a smile.
Duarte even embraced one of Finland’s national sports: cross-country skiing.
“Two years ago, I threw myself into the tracks, and it was exactly as hard as it looks. Kicking backward to move forward made no sense, so I took some lessons. Now, I can keep up with five-year-olds!” he laughs.
Skiing through the forest connects Duarte not only to fitness and fun but also to the ‘green gold’ he works with. Since moving to Europe, he’s been part of the forest industry and is now working with UPM, which calls itself a biofore company. “The story of both UPM and Stora Enso, and what I’m passionate about, is creating sustainable solutions for our customers and the value chain,” he explains. “I call our products the ‘green gold’ of the forest.”
The forest industry in Europe is actively working to replace fossil-based materials. “Unlike finite fossil materials, forests are renewable. While we grow more trees sustainably, we capture CO2 and help mitigate climate change while becoming products,” Duarte says.
This is why he believes that “a brown box is not just a brown box.”
“Look at the box your e-commerce order arrives in – it’s a corrugated brown box with a paper label. It seems simple, but the journey to create them is fascinating. It starts with a tree that could take decades to grow, and it involves ancient yet highly technical paper-making processes. These boxes can also be recycled multiple times,” he notes.
“Our materials can substitute fossil-based ones, so a brown box, or even white paper, is much more than just a box or a magazine,” he adds.
In September, Duarte transitioned from working with boxes to focusing on the label value chain. He is now the Director of Label & Release for the EMEIA & Americas Region at UPM. “We have customers worldwide who convert our materials into laminates used as labels in various industries. When you read a product’s calorie count or safety information on a package, that’s the kind of material I’m working with now, more niche and specialized,” he explains.
When asked about making labels more environmentally friendly, Duarte highlights the importance of reducing material usage and improving recyclability. “We’re working with the entire value chain to use less material per label and ensure these materials can be widely recycled, preventing them from becoming litter.”
Duarte is also an active member of the IMD Alumni Club in Finland, a network he enjoys and encourages others to join. “It’s a great network with regular events where we learn about what companies are doing in different fields and hear fascinating stories. I highly recommend it.”
