UPM Raflatac has announced it has received both FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certifications for a range of labelstocks produced at its manufacturing facility in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and for the slitting and distribution operations in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico; and Jaguariúna, Brazil.

FSC (the Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) are the two largest international forest certification programs. Achieving Chain of Custody certifications from these two entities guarantees that the wood used in UPM Raflatac’s paper label materials originates from sustainably managed and legally logged forests.

“Obtaining both FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certifications – and being the first label stock supplier in the region to offer forest-certified paper label stocks – are very significant milestones for us,” says Jose Garcia, UPM Raflatac Sales Director and General Manager, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. “I am very proud of all of our efforts and anticipate that our industry partners will welcome these achievements.”

“Sustainability is one of UPM Raflatac’s primary drivers as a company, and our goal is to develop efficient, sustainably designed label materials that will benefit the entire value chain,” says Maurício Médici, general Mmanager, UPM Raflatac Brazil. “Receiving these forestry certifications for our Brazilian operations is one more step forward in this process. Our customers can rest assured that our raw materials are responsibly sourced. They can use this knowledge to help end-users demonstrate sustainability credentials to consumers, which then aids them in making more responsible purchasing decisions.”

UPM supports and uses reliable forest certification schemes and has built a global Chain of Custody model to monitor and report the proportion of certified fiber in its products. The system meets both FSC and PEFC requirements. UPM Raflatac’s facilities are annually audited to verify their continued compliance with the certification requirements.