UPM Raflatac made further progress toward a more circular economy for plastics and a future beyond fossils during 2023. The progress toward the 2025 commitments is detailed in the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment 2024 Progress Report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Program (UNEP). UPM Raflatac joined the Global Commitment as the first label materials company in October 2018.

“As a global partner for sustainable material solutions, the Global Commitment is an important framework for us to transparently showcase our actions in tackling plastic waste and pollution. Through developing our product and service offer, our pledge is to help companies and brand-owners increase the circularity of their packaging,” says Robert Taylor, sustainability director, UPM Raflatac.

As highlighted in the report, UPM Raflatac continued its work toward UPM’s 2030 responsibility targets and a future beyond fossils. The company has reduced the Scope 1 and 2 emission intensity of its factories by 36% by 2023, compared to a 2015 baseline year. Four of UPM Raflatac’s factories were landfill-free in 2023.

In April 2023, UPM Raflatac introduced the PureCycle paper label materials, which are part of UPM Raflatac’s SmartCircle portfolio. The PureCycle label materials received European certifications of recyclability from Institut cyclos-HTP for PET and HDPE packaging, verifying their recyclability in the most common recycling processes. This wash-off label product separates cleanly from the recycled packaging, resulting in a high-quality recyclate, which can then be converted into new materials.

In 2023, UPM Raflatac also gained further recognition for its Ocean Action label, which won the Sustainability Award at the Label Industry Global Awards 2023. The ISCC PLUS certified Ocean Action label is made with ocean-bound plastic through a mass balance approach and is the first of its kind.

During 2023, UPM Raflatac continued to grow the impact of its RafCycle recycling service. In November 2023, the company launched a partnership with Soprema to promote the recycling of label release liner waste by transforming it into new construction and insulation materials. In the Americas region, investments into organizational capabilities enabled the relaunching of the RafCycle program in mid-2023. All in all, the number of RafCycle participants grew by 10% to 440 between 2022 and 2023.

In 2023 UPM Raflatac received a certificate of validity from leading international assurance service provider, DEKRA, for its Label Life service. Label Life provides essential environmental information on label materials, utilizing the standardized method of life cycle assessment (LCA). The external certificate by DEKRA provides UPM Raflatac’s customers increased assurance in communicating about the environmental impact of their labels.

“The Global Commitment has driven substantial progress in tackling the plastic waste crisis. However, as outlined in the 2024 Progress Report, the world at large is off track, and plastic pollution continues to grow. We at UPM Raflatac are committed to accelerating our actions to deliver a circular packaging industry and a future beyond fossils,” concludes Taylor.