Cosmetics leader Oriflame Products Poland has joined UPM Raflatac’s RafCycle recycling program. RafCycle recycles and re-uses pressure sensitive label waste to create new materials. The partnership supports Oriflame’s target to reduce its landfill waste to zero across all of its manufacturing sites.

“As part of our overall strategy for the period up to 2020, we’ve implemented a ‘zero waste to landfill’ program across all our factories,” says Anna Niedzwiecka, senior supply chain manager, Oriflame Products Poland. “The method for waste disposal outlined in the RafCycle program fits in well with this strategy and will bring us closer to our goal.”

Oriflame Products Poland is the first Oriflame factory to pursue this target. Opened in Warsaw in 1995, it occupies 15,000 square meters and is one of the company’s largest sites.

Partnership in the RafCycle program delivers a range of quantifiable benefits. The Oriflame Products Poland factory has reduced its waste management costs by 18%, for example. The company also earns the right to use the “RafCycle Partner” logo in its marketing–a big plus considering growing public awareness of sustainability.
 
Katarzyna Zych-Mlynarczyk, sales manager at UPM Raflatac Poland, explains how the RafCycle program works: “First of all, we analyze customers’ current waste management system, including how waste is collected and how often. The key is to find a solution that fits our customers’ needs. This is the only way to achieve an optimal result.”

“UPM Raflatac is a frontrunner in solutions for managing the challenges of label waste. We look forward to developing new and existing partnerships with customers and end users on the road to zero landfill waste,” comments Juha Virmavirta, director of RafCycle Solutions at UPM Raflatac. “With the Oriflame partnership, we’re delighted to see RafCycle expanding into the cosmetics industry. Poland is a major market for UPM Raflatac, and this adds even more importance to our cooperation. Dialogue between Oriflame and UPM Raflatac has enhanced the sustainability of our business together. We hope to continue this dialogue to identify further opportunities.”

Oriflame’s Niedzwiecka agrees, “It’s only natural that we would want to meet the environmental expectations of our customers. In addition to the ‘zero waste to landfill’ program, we’ve made the decision to purchase our energy exclusively from renewable sources. We’ve also launched a completely natural and organic line of cosmetics named EcoBeauty. It’s important to note that Oriflame has set a target to eliminate waste transportation to landfill in all its factories. This is in line with the European Union waste management strategy’s ‘5R’ approach: Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover.”