Since the inception of his business in 2006, ModTek owner Shawn Borman has focused on running a responsible business offering consistent quality and service. This applies to both customer relationships and to ModTek’s sustainability actions.

Borman states, “We have always tried to be responsible when it comes to our carbon footprint, but the type of waste generated in this industry is really not eco-friendly.”

Motivated by his desire to take action regarding release liner waste generated by pressure sensitive label (PSL) production, Borman sought out help from UPM Raflatac. UPM Raflatac has been enabling the recycling of release liner globally for more than 10 years via their service, RafCycle by UPM Raflatac, which launched in the US in 2018. When ModTek needed a recycling solution, RafCycle was a good fit aside from one caveat: ModTek didn’t produce enough release liner waste to qualify for this service. Borman had to get creative.

The ModTek team started to solicit their customers to gauge their interest in recycling their release liner. The response was an overwhelming yes.

Jason Campbell, co-owner, Slack Tide Brewing Co. and ModTek customer, states, “As brewery owners, my brother and I strive to reduce as much byproduct as possible to help the planet. We repurpose or recycle our aluminum cans, packaging and spent grains in an effort to reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill. When ModTek asked us to participate with them in the Rafcycle program, we jumped at the chance of eliminating yet another item that goes to the landfill. It’s an awesome idea and we are rallying other brewers to participate in the RafCycle program with us.”

Once ModTek understood the rules, it figured out how the company could play the game. ModTek offered to store smaller amounts of release liner waste at their facility, until there was enough volume for UPM Raflatac to pick up the waste and deliver it to their recycling partner.

To reinforce its support of this initiative, UPM Raflatac developed a program to give ModTek easy access to a select portfolio of labeling materials. This helps ModTek to service their customers in a timely manner and grow their business, while increasing RafCycle participation.

Greg Owen, interim director, Paper Laminates, UPM Raflatac Americas, comments, “We’ve set a goal to enable our RafCycle partners to recycle 100% of their liner waste via our program. We’re eager to support ModTek’s clever approach to make RafCycle available to brands that otherwise don’t have the volume or storage space to take advantage of our service.”

Currently, ModTek is collecting about 5,000 pounds of release liner each month, between paper liner and PET liner. The relationship between ModTek and UPM Raflatac extends beyond RafCycle. Borman states, “UPM Raflatac has some very strong engineering and troubleshooting support. We are confident when conferencing UPM Raflatac in with our
customers directly.”

ModTek and UPM Raflatac have shown that creative thinking and collaboration are making release liner recycling more wide-spread and accessible to brands of all sizes.