As the label and package printing industry has returned to in-person events, several key trends have been at the forefront. Attendees are seeking more information about automation, digital printing, and, of course, sustainability. Utilizing more sustainable materials and print processes are no longer a luxury. With major brands, such as Coca-Cola to Proctor & Gamble, establishing lofty sustainability goals, it is incumbent upon label suppliers to deliver the products necessary to facilitate these aspirations.

From inks and coatings to papers and films, suppliers have worked diligently to create products that leave a lighter carbon footprint. UPM Raflatac has been a key driver in the industry’s quest for enhanced sustainability. In addition to developing greener labeling materials, the company has aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and initiatives like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation led Global Plastics Pact.

UPM Raflatac has also developed a sustainability culture through its Biofore site concept, which aims to engage all company employees to understand and contribute to the big purpose of going beyond fossils. According to the company, this is a big priority and a key element of the UPM experience.

“UPM Raflatac’s ambition is to be the first label company to go beyond fossils,” explains Robert Taylor, sustainability director, UPM Raflatac. “That’s a big ambition and to achieve it we have fully integrated sustainability to our business strategy. We focus our efforts on providing product and service solutions that enable our customers and brands tackle the critical issues of climate and circularity.”

The company has emphasized carbon neutrality, as well. Its endeavors here can be seen in UPM Raflatac’s newest product lines. As Taylor notes, however, this is an ongoing process and one in which the industry will need to continue to improve upon.

“There are very few carbon neutral or net positive packaging solutions available today,” he states. “However, climate change is happening; it’s a scientific fact. Greenhouse gas emissions are at concentrations higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years and the consequences of that start to be obvious. Our ambition and urgency to go beyond fossils reflects that. We reduce or replace virgin fossil sources of carbon that add carbon burden to the carbon cycle, from sustainable operations to innovative, sustainable products and services.

“Our certified RAFNXT+ and Linerless products are examples of positive climate solutions. However, even with a focus on reducing emissions these products still have a residual climate impact that cannot be avoided today. Therefore, we use green finance and invest in certified carbon offsets through carefully selected projects to compensate for the equivalent amount of greenhouse gas emissions,” adds Taylor. “Credible offsetting is vital to address stakeholder concern, but also to ensure it remains a tool we can use to get fossil CO2 out of the atmosphere – that’s the most important thing.”

Most recently, UPM Raflatac unveiled its OptiCut Linerless portfolio to further promote sustainable labeling. This portfolio is beneficial for a wide range of markets, including hospitality, retail and weigh scales, transport and warehousing, and industrial food, among others.   The Linerless portfolio has been designed to reduce material costs with the ability to use variable lengths when labeling. Plus, there is increased uptime, reduced roll changes, and lower storage and transportation costs due to over 50% more length per roll. With converters striving for greater efficiency in their plants, this portfolio enables the use of portable printers on site. Finally, this portfolio touts no release liner waste – and less associated waste handling processes and costs. 

“We widened our OptiCut Linerless portfolio to enable brands to maximize efficiency and find solutions for each unique packaging type. The adhesive properties for each of our seven OptiCut products were designed for various application environments,” states Brinder Gill, director, Paper Laminates, UPM Raflatac Americas.

“With these designations, our Linerless product portfolio not only provides brands with increased efficiency, accuracy, and a reduction in waste, but also a certified carbon savings,” adds Gill.

In the future, UPM Raflatac will continue to monitor key societal trends in order to make greater positive impacts on the planet. This endeavor will be fruitless without collaboration and buy-in from companies throughout the supply chain, though. “Population growth, climate, circularity and resource scarcity will remain the key trends, and companies like UPM Raflatac need to be providing the new solutions that meet societal needs,” comments Taylor. “We will continue to innovate beyond fossils, and we need more packaging value chain collaborations to do this. Only working together will we get a more sustainable future.”