UPM Raflatac achieves FSC and PEFC certifications in Mexico and Brazil

UPM Raflatac has received both FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certifications for a range of label stocks 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.

UPM Raflatac is the first to achieve FSC and PEFC certification in Mexico

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

Jose Garcia, UPM Raflatac sales director and general manager for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, said: 'Obtaining both FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certifications – and being the first label stock supplier in Mexico to offer forest certified paper label stocks – is a significant milestones for us. I am very proud of all of our efforts and anticipate that our industry partners will welcome these achievements.'

Maurício Médici, general manager of UPM Raflatac Brazil, added: '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. 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.