UPM Raflatac highlights sustainability milestones

UPM Raflatac has published its 2023 Climate Review, highlighting the significant strides it has taken towards becoming reportedly the first label materials company to go beyond fossils.  

This ambition underscores UPM Raflatac's dedication to sustainability through three key focus areas inlcuding enhancing the sustainability of forests and lands, reducing emissions, and continued innovation through its products and service offering. 

Reducing the use of industrial fossil emissions is the most important way to mitigate climate change. In 2023, the company achieved a 36 percent decrease in scope 1 and 2 emission intensities from its 2015 baseline – highlighting ongoing progress towards its ambition of a 65 percent reduction by 2030. The company is also focused on decreasing scope 3 emissions from raw materials and transportation relative to production by 30 percent by 2030 from its 2018 baseline to address the carbon footprint of labels from cradle to grave. To achieve this, its primary focus is on reducing emissions related to raw materials and transportation through collaboration with suppliers. 

By the end of 2023, UPM Raflatac had already achieved its ambitious target of 100 percent third-party certification for all its paper raw materials, including face papers and release liners – six years ahead of its 2030 goal. As a result, all purchased papers are now certified, allowing the company to continually advance its sustainable forest management credentials. As demand for renewable solutions grows, UPM Raflatac is continuing progress towards its target of achieving 100 percent traceability of other biobased materials by 2030. 

UPM Raflatac introduced several products and services across 2023 geared towards promoting a circular economy and enabling climate action. These included the PureCycle wash-off paper label materials for efficient recycling of HDPE and PET plastic packages. UPM Raflatac’s Label Life service also achieved a new certificate of validity from the international assurance service provider DEKRA. This has given the process of generating LCAs on a large scale a richer credibility, supporting customers and brands with greater assurance when making decisions and communicating about sustainability. 

The company's RafCycle recycling service has continued to grow, with Soprema being announced as its main partner for label waste recycling in the EMEIA region by the end of the year. This collaboration has enhanced the RafCycle service, with Soprema transforming label waste into new materials for construction and insulation. This service enables UPM Raflatac to continue its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impact and foster a sustainable, low-carbon future beyond fossils. 

‘Today, only 15 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track to meet their target levels by 2030,’ explained Robert Taylor, sustainability director at UPM Raflatac. ‘It was natural that UPM joined the UN Global Compact Forward Faster Initiative calling for business leaders all over the world to accelerate action, including towards an ambitious net-zero target. UPM Raflatac’s 2023 Climate Review underscores this unwavering commitment to climate action. We aim to unlock new possibilities through collaboration and innovation, setting a path for transformative progress and achieving our ambitious 2030 targets.’