UPM Raflatac expands RafCycle program in Europe

UPM Raflatac’s RafCycle labelstock waste management process has expanded to include waste-to-energy. UPM Raflatac customers in Europe can send their labelstock by-products for reuse as a source of energy in a combined heat and power (CHP) plant which supplies heat and energy into the operations of UPM’s paper mill in Schwedt, Germany. 

‘The purpose of conventional waste incineration is to reduce the volume and get rid of the waste, but UPM’s power plant in Schwedt burns solid fuels to produce heat and clean energy,’ said Erkki Nyberg, director of business development for the UPM’s Engineered Materials Business Group. ‘These fuels include recycled paper de-inking residue, waste wood, as well as paper and plastic rejects from the paper recycling process. Now, as part of RafCycle, self-adhesive labelstock waste has been added to this list.’

Drescher Euro-Label, a label printer from Gorzów Wielkopolski in Poland, is a pioneer in supplying labelstock waste fuel to UPM Schwedt. Marta Stańczak, marketing and environmental specialist at Drescher Euro-Label, points out the benefits of the RafCycle process and collaboration with the UPM paper mill: ‘Until recently the costs of waste re-utilization were increasing by 20-30 percent every year. After calculating the costs of waste disposal and transport to Schwedt, it turned out that we were able to reduce our expenses on waste disposal by 70 percent. And the difference will grow bigger every year, because waste management gets more and more expensive.’

UPM Raflatac says there are benefits for many parties in the RafCycle waste-to-energy process. Firstly, there is less landfilled waste, which is beneficial for the environment. Secondly, label printers in Europe now have a sustainable and reliable way to dispose of their waste. Thirdly, UPM Schwedt is able to minimize the use or – ideally – substitute the use of waste wood and fossil fuels. UPM Raflatac benefits as well, being able to offer customers not only a labelstock product, but the service to complete its life-cycle in the labeling value chain. 

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