Empack 2023: UPM Raflatac increases food label recyclability amid consumer demand

06 Apr 2023 --- At Empack 2023, April 5-6, in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands PackagingInsights speaks to Roy Schoemaker, packaging solutions manager at UPM Raflatac, about the company’s label solutions and how its liner recycling waste management service is helping drive the packaging industry toward “pure” circularity. 

A challenge for labeling solutions in the packaging industry is that not all stickers and labels are recyclable. Often, recycling facilities have different capabilities, with some labels and materials requiring special equipment and sorting techniques. 

UPM Raflatac works to increase the recyclability of labels by using raw wood-based materials. At Empack, the company is exhibiting its labeling solutions for beverage and personal care products. 

“We are leading in [environmentally] sustainable materials and presenting our [environmentall] sustainable range today such as our wash-off solutions, Forest Film and our liner recycling waste management service,” says Schoemaker. 

Recycling service for circularity
The waste management service, RafCycle, has more than 350 partners worldwide. UPM Raflatac says it is the “original label release liner recycling service built to reach pure circularity.”

Based on UPM Raflatac’s LCA study, a company that recycles approximately 100 metric tons of paper release liner will avoid 22 metric tons of fossil CO2 emissions compared to incineration and 162 metric tons of fossil CO2 emissions compared to landfilling.

Schoemaker asserts that UPM Raflatac is “one of the biggest companies when it comes to label materials.”

The company also states it uses the label release liner waste to make new label materials.

UPM shows its labeling solutions for wine, spirits and beverages at Empack 2023. Paper-based labels
UPM Raflatac is also showcasing its RAFNXT+, the “world’s first” label material to be verified by the Carbon Trust to help mitigate climate change. 

“Our RAFNXT+ paper is certified by the Carbon Trust. Also, our Forest Film is very unique because it is made out of 100% wood-based raw materials,” explains Schoemaker.

“Our aim is to replace non-renewable raw materials with renewable or recycled materials. Forest Film is a great example of this because instead of traditional fossil materials, we are using 100% wood-based raw materials.”

UPM Raflatac’s Forest Film is ISCC-certified and is said to allow companies to replace fossil-based film materials gradually. 

To limit waste, the wood from UPM Raflatac’s environmentally “sustainably-managed forests” is processed for pulp. The leftover resin is then used to make UPM BioVerno – the raw material in Forest Film.

Trends at Empack 2023 
Regarding consumer demand, the packaging solutions manager sees that “user demand in the Netherlands and Belgium is food retail. It all comes down to the recyclability of your main product. Labels are a very important part of this,” says Schoemaker.

UPM Raflatac’s Forest Film labeling solution is made for F&B, home and personal care products. 

At Empack 2023, Schoemaker notices other companies are also moving toward designing fit and optimized products for recycling. “The main trends are to design for recycling,” he says. 

“What you see at the event is that everyone is focusing on [environmental] sustainability, and the main drive is for reuse or the circular economy. We have the right products for it to achieve these goals,” Schoemaker concludes.

By Sabine Waldeck