UPM Raflatac’s new PE film label upcycles paper pulp residue for circular gains
01 Jun 2020 --- UPM Raflatac has released a new polyethylene (PE) film label to complement its range of environmentally sustainable film labeling solutions. UPM Raflatac Forest Film PE is made from the upcycled residue from paper pulp production, which is processed by Dow into usable material. Ultimately, the new material will help aid the reduction of fossil-based virgin raw materials in home and personal care labeling applications.
“We want to bring value to our clients by offering a wide variety of sustainable alternatives to choose from. Examples of these include UPM Raflatac Forest Film PE and PP, the first wood-based film label materials on the market, and UPM Raflatac PP PCR manufactured from post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic,” says Timo Kekki, Vice President of Films SBU at UPM Raflatac. 
“As one of the signatories to the Ellen MacArthur New Plastic Economy initiative, we will continue driving the industry forward by innovating products that reduce the use of non-renewable virgin raw materials,” he adds.
The Forest Film PE label material is produced in collaboration with UPM Biofuels. UPM Biofuels provides the 100 percent wood residue-based raw material UPM BioVerno naphtha, which is then processed by Dow into bio-based plastic granules to be extruded into label film.
The upcycled paper pulp residue material aids the reduction of fossil-based raw materials in home and personal care labeling applications.“This new product shows the versatility of UPM BioVerno as a raw material. Crude tall oil, a residue of paper pulp production, is transformed into UPM BioVerno naphtha, which can be used as raw material for different kinds of plastics that helps brand owners meet their sustainability goals in packaging,” explains Panu Routasalo, Vice President of UPM Biofuels.
Forest Film PE follows UPM’s collaboration with Dow in labeling applications. Last year, Dow announced the commercialization of bioplastics offerings for the packaging and labeling industry made from a bio-based renewable feedstock.
Dow integrated the wood-based UPM BioVerno naphtha – a key raw material used to develop plastics – into its slate of raw materials, creating an alternative source for plastics production. Dow uses this feedstock to produce different types of bio-based PE.
“This new film label material helps customers and consumers reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and therefore reduces the carbon footprint in the entire value chain,” says Carolina Gregorio, Bio-based Project Leader at Dow. “At the same time, the bio-based PE label materials have exactly the same performance as fossil-derived ones, and they do not have an impact in the recyclability of the final package, when used in HDPE bottles for home and personal care products.”
The Forest Film product range has an International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS). It is produced using sustainable bio-feedstock, replacing the equivalent amount of fossil resources used in the production process, using a mass balance approach, accounting for the amount of environmentally sustainable resources.
Last month, UPM Raflatac collaborated with chemical company SABIC to produce the first polypropylene (PP) label film manufactured from post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic on a mass balance basis. With the same properties as standard PP films, UPM Raflatac’s PP PCR films can be used in different label applications, including rigid food packaging.
Edited by Benjamin Ferrer
