UPM Raflatac joins Ellen MacArthur's Circular Economy 100 program

CE 100 is a pre-competitive innovation program established to enable organizations to develop new opportunities and realize their circular economy ambitions faster. It brings together corporates, governments and cities, academic institutions, emerging innovators and affiliates in a unique multi-stakeholder platform. Specially developed program elements help members learn, build capacity, network, and collaborate with key organizations around the circular economy.

UPM Raflatac has an objective to make the circular economy a reality in the whole packaging value chain.

Robert Taylor, director of sustainability at UPM Raflatac, said: ‘We strongly believe that networking and collaborating with like-minded organizations around the circular economy will help us innovate solutions that were previously thought unviable as well as to make our sustainability goals a reality. That is why we have joined the CE 100 program.’

UPM Raflatac has been ‘eco-designing’ label products and offers recycling of label waste through its RafCycle recycling concept. It has extended its range of film face materials for the European market with the introduction of RafBio PE White, a plant-based material that provides a sustainable alternative to fossil-based films for a wide variety of end uses. Sustainability was a major focus for the supplier at Labelexpo Europe 2017.

By creating thinner and lighter, recyclable and bio-based products, UPM Raflatac stated that it has shown customers and brand owners how design and material choices affect product recyclability, help them reduce waste and turn waste into tomorrow's valuable raw materials.

Taylor commented: ‘There is an increasing public concern about the use of plastic in packaging and plastic pollution. With innovation at the center of our business, we are ready to face the next challenge and create truly circular labeling solutions that will bypass the conventional plastics challenges we face today.’