UPM Raflatac and SABIC first to bring PP label material with recycled content to market

UPM Raflatac has joined our TRUCIRCLE™ solutions for its new post-consumer recycled (PCR) Clear and White label products. UPM Raflatac is one of the world's leading producers of self-adhesive labels for consumer and industrial products. The collaboration between UPM Raflatac and SABIC is a major step toward creating a circular economy.

Available globally, the UPM Raflatac PP PCR Clear and White label products are made with certified circular SABIC® PP materials that uses feedstock made from chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste to deliver virgin-quality resins. With the same properties as standard PP films, these PP PCR films can be used in different label applications, including rigid food packaging while fulfilling strict food safety regulations. Customers and brand owners can achieve the same product performance and cut their footprint by decreasing the amount of virgin materials used at the same time.

“We are happy to be involved in our industry's shift toward more circular solutions. This innovative product is the first of its kind available on the market. It is a concrete outcome of our efforts to label a smarter future beyond fossils by developing products that reduce the use of nonrenewable materials and treat waste as a valuable resource," says Antti Jääskeläinen, Executive Vice President, UPM Raflatac.

The new PP PCR Clear and White products are a continuation of the company's mission to use recycled or renewable raw materials. The first step was with UPM Raflatac Forest Film™ where fossil raw materials are replaced by renewable wood-based ones. For its Forest Film, UPM has selected certified renewable SABIC® PP materials made from bio-based feedstock from our TRUCIRCLE™ solution portfolio.

“SABIC is continuing to reinvent and lead in sustainability. We are truly pioneering the way toward a circular economy for plastics. TRUCIRCLE™ is a significant milestone in our journey and with it, we're more committed than ever to collaborate in closing the loop on used plastics for the good of our planet," says Mark Vester, Circular Economy Leader at SABIC.TRUCIRCLE™ is SABIC's complete portfolio of solutions that span design for recyclability, mechanically recycled products, certified circular products from feedstock recycling of plastic waste streams and certified renewables products from bio-based feedstock.

As per UPM Raflatac's standard procedure, the whole value chain of PP PCR films has ISCC PLUS certification. The widely recognized sustainability certification scheme verifies that the mass balance accounting follows predefined and transparent rules. In addition, it provides traceability along the supply chain, from the feedstock to the final product.

As one of the signatories to the Ellen MacArthur New Plastic Economy initiative, UPM Raflatac is committed to developing label solutions that support brand owners in eliminating unnecessary plastic packaging and achieving their target of 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging by 2025. According to UPM Raflatac, finding the right partner like SABIC, is essential in achieving this ambitious goal.