Looking Ahead

Ismo Pietari, research and development director, UPM Raflatac, broke down these opportunities for paper liner and paper’s many benefits—as well as the challenges in the label market that it faces from films, other labeling and product decoration techniques, waste directives, and liner-less labelstock. “Filmic liner will gain market share in more demanding applications if paper suppliers don’t provide more innovative solutions,” he predicted. He was confident that paper would remain the prime choice for partnering paper facestocks, and that environmental aspects would continue to favor papers.