UPM Raflatac Calls for Industry Collaboration on Sustainability Issues

TAMPERE, Finland—Speaking at a Labelexpo Europe 2007 seminar on “Challenging our business - today’s RFID and environmental opportunities” in Brussels, Belgium, UPM Raflatac President Heikki Pikkarainen called for industry collaboration in sustainability issues.

“Tackling the key challenges of the labeling industry—ensuring that the products come from sustainable managed forests, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, environmentally sound production and distribution, and turning waste efficiently into a resource—requires that the whole industry works together,” he said. “By combining the efforts of the entire labeling sector we can make a difference to our industry and our environment.”

Environmental compliance is a matter of rising importance throughout the entire labeling value chain. UPM Raflatac has recognized the importance of environmental management since its foundation in the early 1970s and has been an advocate for sustainability issues. Pikkarainen gave a concrete example of a UPM innovation that makes use of self-adhesive waste.

“A new wood-plastic composite manufactured from self-adhesive waste, UPM ProFi, is a great example of our eco-friendly innovations,” he said. “We believe that UPM ProFi can offer the labelling industry an easier path to a more environmentally sustainable future.”

Pikkarainen concluded by emphasizing that the labeling industry should not view environmental responsibility as a burden, but rather as an opportunity. “Labeling is the superior method for branding,” he said. “Promoting a sustainable future represents an opportunity to excel, innovate, and enhance efficiency in this important business sector.”