UPM and Soprema join forces for label waste recycling

EMEIA – UPM Raflatac has joined forces with Soprema to repurpose label waste materials into insulation products, championing the utilization of renewable resources within the construction industry across the EMEIA region.

Soprema, a prominent figure in waterproofing and a specialist in roofing and insulation will convert label waste collected through UPM Raflatac’s RafCycle recycling service into innovative construction and insulation materials.

With an extensive global footprint encompassing 123 manufacturing sites and over 120 subsidiaries, Soprema is recognized for its unwavering commitment to sustainable construction practices and continuous investment in pioneering innovations.

Through this partnership, label waste finds new life as insulation products, furthering the incorporation of renewable sources within the construction sector, particularly at Soprema’s facility in France.

Insulation materials play a crucial role in enhancing energy efficiency in buildings. Cellulose wadding, a prime example, stands out for its high-performance attributes across diverse weather conditions, particularly in attic insulation applications.

Soprema’s management team highlighted that this collaboration will allow the integration of release liner as raw material, enhancing the effectiveness of their insulation product for consistent thermal comfort across all seasons.

Juha Virmavirta, Director of RafCycle at UPM Raflatac, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with Soprema, emphasizing the critical role of collaboration in the circular economy.

This partnership not only promotes the recycling of liner waste but also underscores their commitment to providing sustainable alternatives, steering clear of methods like incineration or landfill.

The initial RafCycle label waste collections have already been successfully delivered to Soprema, marking the beginning of this impactful collaboration.

The announcement comes after UPM Raflatac’s previous partnership with Inosence Polyol and Finnfoam, in which PET plastic liner waste collected via RafCycle was processed into a raw material to produce insulation.

The company says around 80% of the backing materials for self-adhesive labels are paper with an established recycling process, but the remaining 20% are PET-based with an extremely thin layer of silicone applied to the plastic that can make them difficult to separate and recycle, leading to them being incinerated instead.

As part of a new value chain collaboration, the PET-based label liner waste collected by UPM Raflatac will reportedly be processed into a raw material via a process developed by Inosence Polyol. Finnfoam will then use the raw material for its polyisocyanurate or FF-PIR insulation.

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