UPM Raflatac updates labelling approach with environmental impact data

FINLAND – Finnish label material company UPM Raflatac has introduced a new feature that integrates product footprint data into customer quotations.

This development, which includes product passport prototypes (PPPs), allows label converters to assess environmental impacts right from the initial stages of the supply chain.

The PPPs are automatically embedded into UPM Raflatac’s quote documentation, providing a full environmental evaluation of the quoted labelling materials.

With raw materials contributing 70–90% of a label converter’s environmental footprint, this innovation empowers customers to make informed decisions and proactively manage Scope 3 emissions, which are indirect emissions that occur throughout the value chain.

This move is not UPM Raflatac’s first sustainability initiative. The company has been a trailblazer in environmental responsibility for years.

Through its Label Life service—an independently verified life cycle assessment tool—the company has provided customers with data-driven insights into the environmental performance of label materials.

The PPPs are an extension of this service and are independently verified by the certification body DEKRA, ensuring transparency and credibility.

UPM Raflatac’s Label Life manager, Flora D’Souza, emphasized the scale of the rollout, noting that the PPPs already cover over 90% of the company’s label products by global sales volume.

“We are proud to offer this exclusive service in our customer quotes as the first player in the labelling industry,” she said.

The integration of environmental data aligns with emerging regulatory trends in the European Union, particularly the upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the expected implementation of Digital Product Passports (DPPs).

By anticipating these regulatory requirements, UPM Raflatac positions itself—and its clients—ahead of the curve.

Earlier this year, the company also acquired Metamark, a specialist in self-adhesive signage materials, further expanding its reach into the graphics sector and reinforcing its commitment to innovation-driven growth.

As sustainability becomes a business imperative, UPM Raflatac’s approach is a model for the packaging and labelling industries.

By embedding real-time, verified environmental impact data into its core business operations, the company supports a circular economy and enables customers to address sustainability challenges more effectively.

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