In the vast universe, we humans live on a beautiful "blue planet" covered by 70% of the ocean. The ocean is the lungs of the earth and the source of our life. While providing oxygen, regulating the climate, and sequestering carbon, it also continuously transports valuable resources such as food, medicine, and minerals, creating millions of jobs. post. Therefore, marine ecology is the most important part of the earth's ecosystem.
Once upon a time, the invention of plastic has brought great convenience and happiness to our lives, but the pollution caused by waste plastics has become increasingly serious. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, there are currently about 75 million to 199 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean, accounting for 85% of the total weight of marine debris! These refractory plastics pose a huge threat to the survival of many marine organisms, and even make some creatures face the danger of extinction! As a socially responsible company, UPM Raflatac actively implements the concept of sustainable development, and continuously introduces sustainable solutions through deep cultivation of technology, in order to make positive and beneficial contributions to the improvement of the marine environment and the ecology of the earth.
Start the marine defense war-Finlan marine protection series products
As one of the achievements, on the "World Oceans Day" on June 8 this year, UPM Raflatac officially launched the world's first film label material derived from Ocean Trend Plastics (OBP) - "Finn Blue Ocean Protection" product series , to appeal to everyone to pay attention to the marine ecology, and to alleviate the problem of marine plastic waste while helping the plastic circular economy by adopting the environmentally friendly "Fen Lan Haibao".
"Finlan Haibao" is a polypropylene (PP) label with post-consumer recycled content (PCR). This series of products includes white and transparent polypropylene (PP) films, which are very suitable for the packaging of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) such as daily chemicals, food and beverages. The PCR materials in the label are all selected from traceable Asian beach and land, and chemically recycled Ocean Bound Plastic, which is exactly the same as the traditional fossil-based PP label in performance, appearance and recycling ability. No changes to existing designs are required.
The so-called ocean-oriented plastic (OBP) refers to the post-consumer plastic waste that has not yet entered the ocean and is located within 50 kilometers of the coast and has not been effectively recycled, such as mineral water bottles, plastic takeaway boxes, etc. If this part of the waste cannot be collected, it will gradually enter the ocean with the influence of natural factors such as wind and rain, causing pollution.
As the world's first film label using Ocean Trend Plastics (OBP) as raw material, "UPM Blue Ocean Protection" reflects UPM Raflatac's corporate responsibility and sense of social responsibility - the courage to face the problem of marine plastic pollution and make bold innovations. The greatest significance of this series of labels is:
l Facing the global challenges, through the cooperation of the whole industry chain, to reduce the pollution of marine plastic waste and prevent it from happening;
l Reduce the use of fossil raw materials and reduce the impact on the environment by using raw materials with recycled content;
l Timely availability, consistent appearance and performance with traditional fossil-based materials, reducing brand changes to design.
l The entire collection and sorting process of the plastic waste in the ocean has passed the OBP ocean plastic certification program of Zero Plastic Oceans (Zero Plastic Oceans).
l On the basis of mass balance, ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Scheme) certification, proving that it uses the same amount of recycled content (ie post-consumer mixed plastic waste) in the production process, replacing traditional fossil-based raw materials. Ensures sustainability and traceability in the production process
It can be said that "Finlan Marine Protection" has achieved the first place in marine protection through the cooperation of the whole industry chain, controlling the discharge of land-sourced pollutants into the sea from the source, optimizing the process of energy saving and emission reduction, ingenious design, and user-friendly use and recycling. war.
Eliisa Laurikainen, Business Development Manager, UPM Raflatac, said in an interview: "Our 'Finlan Haibao' series of label materials are all made of seagoing plastics. This innovative label material is our step towards 'building an ecology beyond fossil energy'. Future's latest move will not only prevent plastic waste from entering the ocean, but will also help brands increase the amount of recycled content in their packaging and help them meet their sustainability goals."
Recycling and remanufacturing, closed-loop circular economy
As a leading global manufacturer of self-adhesive label materials with the goal of surpassing fossil energy, and one of the signatories of the "New Plastics Economy Global Commitment" initiated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, UPM Raflatac has been committed to leading Sustainable transformation of the label industry to create a "net-zero emissions" future.
Especially in recycling and remanufacturing, UPM Raflatac has been at the forefront of the world. Its polypropylene (PP) film label solution with post-consumer recycled content (PCR), launched in 2020, uses chemically recycled PCR to replace all replaceable virgin materials, providing a complete product from raw materials to final products. The supply chain provides traceability and a truly sustainable film label solution to support brands in ditching unnecessary plastic packaging.
Currently, the UPM Raflatac range of post-consumer recycled content (PCR) products includes:
l Vanish™ PCR, PE PCR, PP PCR three types of film label solutions;
l The wine label surface material containing PCR components, that is, the paper surface material PCR label product, the recovery rate can reach up to 100%;
l FSC recycled coated paper label, a paper label product containing 99% PCR;
l And the world's first film label material from OBP - "Fen Lan Hai Bao" officially launched this time.
