UPM Raflatac is including the entire carbon footprint data of its products directly in its customer quotes in what it describes as a first for the label industry
UPM Raflatac has announced that it will include the energy, water, and CO2 footprint data of its products directly in all its customer quotes in a reported first for the label industry.
The product footprints, known as product passport prototypes (PPPs), aim to provide customers with transparent environmental data, helping them to make informed material choices and to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.
Scope 3 emissions are indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in a company's value chain but are not directly owned or controlled by the company. They can often represent the largest portion of a company's overall carbon footprint and have therefore been a key focus for organisations aiming to achieve meaningful climate action.
UPM’s PPPs are automatically linked to the company’s quote documents, giving a detailed assessment of their label material’s environmental impact. Each PPP offers a range of environmental metrics over the entire lifecycle of the label with the aim of enabling converters to assess and minimise their footprint.
The PPPs featured in customers quotes are generated by UPM Raflatac’s life cycle assessment (LCA) service, Label Life, which has been externally validated by inspection and certification organisation, DEKRA. By providing such data, UPM is in its own words “setting a new labelling industry standard”, with the aim of promoting wider sustainable practices within the sector.
Label convertors have been of particular focus of UPM’s introduction of PPPs. According to the company, raw materials account for 70–90% of converters’ total environmental impact. Access to real-time footprint data is therefore critical for helping to make more sustainable decisions.
UPM have also highlighted that the data gives converters a competitive edge by helping them respond quickly to customer inquiries about sustainability.
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will soon require certain products sold in the EU to include a digital product passport (DPP) such as the one UPM now provides.
Flora D’Souza, manager of Label Life at UPM Raflatac, says: “The PPPs already cover over 90% of UPM Raflatac’s label products by sales volume globally. We are proud to offer this exclusive service in our customer quotes as the first player in the label industry.”
Packaging company, Coveris, has collaborated with UPM on a range of sustainable solutions. This includes the introduction in 2023 of a label solution for food company, Cranswick, using recyclable fibre-based materials.
The solution was made as part of Coveris’ ‘No Waste’ agenda, which outlines the company’s goal to eventually produce no product waste, no packaging waste, and no operational waste.
Speaking of UPM’s carbon data solution, Jason Fuller, procurement category manager of Coveris, says: “The new feature is a game-changer for how we evaluate sustainable performance of materials and make better, more informed choices on the right environmental selection for our customers and our vision of no waste.”
The push for transparent emissions data has been seen across a range of sectors in recent times.
Branding provider, Moss UK, recently launched a new Carbon Calculator tool which provides a detailed carbon emissions report for each graphics and branding project commissioned by its clients.
The Carbon Calculator, which is reportedly the first of its kind for the UK wide-format industry, will be provided at no extra cost. The tool aims to precisely calculate the carbon emissions of each material, vehicle, and installation process used in every one of its print projects.
