2020 SPC Innovator Awards
Innovation in Responsible Sourcing Winner:
UPM Raflatac: Forest Film™
UPM Raflatac developed and commercialized Forest Film™, the first wood-based polypropylene film label material in the market. Made from UPM BioVerno naphtha, a 100% wood-based solution based on crude tall-oil generated as a residue of pulping processes, Forest Film™ is a drop-in bioplastic with 54% less cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions compared to the conventional equivalent made of fossil feedstocks. The supply chain is ISCC certified so that the origin of the raw material can be traced and verified.
The Importance:
Bio-based versions of conventional plastics are important because they are molecularly identical to their conventional counterparts, meaning their performance and aesthetic properties match the standard expected by the industry (and their equipment) and compromises aren’t required in order to capitalize on a new material with a novel feedstock source. To date, most activity in this family of bio-based drop-in polymers has focused on polyethylene and the ethylene glycol portion of PET, so the introduction of bio-based polypropylene in itself represents a significant expansion. Forest Film is unique compared to many other bio-based plastics in that its feedstock is derived from trees, for which several standard systems are established to provide assurance of responsible management, and especially as this feedstock is created as a byproduct of pulp production, there is an interesting synergy that lends itself to system-wide solutions.
“We are honored to receive the 2020 SPC Innovator Award for Innovation in Responsible Sourcing for UPM Raflatac Forest Film,” said Tyler Matusevich, Sustainability Manager, Americas, UPM Raflatac. “We continuously strive to be a leader in sustainable labeling, and for us, it all starts with responsible sourcing. This product is a shining example of our company’s vision of ‘labeling a smarter future beyond fossils’ brought to life.”
Learn more link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJLUztNf5UE