Feeds

Sustainable Sips: Label Waste Recycling Solutions in the Wine Industry

The wine industry is evolving toward a circular economy. Pioneers in this movement include viticulturists who began the transition to regenerative agriculture and wineries leading the move to renewable energy like solar fields or more sustainable materials, such as lightweight bottles and post-consumer recycled labels. Efforts are spreading from these innovators to the broader industry as the impacts of climate change increase the urgency and neighbors see the effectiveness of these solutions.

“While every industry is subject to trends, it is especially true for wine,” says Michael Garretson, who manages the RafCycle program at UPM Raflatac. “That could be because these companies are close neighbors. Driving along Highway 29 through Napa Valley, you see one winery after another. The same is true in Sonoma or Santa Barbara. They know each other; they’re members of the same organizations, attend the same conferences and events, and talk to each other. Even for a global business, there’s pride in the locale, which feeds into respect for the land and a willingness to participate in sustainability programs.”

Closing a Recycling Gap

A commitment to building a circular economy goes beyond wineries to the industry suppliers who provide the materials needed to grow grapes and make and bottle wine. Many of these companies contribute by increasing the use of cullet (crushed glass) and other recycled and recyclable materials, using non-toxic inks for labels and fostering recycling systems.

One of those efforts is RafCycle™by UPM Raflataca recycling solution that closes a gap in packaging circularity by recycling label-release liners that had previously gone to landfills. Release liner is the silicone-coated label backing that is peeled away from paper or film labels during the dispensing process. RafCycle’s mission is to collect and recycle this label backing after the labels or stickers are adhered to the bottles.

UPM Raflatac began implementing the program over a decade ago in Europe and has given increased focus to include North America in the last year and a half. Today, it has over 400 partners globally and is still growing.

The pioneering program received two awards this year: the Worldstar 2024 Award for “Packaging Materials and Components,” recognizing its cost efficiency, transparency and hands-on support as it helps companies meet their sustainability goals, and the 2024 Innovator Award for “Innovation in a Recovery Technology or Practice” at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) Impact event.

The RafCycle Process

“The way it works is quite simple,” explains Garretson. “I have a conversation with an interested winery and let them know what RafCycle is, how it works and that there is no charge for the service. When they’re ready to have their liner waste picked up, we put together a milk run where the truck goes to a series of wineries until it’s full and then drops the collected liners at a recycler.”

In addition to picking up liner waste directly from the wineries, RafCycle also relies on the converters who supply wineries with UPM Raflatac labels. Through our RafCycle Partner Program, not only do converters let the wineries know about the program and connect them with Garretson, but they often become points of centralization for small volumes of liner scattered across a region. RafCycle works with converters to centralize the liners from many smaller customers at one location.

“This value chain collaboration is opening access to wineries that would otherwise be too small to participate,” says Garretson, “allowing RafCycle to serve many wineries with a single stop and increasing the volume of material that we’re able to collect.”

All liner waste collected by RafCycle goes to a network of recycling facilities internationally and domestically. The PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) liner used by most wineries is turned into rougher fiber applications like pallet strapping and industrial carpet or upholstery by manufacturers. Manufacturers buy it from the recycler after it is melted down and turned into pellets.

A company that recycles 100 tons of PET release liner avoids 31 tons of fossil CO2 emissions compared with incineration or 113 tons when disposed in a landfill. With over half of California’s 76 million tons of waste ending up in landfills and a recycling rate of 41%, according to CalRecycle’s latest report, there is still plenty of room to improve.

Becoming a RafCycle partner enables wineries to collaborate across the value chain to create a more sustainable labeling industry

Post-Consumer Recycled Liners

UPM Raflatac’s commitment to the circular economy extends to packaging materials using post-consumer recycled (PCR). Wineries can choose labels with either 50% or 90% PCR PET liners, with most choosing 90% option to aid in meeting their sustainability goals, according to Jarod Hernandez, UPM Raflatac’s Product Manager for Wine, Spirits and Craft Beverages.

“Our original goal was to have all our papers FSC certified by 2025, and we’ve already met that mark,” he adds. “To further our sustainability mission, we have also transitioned a range of products inside our Wine, Spirits, and Craft Beverages portfolio away from consuming virgin PET liner to now being produced on PCR liner made from recycled bottles. Offering our standard portfolio in a sustainable light fills a gap that takes our winery customers closer to fully encompassing sustainability from the vineyard to the shelf.”

Here is an example of a calculation made with Label Life by UPM Raflatac. The life cycle assessment tool demonstrates the environmental impact of switching from a standard label product to one made with PCR content. Label Life is third party validated by DEKRA, lending additional credibility to the validity of its results. 

For more information about RafCycle contact americas.rafcycle@upmraflatac.com. For more information about UPM Raflatac’s line of labels with PCR-backing, contact americas.support@upmraflatac.com.

Partnering for the Planet: Doña Paula's Quest for Sustainable Packaging

Doña Paula wanted to redefine sustainability in winemaking with its "Unique" line of organic wines. Against a backdrop of staggering statistics highlighting the exponential growth of the organic wine sector, Doña Paula’s commitment to environmental responsibility stood out as a guiding light.

TAKEAWAYS

  1. Amidst a global surge in demand for organic wines, Doña Paula wanted to redefine sustainability in winemaking with its "Unique" line of organic wines. Against a backdrop of staggering statistics highlighting the exponential growth of the organic wine sector, Doña Paula’s commitment to environmental responsibility stood out as a guiding light.
  2. Doña Paula turned to UPM Raflatac. Their commitment to crafting label materials beyond fossils, and in this case, sourced entirely from recycled components aligned seamlessly with the winery's ethos. ENVI® is made from 100% Post Consumer Waste (PCW) materials and has an ultra-white appearance. The material has outstanding print fidelity and excellent embossing.
  3. With their printing expertise, MCC Argentina chose a flexographic method, to produce vivid, life like images that brought Doña Paula's vision to life.

Doña Paula’s Vision and the Wine Market in Argentina

When Doña Paula embarked on their journey to introduce the "Unique" line of organic wines, their commitment to sustainability extended beyond the vineyards. The challenge was clear: to create a packaging solution that mirrored the essence of their sustainable-focus brand. Central to this narrative were the partnerships formed with two key collaborators: UPM Raflatac and MCC Argentina.

"The significant increase in consumption of organic wines in recent years, both globally and in Argentina, underscores consumers' escalating interest in sustainability," notes Martín Kaiser, Director Enológico de Bodega Doña Paula. "With Unique, we are striving to not just meet but exceed these demands, leveraging new technologies to enhance efficiency, biodiversity, and carbon footprint reduction in our processes."

In Argentina alone, the internal consumption of organic wines soared to 167,125 liters in 2020, marking an astounding 5000% growth compared to 2018. This meteoric rise continued unabated, estimated to sustain an annual growth rate of around 20% in the following two years. Millennials and centennials emerged as key drivers behind this surge, fueling a shift toward sustainable consumption.

The country witnessed a notable rise in the number of organic wine producers, with the count escalating from 79 registered wineries in 2020 to 142 establishments in 2022. This surge not only mirrored Argentina's commitment to organic viticulture but also echoed a global trend toward environmentally conscious practices.

Amidst a global surge in demand for organic wines, Doña Paula embarked on a mission to redefine sustainability in winemaking with its "Unique" line of organic wines. Against a backdrop of staggering statistics highlighting the exponential growth of the organic wine sector, their commitment to environmental responsibility stood out as a guiding light.

Creating the Perfect Package

While UPM Raflatac stood as a beacon for sustainable label materials, MCC Argentina served as the artistic hand behind the label's tangible manifestation.

In the pursuit of a more sustainable packaging solution, Doña Paula turned to UPM Raflatac. Their commitment to crafting label materials beyond fossils, and in this case, sourced entirely from recycled components aligned seamlessly with the winery's ethos. Here was a collaborator who shared their dedication to sustainability, making them the perfect choice for supplying label materials that mirrored nature's purity. Ultimately, Doña Paula chose ENVI® as the label material. Made from 100% Post-Consumer Waste, ENVI® has an ultra-white appearance, outstanding print fidelity, and excellent embossing.

Concurrently, the quest for a label that would visually encapsulate the essence of the "Unique" line found its muse in MCC Argentina's printing expertise. Employing flexographic printing, MCC not only embraced the challenge but elevated it to an art form. The flexographic method, renowned for its versatility and ability to reproduce vivid, lifelike images, provided the canvas for Doña Paula's vision to come to life. MCC Argentina feels proud to have participated in the development of Doña Paula's Unique wine label. Despite challenges in printing due to the variety of realistic images and finishes, the team achieved what the client sought, developing a delicate, colorful, and fresh label.

In a harmonious synergy between UPM Raflatac's sustainable label materials and MCC Argentina's flexographic prowess, the label design metamorphosed into a visual masterpiece. Realistic depictions of the vineyards' bounty, vibrant colors reflecting the essence of the wines, and intricate finishes danced elegantly across the label—each stroke an ode to nature's canvas.

Through a convergence of sustainable innovation and artistic finesse, the collaboration between UPM Raflatac, MCC Argentina, and Doña Paula realized a packaging solution that transcended mere functionality. It became a canvas that narrated a story—a story of sustainable viticulture, artistic innovation, and a shared commitment to environmental stewardship.

As the curtains rose on the "Unique" line of organic wines, each bottle not only held the essence of superior craftsmanship but also whispered tales of a collaborative journey—a journey where sustainability met artistry in the most exquisite blend.

About Doña Paula

Doña Paula Winery, established in 1997 in Mendoza, produces high-end wines with grapes from 100% of its own vineyards located in the best wine-growing areas of the country. It currently has 800 hectares divided into 4 farms.

Doña Paula Winery has the Sustainable Vineyard certificate in all its production and winemaking processes based on the implementation of the Winery Sustainability Protocol of Bodegas de Argentina.

FB: @donapaulawines
IG: @donapaulawines
Twitter: @DonaPaulaWines

For more information and photographic material:
Sebastian R. Villar
svillar@bluecom.com.ar
11 3462-1001

About MCC Label

Multi-Color Corporation is an innovative, customer-centric industry leader for premium label solutions across the globe. We currently serve the following markets, and are dedicated to continued growth and success: - Automotive & Chemicals - Beverage - Durables & Technical - Food & Dairy - Health Care - Home Care - Personal Care & Beauty - Wine & Spirits Our 14,000+ employees spanning 29+ countries and 110+ production facilities are dedicated to delivering the custom solutions that your brand needs to thrive in today's marketplace.

Learn more

ENVI®

Made from 100% Post-Consumer Waste, ENVI® has an ultra-white appearance, outstanding print fidelity, and excellent embossing. Learn more.

sustainability wine packaging wine label

The study examines the impact of the label material and finishes on consumers' purchasing behavior and their role in shaping perceptions of wine taste.

The study examines the impact of the label material and finishes on consumers' purchasing behavior and their role in shaping perceptions of wine taste.

Charting a Sustainable Path: Packaging and Label Solutions to Address Wine Industry Challenges

Seismic shifts are rocking wineries’ traditional methods of producing and selling wine. The industry has recognized the vital need to capture the interest of younger consumers to compensate for reduced spending by its older buyer base. Agriculture’s growing acceptance of climate change ― painfully reinforced by increasingly frequent wildfires and droughts ― has led to more sustainable vineyard and winery practices, requiring investments that have sometimes dug deep into budgets.

According to Jarod Hernandez, Product Manager for Wine, Spirits, and Beverages at global label materials supplier UPM Raflatac, these shifts also impact wine packaging.

“The biggest trends I’m seeing are an increasing commitment to sustainability and the market impact of Millennials and Gen Z,” Hernandez notes, “and these are converging since these consumers may not want to open a 750 ml bottle of wine and leave it open, instead preferring single-use cans or bottles.”

As the popularity of hard seltzers and other flavored alcoholic beverages packaged in aluminum cans skyrockets among younger consumers, wineries are also jumping on the trend. Many wineries are now opting for aluminum cans due to the convenience and “grab-and-go” appeal they offer. This shift is particularly noticeable among newer wineries like Maker Wines and West + Wilder, which have started their journey by exclusively packaging and selling wine in cans.

Even established wineries are adding canned wines, including Union Wine Company’s Underwood brand, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates’ 14 Hands, E & J Gallo’s Barefoot, Dark Horse and recently acquired Bev.

“The largest aluminum producers in the world have been building plants in the Americas,” says Adam Moffitt, UPM Raflatac’s Business Development Manager for the Americas. “For example Ball Corporation has made significant investments in optimizing its current facilities and opening several new aluminum production facilities in the Americas region. They’ve also brought in non-domestic aluminum to make cans. Aluminum has a compound annual growth rate of 5.6% over the next five years, but in the last two years alone, demand grew 12.9%.”

Moffitt also points out that many wineries are looking to package their wine in aluminum cans because they offer value beyond single-use convenience for consumers. “Cans are the most easily recyclable option, don’t break in transit, and are a good way to test markets to see what kind of shelf space you can get.”

But there are also some drawbacks, including:

  • Although many consumers have happily adopted canned wine, many still associate cans with lower-quality wines.
  • Not all wines are good candidates for canning, particularly those designed to age for years in the cellar.
  • Wineries must usually order large minimum order quantities (MOQ) of preprinted cans.

“High MOQs of preprinted cans are easy for big wineries,” says Hernandez, “but may not be affordable for smaller wineries or practical for small batch runs. That’s where we can provide the benefits of using pressure-sensitive labels [PSL] from our portfolio. We can easily transition a label designed for glass bottles to cans, and PSLs give a winery the flexibility to order fewer cans and frequently change the vintage, varietal, vineyard, or anything on the label.”

As the leader in sustainable labeling, UPM Raflatac’s portfolio also includes PSLs with lower carbon footprints. Its Forest Film™ material uses 100% renewable wood pulp resin harvested from sustainably managed forests instead of the virgin plastic pellets typically used to create polypropylene. In addition to Forest Film, UPM Raflatac also offers its Ocean Action material, which takes another approach by capturing ocean-bound plastic and, through recycling, breaking it down into the standard polymer chips used to create the label film.

“Most wineries start at the front end when discussing sustainability, especially mitigating water usage in California and adopting lightweight bottles,” Moffitt adds. “But it’s essential to think of sustainability from a broader view that includes end of life. When that bottle leaves your shop, what happens to it? It’s often best to start at the end and work backward.”

California’s new “Bottle Bill,” which takes effect in January 2024, will push many wineries to do just that when they begin redesigning their labels to include the CRV (California Redemption Value) language. The legislation aims to increase the recycling of wine bottles and other containers sold to consumers, creating a circular economy supported by an infrastructure that will collect the glass bottles, clean them and return them to the packaging cycle for reuse.

UPM Raflatac developed a wash-off label portfolio designed to maximize the recyclability and circularity of glass and plastic bottles. Unlike traditional label materials, wash-off labels separate cleanly from containers during recycling without leaving any adhesive residue, improving PET recyclate yield and allowing for glass packaging reuse.

The Bottle Bill is a turning point that allows wineries to rethink their packaging approach. Moffitt and Hernandez are hopeful that wineries will move toward more sustainable packaging, thereby aligning with climate change imperatives and the ethos of younger consumers, who are more likely to consider the product and the company’s sustainability when deciding what products to buy.

sustainability canned wine

A Closer Look at UPM Raflatac's Global Digital Label Material Swatchbook for Wine, Spirits and Beverage

UPM Raflatac, a global supplier of innovative and sustainable labeling materials, is solving bottlenecks for designers with their recently published dynamic digital label material swatchbook for wine, sprits and beverage (WSB). This new tool allows designers to bring the designs to life by downloading high-definition images and utilizing the selected label material in their preferred design software.

"The digital swatchbook was created with designers in mind. There are plenty of label materials available for wine, spirits and beverage, but the challenge is to find the right match to the packaging and to find it easy and fast. As we now live in a world with less face-to-face meetings, it is essential to have an efficient, user-friendly, and innovative digital tool that can change the landscape of label and packaging design," says Stefano Pistoni, Senior Manager, Business Development, Wine, Spirits and Beverage, UPM Raflatac.

"For us at Advision, the UPM Raflatac Digital Swatchbook is a new incredible tool to support our creative and design workflow. We have already tried the high-resolution textures download and just in a few minutes we created mockups and realistic renderings. This new tool has two strengths: it greatly simplifies our work and helps us to convey our idea of the final result to clients in a realistic way," stated Matteo Zantedeschi, Art Director, Advision.

The digital swatchbook allows users to search by visual appearance of face material or by features and functionalities of the material. As a global tool, the swatchbook is segmented by region to provide a highly customized user experience.

swatchbook.upmraflatac.com/s/

labeling sustainability sustainable labeling

Consumers Care About How Their Wine Choices Impact the Environment and the Circular Economy

Surveys consistently report that consumers increasingly prefer food & beverage products that are sourced, produced, and packaged sustainably. Sustainability issues factor into consumers’ purchase decisions and younger generations feel so strongly about these values that they will pay more for these products. Results also show that this trend is rising, even in the face of inflationary pressures.

Examples of recent findings drive home the importance to consumers of wine producers supporting the circular economy and often reveal that this importance is growing:

  • 55% of US consumers consider recycling and reusing products or packaging when making purchase decisions.[i]
  • 48% said they pay attention to what the packaging is made of and how much of it is there.[ii]
  • 86% of younger consumers (18-44) reported they were willing to pay more for products in sustainable packaging.[iii]
  • 69% want to hear from pubs and bars about the work they’re doing to tackle plastic and packaging waste.[iv]
  • 67% of Millennials believe their choices have a moderate to significant environmental impact.[v]

Food and beverage manufacturers understand concerns about sustainability and are aware of consumer and often government interest in their progress toward more sustainable agricultural, production and packaging standards. The wine industry is particularly sensitive to this issue because its members are, first and foremost, farmers. Each year they see the impact of climate change as they watch the vines bud, develop and produce grapes ready for harvest.


“Wineries have been taking sustainability measures on the farm and in the winery,” says Jarod Hernandez, product manager for wine, spirits, and beverages at UPM Raflatac. “Now they’re trying to expand their sustainability initiatives by going beyond solar panels and water conservation to considering the packaging process.”

“Major manufacturers are making a concerted, conscious decision to create sustainable products,” adds UPM Raflatac’s business development manager Adam Moffitt. “They’re saying, ‘we’re all going to do this by 2030,’ and the Ellen Macarthur foundation and others are holding them accountable. We’re here to support our producers who use traditional packaging, but we’ve also doubled down on creating and blending new sustainable products to help our customers achieve their sustainability goals.”

Label experts UPM Raflatac have a bold vision of creating a future beyond fossils and continually innovate labels that adhere to four core principles: reduce, recycle, renew or reuse. The company supports customers making the switch to sustainable materials with products like Forest Film, which uses 100% renewable wood-based raw materials, or FSC-certified products. It helps clients work on closing the loop of the circular economy by offering products created by  reusing existing materials that are already out in the environment. For example their Ocean Action label which is the first label made from ocean-bound plastic.


“Currently, I’m working with our Sustainability group on our RafCycle program. In addition to this, we’ve begun transitioning various products in our portfolio away from using virgin PET-liner, and instead move them towards consuming PET liner with PCR content included,” says Hernandez, “the initative to transition the wine products in our portfolio that currently consume virgin PET-liner to 50% or 90% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content construction is critical to UPM Raflatac’s sustainability goals as a company and brings us closer to closing the loop as we incorporate our RafCycle program.”

“We have liner options to meet clients where they are,” Moffitt explains. “Some companies have set goals to reach 50% PCR by a certain date. That’s a lower-cost entry point for smaller wineries or brands already taking sustainability steps and looking to transition into sustainable packaging. If they want to stand out competitively, they can take the leap to 90% PCR.”

“It all depends on where the client is in their sustainability journey,” adds Hernandez. “We can align with their sustainability goals roadmap and provide 90% PCR or 50% PCR PET liners.”


When it comes to wineries measuring where they are on their sustainability journey, UPM Raflatac has developed the Label Life tool to help them assess their progress against three fundamental metrics: greenhouse gas emissions, energy demand, and water consumption. The life cycle assessment (LCA) analyzes the environmental impacts of products and compares different UPM Raflatac products and various end-of-life scenarios for the release liner to find the right combination of sustainable labels for their needs.

“It tells you, ‘Here’s what you’re using today and what you’re saving the world,’” says Moffitt, “and here’s the sustainability impact you’ll have by switching to a more sustainable material.”

The UPM Raflatac team is committed to a more sustainable future with a closed-loop economy that lowers the environmental impact and supports wineries’ need to let their consumers know they’re contributing to a better future.

To learn more about the RafCycle program and the Label Life tool or to obtain a digital or physical swatchbook, visit upmraflatac.com.


[i] Ernst & Young, US Future Consumer Index 7: how to satisfy the sustainable consumerKathy Gramling
[ii] ibid
[iii] Trivium Packaging 2022 Global Buying Green Report
[iv] Footprint Drinks ESG Trends Report 2023
[v] International Food Information Council 2022 Food and Health Survey

sustainability wine label labels

UPM Raflatac Unveils New Global Digital Label Material Swatchbook for Wine, Spirits and Beverage

UPM Raflatac, a global supplier of innovative and sustainable labeling materials, is solving bottlenecks for designers with their recently published dynamic digital label material swatchbook for wine, sprits and beverage (WSB). This new tool allows designers to bring the designs to life by downloading high-definition images and utilizing the selected label material in their preferred design software.

"The digital swatchbook was created with designers in mind. There are plenty of label materials available for wine, spirits and beverage, but the challenge is to find the right match to the packaging and to find it easy and fast. As we now live in a world with less face-to-face meetings, it is essential to have an efficient, user-friendly, and innovative digital tool that can change the landscape of label and packaging design," says Stefano Pistoni, Senior Manager, Business Development, Wine, Spirits and Beverage, UPM Raflatac.

"For us at Advision, the UPM Raflatac Digital Swatchbook is a new incredible tool to support our creative and design workflow. We have already tried the high-resolution textures download and just in a few minutes we created mockups and realistic renderings. This new tool has two strengths: it greatly simplifies our work and helps us to convey our idea of the final result to clients in a realistic way," stated Matteo Zantedeschi, Art Director, Advision.

The digital swatchbook allows users to search by visual appearance of face material or by features and functionalities of the material. As a global tool, the swatchbook is segmented by region to provide a highly customized user experience.

swatchbook.upmraflatac.com/s/

swatchbook wine label sustainable labeling material

UPM Raflatac Unveils Digital Swatchbook for Wine, Spirits and Beverage

UPM Raflatac has published digital label material swatch book for wine, spirits and beverage (WSB). This new tool allows designers to bring designs to life by downloading high-definition images and utilizing the selected label material in their preferred design software.

Stefano Pistoni, senior manager, Business Development, Wine, Spirits and Beverage, UPM Raflatac, said: ‘The digital swatchbook was created with designers in mind. There are plenty of label materials available for wine, spirits and beverage, but the challenge is to find the right match to the packaging and to find it easy and fast. As we now live in a world with less face-to-face meetings, it is essential to have an efficient, user-friendly, and innovative digital tool that can change the landscape of label and packaging design.’

Matteo Zantedeschi, art director, Advision, added: ‘For us at Advision, the UPM Raflatac Digital Swatchbook is a new incredible tool to support our creative and design workflow. We have already tried the high-resolution textures download and just in a few minutes we created mockups and realistic renderings. This new tool has two strengths: it greatly simplifies our work and helps us to convey our idea of the final result to clients in a realistic way.’ 

The digital swatchbook allows users to search by visual appearance of face material or by features and functionalities of the material. As a global tool, the swatch book is segmented by region to provide a customized user experience.

View the swatchbook here: https://go.upmraflatac.com/wsb-digital-swatchbook-win

wine labels label material swatchbook

UPM Raflatac to Showcase Its Sustainable Products at Labelexpo Americas

UPM Raflatac, a global labelling materials supplier, will exhibit its latest pressure-sensitive innovations and immerse its booth visitors in a multi-sensory forest experience, featuring the company's sustainable products at Labelexpo Americas 2022.

'We are very excited to see the industry once again come together under one roof, where we can exchange ideas and continue to collaborate with our customers, suppliers and technology partners. We believe that with proactive communications and strong collaboration through the entire value chain, we can ensure the robustness of our industry’s supply chain and continued attractiveness and reliability for our end-use partners,' stated Tim Kirchen, senior vice president, UPM Raflatac, Americas.

Show attendees will have the opportunity to examine UPM Raflatac’s sustainable labeling materials as they learn how to help brands Make the Switch to more sustainable alternatives and Close the Loop for the circular economy.

As part of UPM Raflatac’s multi-sensory booth experience, attendees will be able to learn more about the Ocean Action Label, made from ocean bound plastic waste, sustainable films, including UPM Raflatac Forest Film, PP PCR and PET PCR materials, UPM Raflatac RAFNXT+, verified by the Carbon Trust to help mitigate climate change and selected products certified as CarbonNeutral, and Renewal Hemp material made with FSC certified paper and recycled fibers.

In addition, UPM Raflatac will exhibit its OptiCut linerless materials, which are certified as CarbonNeutral, and their Print-on-demand and Digital Labeling Solutions for digital printing systems.

Attendees will also receive in-booth demonstrations of the MyRaflatac customer portal. UPM Raflatac will reveal the portal’s newest capabilities during the expo.
       
To support knowledge exchange in the industry, Bruce Ruppert, UPM Raflatac’s product development manager, will present as part of Labelexpo’s Label Materials Master Class. Ruppert will speak on the topic of release liner substrates. His presentation takes place on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 9:50 a.m. in Room 4 of the conference center.

packaging Labelexpo wine labels label

Sustainable Wine Labels Are On-Trend with Consumer Concerns

Wineries are looking for ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace, particularly among the younger generations. One of the top issues influencing consumer purchasing is sustainability because they are increasingly conscious of waste and environmental impact — and they are willing to pay more for sustainable products.

While half of US alcohol drinkers in a recent IWSR survey said that a company’s sustainability or environmental initiatives positively influence their purchase decisions, over three-quarters of Generation Z and Millennial Americans in an IFIC survey believe they care more about the environmental impact of food choices than other generations.

Wineries can make more sustainable choices along the entire grape-to-bottle chain, but labels are often an afterthought or forgotten. Like all other environmental decisions, using more sustainable labels will be most effective if a winery also develops branding and marketing campaigns to share the news with its consumers.

“Sustainability information isn’t always clearly presented to wine consumers,” says Adam Moffitt, Business Development Manager for the Americas for UPM Raflatac, a leader in sustainable labeling. “So a wine label that says, ‘We’re saving oceans’ or ‘Learn about our sustainability program,’ communicates that your winery is making a difference.”

Using more recycled materials

Wineries can increase label sustainability by boosting the proportion of recycled material in their packaging and communicating their support of the circular economy to consumers.

UPM Raflatac devised a way to make polypropylene — a completely clear film — with wood from sustainably managed forests instead of the virgin plastic pellets typically used to create polypropylene. Forest Film™ helps reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lowers a winery’s carbon footprint.

“We also capture ocean-bound plastic in rivers and streams before it hits the ocean,” says Moffitt. “We take that material, break it down and reuse it to make several different types of labels with adhesive to put on a variety of packaging substrates.”

The company’s Renewal® pressure-sensitive labels also have a lower carbon footprint. The fibers in the paper combine byproducts from the rapidly-renewable hemp and wheat industries with post-consumer waste. This environmentally-sensitive alternative eliminates the wheat farmers’ annual practice of clearing fields by burning millions of acres of wheat straw, creating acrid smoke and carbon emissions. It also takes advantage of the fast-growing hemp, which has a 90-day seed-to-harvest cycle in a far smaller space than a forest with a 20-30 year harvest cycle would require.

Enabling recycling and reuse

Turning waste into a resource is a must in the circular economy, and RafCycle™ and other recycling services create new materials from self-adhesive label waste. UPM Raflatac also offers wash-off labeling solutions that increase the yield of clean, high-purity PET flakes that separate and sink to the bottom during the PET washing process.

“UPM is one of the most progressive sustainable label providers, consistently putting sustainability out front,” says Caren McNamara, CEO and Founder of Conscious Container, a start-up launching infrastructure in the Bay Area to collect, wash and process dirty bottles and resell them to wineries.

“Glass bottles are the last mile for the wine industry for sustainability — and the biggest, with 18-30% of emissions coming from virgin glass bottles,” McNamara explains. “That’s why we feel strongly about enabling the wine industry to make it that last mile by using refillable bottles and wash-off labels.”

UPM Raflatac is not just one of the world’s largest paper companies; its focus is on sustainability and helping brands increase their sustainability. Because it provides labels for every need, it looks across the entire value chain — from the floor of its green-leaf-certified facility to the market itself — to find what’s important in each situation. The company uses what it learns to innovate labels that are ahead of the sustainability curve so it can meet industry needs as they evolve.

Free label material sample kit

UPM Raflatac offers a free wine and spirits labeling materials kit so you can see and feel the quality of the label materials firsthand. The kit includes post-consumer recycled (PCR) content label material samples, Renewal Hemp label material samples, and a swatchbook of our complete product offering. Request your kit today.


wine labels sustainability

About

UPM Raflatac is a leading global supplier of pressure sensitive labeling solutions. Our self-adhesive label materials are used for product and information labeling across a wide range of end-uses from wine & spirits, craft beverage, security to pharmaceutical applications. Each product is designed to offer excellent printability, convertibility and durability in the latest labeling machinery.

  • We employ 2,900 people.
  • Our annual sales are USD 1.5 billion (EUR 1.4 billion).
  • We manage 11 factories and a wide network of sales offices and distribution terminals worldwide.
  • Our parent company is UPM  The Biofore Company.

Contact

Contact List

Title Name Email Phone Extension
Territory Sales Managers Dave Chappell david.chappell@upmraflatac.com
Regional Sales Director Dan Murphy dan.murphy@upmraflatac.com
Segment Development Manager Lee Green lee.green@upmraflatac.com
Area Sales Director, East Philip Coates philip.coates@upmraflatac.com

Location List

Locations Address State Country Zip Code
UPM Raflatac, Inc. 400 Broadpointe Dr., Mills River NC United States of America 28759

List of Locations