UPM-Biofore-Magazine-2-2019

FOREST FILM is a great example of how UPM’s ongoing work to replace fossil-based raw materials is bringing exciting innovations to the market.

from crude oil by 50% by 2030. “We support the phase-out of fossil- based plastic. Every tonne of labelling materials produced from renewable plastic replaces a tonne of fossil-based plastic,” notes Wall. Labelling materials produced from bio-based plastics have exactly the same properties as traditional plastics. This means that they can be used as a drop-in solution in current production without requiring any process modification. Customers are increasingly aware that a product’s environmental friendliness should amount to more than marketing speeches. Forest Film label stock comes with a promise of complete chain-of-custody traceability, meaning that its origins and production chain are verified by an independent third party.

with dairy company Arla, packaging company Elopak and chemical company Dow. The value chain is structured so that Dow refines plastic granules fromUPMBioVerno naphtha, and Elopak then uses the granules to produce packaging for Arla. The thin plastic films used in cartons to make them leak-proof are produced from the renewable plastic. “Wood-based plastic significantly reduces the need for fossil-based plastic, and the new packaging can be recycled the same way as before,” Snellman says. 

Breakthrough moment Forest Film is a great example of how UPM’s ongoing work to replace fossil-based rawmaterials is bringing exciting innovations to the market. “It is also a shining example of successful collaboration within the group. One UPM business produces the rawmaterial, which is then refined into products by another,” says Marko Snellman , Commercial Manager at UPMBiofuels. Forest Film’s value chain also includes other partners who produce plastic rawmaterials from renewable naphtha and then produce the plastic film supplied to Raflatac. Snellman emphasises that new solutions are often invented in ecosystems bringing together different industries. In February, UPMBiofuels launched a collaborative venture

2/2019 |  25