Wastes from the manufacturing process

The manufacturing process generates various wastes as by-products, and waste reduction targets have been set for all UPM Raflatac factories. This is a key aspect of our ISO14001:2004 certification.

In the new UPM ProFi project, labelstock waste is combined with plastic to make a composite material suitable for patios and other decking.

  • Paper and plastic face materials and liners are sent for recycling
  • Cores are re-used and cardboard is recycled wherever possible
  • When this is not possible, labelstock waste is sent for use as fuel, i.e. energy recovery; landfilling is the last option if none of the above are possible
  • Wastewater levels from the adhesive coating process are low; some factories have a wastewater treatment plant on-site; if not, the wastewater is treated off-site
  • Only low volumes of hazardous waste are produced
  • Oils from engineering can be recycled, while other hazardous wastes have to be incinerated