UPM Raflatac working actively for a sustainable future

President Heikki Pikkarainen: Environmental issues of rising importance in the labelling industry

(UPM Raflatac, Tampere, March 7, 2007) – Speaking yesterday at the opening ceremony of UPM Raflatac’s new self-adhesive laminate factory in Changshu, China, UPM Raflatac President Heikki Pikkarainen took up the issue of sustainable development, saying that, “UPM Raflatac is placing environmental issues ever higher on the agenda. Environmental compliance is a matter of rising importance throughout the whole labelling value chain. Therefore, we at UPM Raflatac have decided to take an active role in developing the sustainability of self-adhesive labelling technology. Moving forward, we will continue to search for new eco-friendly solutions to exceed our customers’ expectations while reducing environmental impact. We’re aiming for a sustainable future.”

UPM Raflatac is currently implementing the environmental ISO 14001 certification process across its factories globally. Environmental management has been a key corporate priority since UPM Raflatac was established in the early 1970s and set the benchmark for the entire labelling industry. Using proprietary and environmentally sound production technology, UPM Raflatac manufactures labelstock that is safe both for people and the environment.

“We’re continuously researching new ways of reducing waste at all stages of our products’ lifecycles, from the use of raw materials to our customers’ processes,” says Pikkarainen. “A recently announced product innovation – the UPM ProFi wood plastic composite manufactured mainly from surplus materials from our self-adhesive laminate production – is a great example of our intentions and the shape of things to come.”

For further information, please contact:
Mr Heikki Pikkarainen, President, UPM Raflatac, mobile +358 40 760 5758

About UPM Raflatac
UPM Raflatac is a world-leading supplier of self-adhesive label materials for a wide variety of needs in product and information labelling. In addition, the company is at the global forefront in the development and high-volume production of HF and UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and inlays. UPM Raflatac has around 2,500 employees and made sales of approximately USD 1.3 billion in 2006. The company has a global service network consisting of 11 factories on five continents and a broad network of distribution and slitting terminals and sales offices worldwide. UPM Raflatac is part of UPM. Further information is available at www.upmraflatac.com.