UPM Raflatac achieves FSC® and PEFC certifications for labelstock operations in France and Italy
(UPM Raflatac, Tampere, 5 September 2011, at 09:00 EET) – UPM Raflatac has achieved both FSC® and PEFC Chain of Custody certifications for a range of labelstock produced at its Nancy factory in France and for the slitting and distribution operations in Osnago, Italy. All UPM Raflatac factories in Europe are now FSC and PEFC certified.
FSC (the Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) are currently the main global forest management certifications. The chain of custody tracks certified material from the forest to the final labelstock product, and guarantees that the material comes from sustainably managed, legally logged forests.
“Achieving chain of custody certification for all our European factories is a significant milestone towards our aim to supply products that are sustainable over their lifecycle and to increase our range of eco-labelled products,” says Robert Taylor, Environmental Director, Engineered Materials, UPM. Taylor also points out that a clear chain of custody helps everyone in the supply chain. “Our customers can purchase paper labelstock knowing that their raw material comes from sustainably managed forests. Retailers can demonstrate their sustainability credentials to consumers, who can then make more responsible buying decisions.”
The Nancy factory is the main UPM Raflatac site manufacturing wine labelstock in Europe. “We are proud to be able to supply certified materials to our customers. Behind the certification lies a lot of hard work, and this achievement is a testimony to our commitment to environmental responsibility,” says Jean-Michel Foy, General Manager of UPM Raflatac France.
UPM supports and uses reliable forest certification schemes and has built a global chain-of-custody model to monitor and report the proportion of certified fibre in its products. The system meets both FSC and PEFC requirements. UPM Raflatac’s facilities are annually audited to verify their continued compliance with the certification requirements.
For further information, please contact:
Mr Robert Taylor, Environmental Director, Engineered Materials, UPM, tel. +358 204 16 2164
Mr Jean-Michel Foy, General Manager, UPM Raflatac France, tel. +33 3 8392 5401
Mr Davide Cogliati, Terminal Manager, UPM Raflatac Italy, tel. +39 03 9952 2141
This press release is available in other languages under ‘News & Publications’ on: www.upmraflatac.com
About UPM Raflatac
UPM Raflatac, part of UPM’s Engineered Materials business group, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of self-adhesive label materials. UPM Raflatac has a global service network consisting of 12 factories on six continents and a broad network of sales offices and slitting and distribution terminals worldwide. UPM Raflatac employs 2,400 people and made sales of approximately EUR 1.1 billion (USD 1.5 billion) in 2010.
The Chain of Custody (CoC) verifies that the wood used in a product originates from sustainably managed and certified forests.
FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) is an international non-governmental organisation founded in 1993, whose task is to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. Forests certified to FSC standards are located in more than 60 countries. The Council has defined ten general principles of forest management. The actual certification standards are drawn up in accordance with the FSC principles in a national cooperation process. Fulfilling the FSC standard requires independent third-party verification. More information: www.fsc.org.
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) is, by area, the world’s largest forest certification system. PEFC is an umbrella organisation for the mutual recognition of national or regional forest certification schemes which meet internationally recognised requirements for sustainable forest management. PEFC includes forest certification, Chain of Custody and product labelling. Fulfilling the PEFC standard requires independent third-party verification. PEFC members are national or regional forest certification schemes based on inter-governmental processes for sustainable forest management around the world. In Europe these principles were agreed at a conference of European forest ministers. More information: www.pefc.org.
