UPM Raflatac’s new Ocean Action label made from ocean-bound plastic

The label was produced in partnership with SABIC, HHI and Taghleef.

words ocean action label screened over an image of the ocean

Image courtesy of SABIC

UPM Raflatac, headquartered in Helsinki, has launched packaging label materials marketed under the UPM Raflatac Ocean Action trademark that are made from SABIC certified circular polypropylene (PP) based on ocean-bound plastic (OBP) that is recycled using a pyrolysis process.

“We are proud to offer our customers another more-sustainable choice through the advanced recycling of used plastic that could otherwise end up in our rivers and oceans,” says Lada Kurelec, general manager of the PP, PET, PS, PVC, PU & Elastomers Businesses for Petrochemicals at SABIC. “These labels containing ocean-bound plastic connect with our Trucircle program of circular solutions designed to help reduce plastic waste, mitigate fossil depletion and protect our planet.”

Ocean-bound plastic is defined as abandoned end-of-life plastic found in areas up to 50 kilometers inland from waterways that could eventually be washed into the ocean by rainfall, rivers or tides. Zero Plastic Oceans, a nongovernmental organization working to address plastic pollution, has estimated that OBP from uncontrolled waste disposal accounts for 80 percent of marine plastic litter.

“The new innovative Ocean Action label material is the latest step in our beyond-fossils journey,” Eliisa Laurikainen, business development manager from UPM Raflatac, says. “It does not only help prevent the plastic waste from ending up in the oceans but also offers brand owners the possibility to meet their recycled-content targets for packaging.”

She adds, “The Ocean Action label material is an easy-to-use drop-in solution created especially for food and cosmetics end-uses as it has exactly the same performance as the current fossil-based labels.”

The OBP used in the project is recovered by local partners of Heng Hiap Industries, or HHI, a Malaysia-based recycling company. The sustainable sourcing, proper collection and management of the OBP is certified by Zero Plastic Oceans and Control Union. HHI converts OBP into a pyrolysis oil by using a form of advanced, or chemical, recycling, and SABIC uses this oil as an alternative feedstock to produce certified circular SABIC PP polymer for further processing into film by Taghleef, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Then, UPM Raflatac produces the label material.

The OBP used to make Ocean Action label material is certified under the Zero Plastics Oceans program, and the final label material under ISCC Plus, which means the material flow is controlled and tracked from its point of origin to the final packaging following a set of predefined and transparent rules, SABIC says.

The Ocean Action label material is available as white and clear top-coated PP films and is designed for fast-moving consumer goods, such as household goods, personal care, packaged foods and beverages. Because the certified circular PP from SABIC, headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, performs the same way as comparable fossil-based virgin PP, the switch to the OBP material solution required no changes to the film and label material manufacturing processes, SABIC says.