RafCycle and INSIGHT

Since March 2018 we’ve chosen to improve and make our commitment to the environment, replacing the packaging of all Insight products with new components made from recycled or plant-derived materials.
 
We’ve paid a special attention to the choice of the label materials:

• All the labels of the products in bottles or jars are made of a material composed of a minimum content of 25% of recycled PET resins;
• All tube labels are made of plastic derived from sugar cane, as the tubes themselves.

 
Above all, we joined the RafCycle® project, promoted by UPM Raflatac, a program developed for the recovery and enhancement of label waste throughout their life cycle.

Who is UPM Raflatac?

It’s a world leader in the production and supply of films and papers for self-adhesive labeling.
UPM Raflatac collects label waste from its partners, such as Insight, and recycles them in several ways. It can thus offer a program that can improve the circular economy, helping its partners to become more responsible companies.

What’s RafCycle? 

This is an innovative recycling concept, which is based on the reuse of waste generated by adhesive labels to create new materials.

Depending on the geographical area, label waste is usually disposed of via landfill and waste-to-energy disposal. The RafCycle concept and the circular economy-based approach make it possible to avoid the use of landfill as the RafCycle program gives the by-products of self-adhesive labels a new life as paper supports, composite materials or energy.
 
RafCycle recovers the by-products of adhesive labels, destined for incineration or landfill disposal, and transforms them to "reborn". The transformation of waste into resources is a key concept of the circular economy, and it’s an important element in the approach to sustainability.

The waste from the processing of labels, scraps and matrices is recovered and destined for waste-to-energy at UPM paper mills and used as fuel (Waste To Energy).

The siliconized supports are instead recovered and sent for recycling at the UPM paper mill to be transformed into new cellulose which will become new paper.
Raflatac is therefore able to convert the label waste materials into three final products:
 
1. Paper supports

The RafCycle concept and the exclusive technology available only through UPM allow to de-siliconize the paper supports and recycle them in the form of cellulose and paper. Almost 10,000 tons of supports are currently collected each year in Europe, which are recycled as graphic paper. The reuse of recycled wood fibers in paper products represents a closed circuit solution and constitutes a brilliant example of a circular economy in action.
 
2. UPM ProFi® composite

In Germany, the by-products of the manufacture and processing of labels can be reused as a raw material for UPM ProFi® composite products.
 
3. Energy

At UPM paper mills, the highly efficient plants for combined heat and power (CHP, Combined Heat and Power) allow labeling waste to be used as fuel.
 
If you want to find out more about the Rafcycle

® world, here are the links:
https://www.upmraflatac.com/emea/it/sustainability/sustainable-value-chain
https://www.youtube.com/user/upmraflatac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ug-T6siS-s