A holistic approach to sustainable packaging takes LUMENE closer to its sustainability goals in close-knit collaboration with UPM Biofuels and UPM Raflatac. Discover how UPM BioVerno naphtha and UPM Raflatac Forest Film labeling material strengthen the role of circularity at LUMENE in their most used packaging with an over 60 tonne annual reduction in fossil plastics and lower CO2 emissions.
Takeaways
- Packaging forms a significant part of LUMENE products’ carbon footprint. The company is motivated to find new technologies to lower their CO2 footprint and reduce the use of fossil-based plastics in their packaging.
- Circularity is inherent for LUMENE as 50% of the Nordic ingredients used in their cosmetic products are developed from side-streams. Extending circularity to packaging has been the next natural step.
- In LUMENE’s new bio-attributed packaging both the jar and the label material are made with wood residue based UPM BioVerno naphtha. The labels are UPM Raflatac Forest Film label material, also utilising UPM BioVerno.
- By focusing on their most used packaging and using a drop-in solution LUMENE is making a big impact on their brand, CO2 footprint and use of fossil plastics while also delivering a sustainable option for consumers.
Sustainability is a top priority for consumers and businesses alike. This is especially true for Finnish beauty brand LUMENE, with their brand’s firm focus on all things natural. A pioneer in circular beauty, LUMENE products contain up to 99% naturally derived ingredients and 50% of the Nordic ingredients used are developed from side-streams of Nordic forest and food industries.
Packaging, however, still forms a large part of their products’ carbon footprint. Thus, the company is motivated to find and invest in new technologies to improve the sustainability of their packaging.
A joint effort of companies and consumers to reduce fossil-based plastic
As a result of a collaboration started in 2022, LUMENE now uses wood residue based UPM BioVerno naphtha in their 50 ml moisturizer jars and their labels in the core product ranges. The labels used are UPM Raflatac Forest Film label material.
The new 97% bio-attributed jar, launched August 2023, is LUMENE’s most used packaging with 1.5 million moisturizer products sold annually. The new jar has an essential role in LUMENE’s sustainability roadmap. As the jar is made of wood residue-based material, no additional forest is logged to produce them. The jar is also fully recyclable.
Reducing the use of fossil materials is a worldwide challenge. One of the best ways of tackling it is collaboration in the value chain.
The heavy lifting behind the results
How is the renewable, sustainable, residue- and wood-based raw material produced? The process begins when crude tall oil, a residue of the pulp industry, is used to produce UPM BioVerno naphtha. The naphtha is then processed to granulates by SABIC. By applying the mass balance approach, the jar producer creates recyclable jars from the certified renewable polypropylene with a reduced environmental impact.
The plastic granulates are also used by film manufacturer Taghleef Industries as it produces the label film for UPM Raflatac Forest Film label material made with a minimum of 85% wood-based material. LUMENE has also joined UPM Raflatac's RafCycle service and new paper products will be created out of LUMENE’s label liner waste.
UPM BioVerno naphtha
UPM BioVerno naphtha is a renewable drop-in solution capable of effectively reducing your product’s carbon footprint. It is made from crude tall oil – a residue of the pulping process. Its production does not cause additional felling of trees. UPM's versatile naphtha can replace fossil raw materials in all chemical industry solutions being equal in both quality and performance. UPM BioVerno is suitable for diverse bio-attributed applications in plastics, glues and films and it is used in car parts, home appliances, household items, textiles, cosmetics, food packaging and as a biocomponent for gasoline in the transport sector.
UPM Raflatac Forest Film
UPM Raflatac Forest Film is a plastic label solution made with a minimum of 85% wood-based raw materials. It offers a ready to use drop-in solution for cosmetics labeling. It is also widely used in food and beverage packaging because of its unique visual appeal and versatility. Forest Film has been developed in collaboration with UPM Biofuels using UPM BioVerno naphtha, a 100% wood-based solution. It is an ISCC certified plastic film, produced by using sustainable resources to replace an equivalent amount of fossil resources in the production process
