UPM Raflatac's Label Life Awards: Saluting our partners in sustainability

Ricoh Industrie France took home first prize in this spring’s inaugural UPM Raflatac Label Life Awards. The Japanese-owned business was chosen as the winner from among four finalists invited to present their sustainability projects at the UPM Raflatac Wrocław factory in Poland in February.

A strong responsibility agenda is built into UPM’s DNA. To promote the same mindset through its supply chain, UPM Raflatac launched the Label Life Awards to encourage learning and stronger partnership in the work it does with suppliers and stakeholders.

“This is a natural step in our responsibility roadmap. We want to give recognition to the suppliers who share our vision,” says Sami Poukka, Vice President of Sourcing.

“There’s a growing need to keep sustainability at the forefront of the business. We want to encourage suppliers to take the next step toward true mutual partnership,” affirms Robert Taylor, Director for Stakeholder Relations at UPM Raflatac and Chairman of the Label Life Awards Jury.

Ensuring fair judging by peers, UPM Raflatac invited external expert judges to take part, including the Head of Conservation for WWF Poland, Piotr Nieznanski. “We have had a close cooperation for several years with UPM Raflatac. This Label Life initiative is very important, inspiring business to make changes for sustainability. The importance of events like today is in the multiplication of the positive effects for the environment. The challenge remains for businesses to ensure that environmental protection is possible as a part of everyday life,” comments Nieznanski.