UPM Next Generation Renewables

We are thrilled to announce that UPM Circular Renewable Black™ has been named a Finalist in the 2026 Sustainability Awards by Packaging Europe (Renewables Category)! 🏆✨ For years, black plastic packaging has been a major challenge for the circular economy. Traditional carbon black pigments absorb near-infrared (NIR) light, making black packaging invisible to automated recycling sorting systems, leaving brands to choose between shelf design and true recyclability. UPM Circular Renewable Black™ solves this at the material level: - NIR-Detectable: Keeps black packaging visible to automated recycling streams without sacrificing shelf appeal. - Bio-Based & Carbon-Negative:* Produced from sustainably managed forest lignin at our Leuna biorefinery, supported by ISO-compliant LCA data and FSC™/PEFC certifications (PEFC (04-31-3869) and FSC™ (C210095). - Scalable Impact: Built on a full-scale biorefinery model to give brand owners a secure, auditable, long-term supply chain. This nomination signals a huge step forward in bridging the gap between brand design and circularity. Thank you to the judges at Packaging Europe for recognizing our vision, and congratulations to all fellow finalists leading the charge toward a sustainable packaging future! See you at the awards ceremony in Utrecht this November 🌿♻️

UPM Bio PET gives brands a defensible way to differentiate through stronger materials logic, not just louder claims.

UPM Bio PET helps turn packaging into a trust signal that supports repeat purchase, relevance and longer term loyalty.

Keep the iconic black your brand relies on now with a renewable pigment designed to stay visible in sorting. Request your sample kit and see the difference side by side.

Black packaging shouldn’t disappear in recycling. Switch the pigment, not the pack and keep the premium look while making it detectable. Request your sample kit and compare the material yourself.

Packaging #regulation is starting to move faster than many packaging roadmaps. Packaging #reduction is still essential. #Reuse will become more relevant of course. #Recycling and recycled content is crucial in today's world. But I think one point deserves more attention: None of these automatically removes #fossildependency from plastic packaging. That distinction will matter more in the coming years. #PPWR Article 8 and the upcoming review will keep #biobased feedstock in plastic packaging on the agenda. Probably even mandate it. The #EUBioeconomyStrategy also points toward replacing fossil-based resources where this makes sense. And the expected update of #PEF Environmental Footprint methods will become relevant for how biogenic carbon is reflected in product footprint calculations. For brand owners, I would not treat this as a distant policy discussion. It is already a planning signal. Bio-based materials are not a shortcut. They are not a replacement for rPET. But they are one additional and powerful lever for removing the fossil share that remains after recycling has done what it can. PET packaging will not change overnight. That is exactly why drop-in renewable carbon options like #BioPET should be discussed before the next packaging roadmap is already locked. #PETPackaging #RenewableCarbon #Bioeconomy #BioMEG #Defossilisation