Sustainability
Upco's commitment to a sustainable future is reflected in the attention paid by the company to central issues such as: the implementation of production processes designed to limit emissions and consumption, the development of eco-sustainable products and the feasibility study of a closed loop recycling project (i.e. circular economy) that the company is carrying out together with scientific and industrial partners.
In 2023 Upco, together with the parent company Coveme, also completed its first sustainability report and started an analysis of the organizational carbon footprint (CFP) internal and external to the company (steps 1,2,3).
1. Sustainable production processes:
Clean room
Upco's production line works in a protected environment, so-called "clean room", which means that the level of particles suspended in the air is strictly controlled and kept at low levels through the regulation of temperature, humidity and filtration of the air.
Solvent-free
Furthermore, during the production process, no solvents are used and this leads to a significant reduction in harmful emissions associated with the use of solvents.
2. Recycled and recyclable products:
Upco has studied and developed various sustainable solutions for the products in its range.
Green product
The range of Upco films has a reduced environmental impact thanks to the innovative solvent-free coatings used, free of harmful chemical substances such as chromium, formaldehyde and phthalates, which are processed with radiation curing technologies.
For these reasons the films in the Upco range are entirely recyclable at the end of their life cycle , 100% recyclable.
Recycled Product
Upco is the first manufacturer of protective films to offer a range of products made entirely of recycled polyester (rPET), coming from the post-consumer recycling of plastic bottles, food trays, etc.
The Upco ECO product range, composed of 90% rPET, has the same mechanical and physical properties as virgin PET and guarantees the same performance as standard products.
3. Circular Economy Project:
Thanks to partnerships with suppliers, scientific partners and recycling companies, Upco has demonstrated the feasibility of closed loop recycling for its release films. After use, Upco films can be recycled through an innovative Monomer Recycling process, with the possibility of upcycling, in order to produce new PET (rPET) film with the same chemical-physical characteristics of virgin PET.
It is expected that in 2024 the pilot project will be launched on an industrial scale, first using Upco's internal waste and subsequently using that of our customers.
4. Sustainability report:
Upco, which is part of the Coveme group, published its first sustainability report in 2023 driven by the awareness that today sustainability has become a central element for the success of a company.
The sustainability report is important because it offers a complete picture of a company's activities and performance, paying attention to the balance of economic, social and environmental aspects in order to create long-term value for the company and for future generations. Upco was supported in this project by Hidra, a benefit company, specialized in consultancy for sustainable strategic innovation.
5. Instructions for the correct disposal of packaging:
At Upco, all the packaging of the goods shipped is provided with a QR code which contains information on the type of packaging in order to facilitate the disposal of the different types of materials.
Upco is ISO 14001:2015 certified for environmental management
Upco has obtained an ESG rating through the Ecomate platform