Changing the world one package at a time

Sustainability is a hot topic across the industries – also in wine and spirits sector. There is a growing demand for sustainable packaging materials and different recycling solutions.

Florencia Daroni worked ten years in a winery, first with quality and laboratory but the last five years with packaging development. In 2021 she started at UPM Raflatac because of the passion for packaging and labels. Now as Packaging Solution Manager she helps the wineries and spirit producers to find and choose the best label materials for them.

Essential part of Daroni’s job is to share know-how and inform the end-users about sustainable alternatives. She arranges sustainability workshops for customers and end-users. Recently, she arranged event for wineries and related industries in South America to boost the development of sustainability and design in the region.

“Sustainability is a hot topic, but people talk more than they do. We must spread information about the negative impacts of production and how we can minimize them. This helps us to build more sustainable world. It is the most important part of my work, to inform and educate,” says Daroni.

Label is the most important part of packaging

Labels guide consumers’ decisions and tell crucial information about the product and its background.

“They are the most meaningful things in packaging. Labels both attract and inform,” Daroni says.

Daroni thinks that the importance only grows in the future: “We can’t live without labels. It would be impossible to stand out without one. They won’t disappear, instead they will be even more sustainable in the future.”

“This is a complicated, but very, very beautiful business. You can play with the packaging. You can be very sensible, but you can be fun also. There are a lot of options and new things you can use in packaging. I think it’s really interesting to work in this area.”

Sustainability is the key

Daroni is happy that UPM has a wide portfolio of label material solutions. When she started, the new carbon neutral materials had just been launched. Now, Ocean Action label was launched in June. Daroni is also working to get the RafCycle program activated in Argentina and Chile.

RafCycle is UPM Raflatac’s label release liner recycling service built for pure circularity. UPM Raflatac finds and approves suppliers for recycling and connects them with their customers. The idea is that the wineries’ left-over liner will be recycled to produce new raw materials.

“While spreading information about our sustainable solutions, my job has changed the way I and my family do the everyday activities such as what we do to our waste or how much we use a car. I try to find more sustainable ways to do things and I am proud to work in a company that respects the environment and cares about the future generations. These things make my work meaningful,” says Daroni.