Lily Nummelin has worked at Auraprint as a buyer for approximately three years. She is responsible for material procurement and acts as a link between suppliers and Auraprint’s sales team.
“The buyer’s role is very comprehensive. It involves comparing materials, ensuring availability, negotiating prices, managing inventory, and handling complaints. In addition, I support sales in customer problem situations and participate in product development to find functional and cost-effective solutions,” Nummelin explains.
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) introduces new requirements for material choices, which are becoming increasingly visible in the buyer’s daily work. The regulation aims to reduce packaging waste and improve recyclability as part of the EU’s circular economy objectives.
“Recyclability is the most critical requirement. The material must work within existing recycling systems. For example, the mono-material requirement directly affects label materials: if the package is plastic but the label does not detach during washing, the entire package may end up outside the recycling stream,” Nummelin says.
Light-weighting of materials is also an important part of PPWR’s objectives. Smaller labels and eliminating unnecessary material reduce overall mass and waste. At the same time, a challenge arises from increasing information requirements for packaging: warning texts and multiple language versions require more space.
“We cannot directly influence the customer’s end product, but we can support the customer in choosing the right label material and help optimize the overall solution,” Nummelin notes.
Sustainability is not a separate part of procurement
Nummelin hopes that material prices and technical properties would not be considered separately from sustainability, even though in practice costs still strongly guide decisions.
“More sustainable materials are currently often more expensive, and most customers still want the lowest-cost solution. On a conceptual level, PPWR and companies’ own values influence material choices, but concrete change is progressing slowly,” Nummelin states.
Auraprint has a carefully selected range of sustainable materials that can be offered to customers, for example laminates containing recycled content, if the customer wishes to choose such an option.
According to Nummelin, focusing solely on costs in material selection is not a long-term approach, as continuously choosing the cheapest materials may eventually lead to reliable existing suppliers withdrawing from the market.
“Cost pressures are high for everyone, but if reliable suppliers disappear from the market and the EU introduces, for example, a new traceability directive, there will no longer be any easy solutions available,” Nummelin reflects.
Concordia collaboration brings a long-term perspective
Nummelin is also involved in the Concordia labels -group, where material procurement is tendered jointly with other operators. The aim of the collaboration is to combine volumes, improve availability, and control costs.
“The tendering process takes place every two years, which forces long-term thinking. Materials cannot be viewed from the perspective of a single customer or project, but as a whole. This clarifies the assortment, which is a good thing,” Nummelin explains.
More sustainable options have been included in the tenders, but so far they have not been able to compete on price with traditional materials. The next tendering round is already being planned, and as experience accumulates, the requirements can be further refined.
“When information and experiences are shared openly within the group, the collaboration delivers real benefits. Combining volumes improves both pricing and availability, but it requires continuous dialogue,” Nummelin says.
In her work as a buyer, Nummelin is particularly motivated by how much can be achieved through small and smart changes.
“As a consumer, you don’t think about how much work goes into a single label. It’s rewarding to see how a small material change can significantly reduce costs or improve process efficiency,” she says.
The most challenging aspect is the constant balancing between cost, sustainability, and availability. Nummelin’s work at Auraprint is demanding, but rewarding.
“I really enjoy working at Auraprint. The atmosphere is good, help is always available, and responsibility is given if you want it. There’s the right amount of energy here and everyday humor,” Nummelin concludes.