Labels & labelling
Self-adhesive labels are the most commonly used variety in the labelling industry, meeting a wider range of end-user requirements more effectively than any other form of labelling. They need to cover a number of applications where the self-adhesive needs to adhere to many different surfaces, such as glass, plastic, paper, textiles, wood and metals.
While the sustainability of such labels may not command the same level of consumer consciousness as the packaging containers or materials they are attached to, these integral elements of a product do carry their own significant waste trail. Around 60 billion square metres of laminates with silicone liners are produced every year, with less than 5% being reused or recycled. Additionally, label converters typically waste anywhere between 5% and 10% of the original laminate during production and handling processes. As with the wider packaging market, the labels subsector is also enjoying a steady period of growth. In 2020, Research and Markets’s estimation of the global self-adhesive labels market was $46.5bn, a figure set to rise to $59.2bn by 2025 thanks to an expectedly buoyant compound annual growth rate of almost 5%. This will inevitably place pressure on industry players to reduce waste production as their outputs grow – the challenge is complex, but one that many organisations are willing to tackle head on.
Confluence of waste
“The challenge to making the label industry more circular is multifaceted and related to where the components become waste,” says Brian Lawrence, director of business development for circular economy at the packaging and consumer goods division of Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “For the liner, it is at the label user’s operation – for example, the factory. For the matrix, it is at the printer while the label stays with the product, until that enters the waste stream.
“Another important challenge we see in both Europe and North America is the logistics of getting the material from the place where it becomes waste to the recycler. This is due to used release liners being a small waste stream for the label user relative to other waste streams that need to be managed, as well as the fact that the volumes can be very fragmented and need to be collected all over Europe and North America.” As well as driving circular economy initiatives within Henkel’s labelling business, Lawrence also serves as work stream leader for membership and communications for CELAB, a recently established consortium geared towards transitioning the labels sector to a sustainable future. It is the brainchild of Avery Dennison, which organised a meeting of stakeholders in the self- adhesive label industry in October 2019 to address
Packaging & Converting Intelligence /
www.pci-mag.com
Label lingo: release liner
A release liner is a layer in a label roll or sheet that carries the pressure-sensitive label material until it is ready for its next step – it is one of two typical waste components of labels. Also referred to as a carrier or backing, release liners can be film-based, paper- based, polycoated paper-based or metallised paper-based. Release liner substrates are usually coated with silicone, allowing the label to be released when required.
matrix and release liner recycling. It was realised that a joined-up, industry-wide and global effort was required. “At that initial meeting,” Lawrence recalls, “participating companies, including Henkel, discussed the vision, objectives and structure of a global effort, and began inviting other companies to join a consortium to address this important issue. “The consortium named the group ‘CELAB: Towards a circular economy for labels’. For Henkel, this effort parallels its commitment to circular adhesive solutions to align the industries it serves with sustainable end-of- life options for challenging applications.”
“[An] important challenge we see in both Europe and North America is the logistics of getting the material from the place where it becomes waste to the recycler.”
CELAB operates as an ad hoc group empowered to reach across the entire supply chain, leveraging the expertise of its member companies to promote a circular economy for self-adhesive label materials. It is dedicated to building a sustainable self-adhesive label industry, creating greater circularity for associated products by enhancing and promoting matrix and release liner recycling around the world. Indeed, in light of the aforementioned challenges raised by Lawrence, the consortium is prioritising its work on the paper liner – this is because it is the largest volume material, and some pathways to recycling it already exist. Meanwhile, to address the logistical challenges, CELAB’s branches in Europe and North America are working on identifying different collection streams and systems to make them more easily accessible to all pressure-sensitive label users. The more material that is collected, the more cost-effective the collection process for recyclers.
“CELAB maintains regional branches in Europe and North America, with plans to expand to other regions in the future,” adds Lawrence. “Our initiatives and activities are coordinated across a global consortium, which ensures that communication and best practices are shared between the regions.
“This structure is designed to accommodate the differences in production processes and recycling capability in each of the regional markets. Work streams are organised to address various aspects of
175
The amount of packaging waste that was generated, in kilograms, per person in the 27 EU member states in 2018. EU
$46.5bn
The estimated value of the global self-adhesive labels market in 2020. Research and Markets
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