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Sustainable labels boost circular economy

Featured in the South Hall at the UPM Raflatac booth were two new developments aimed at bringing a new element of sustainability to the labeling space.

A wash-off adhesive from UPM Raflatac lets PP labels separate cleanly from valuable PET flake.
A wash-off adhesive from UPM Raflatac lets PP labels separate cleanly from valuable PET flake.

The first of these is a range of wash-off film labeling solutions that make it easier, during the caustic washing process that is central to the recycling of PET, to separate polypropylene labels from clean PET flake. The key to this concept is UPM Raflatac’s RW85C wash-off adhesive. The clear, white, or metallized film label stocks score additional sustainability points because their release liners are made from 90 percent post-consumer recycled content. According to UPM Raflatac, the labels have been recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) as exceeding APR’s strict standards for recyclable label products.

The other highlight of the UPM Raflatac booth is Vanish PCR ultra-thin clear film labels available with 90 percent recycled content face and liners. These clear, no-label-look labels are said to be a global first for sustainable packaging.

Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
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