“Avery Dennison products proven compatible with HDPE packaging recycling in trial”

Avery Dennison, in partnership with The National Test center Circular Plastics (NTCP), recently conducted a semi-industrial trial to evaluate the releasability of labels and the quality of recycled packaging flakes during HDPE recycling. The results of the trial demonstrated that Avery Dennison’s standard adhesion filmic label products for FMCG applications are effectively released from HDPE packaging during the recycling process, even in cold wash conditions.

The trial involved testing 50,000 white HDPE bottles with various combinations of filmic face materials and emulsion adhesives. The findings revealed that 100 percent of Avery Dennison’s standard adhesion filmic label solutions were successfully released from HDPE packaging, resulting in clean HDPE flakes. It was also highlighted that mechanical stress plays a crucial role in facilitating label releasability and should be considered in testing protocols.

Interestingly, the study indicated that the current requirements for label adhesives to wash off in hot or cold temperatures have minimal impact on label releasability during recycling. This suggests an opportunity for recycling associations and regulatory bodies to update existing guidelines for HDPE decoration. Importantly, FMCG brands can continue to use Avery Dennison’s standard adhesion filmic label solutions without the need for separate labeling products to enable recyclability.

Alena Maran, Avery Dennison’s director of strategy and sustainability for EMENA, emphasized the significance of the results, challenging the common perception that self-adhesive labels do not separate from HDPE packaging during the cold washing step in the recycling process. The collaboration with NTCP on this trial was described as one of the largest and most comprehensive label releasability trials on an industrial scale in Europe.

Freek van Rhijn, technical director at NTCP, highlighted the importance of research in improving plastic sorting and washing during recycling, welcoming the opportunity to collaborate with Avery Dennison on this significant trial. For those interested in learning more about the results of the semi-industrial trial and the role of labels in design for recycling, a live event hosted by Avery Dennison and Packaging Europe will take place on March 6.

It is important to note that the trial focused on label releasability during the washing step and did not evaluate subsequent recycling processes such as extrusion. The claims made by the trial are contingent on the labels meeting sorting requirements.