As the world strives for more sustainable practices from companies of all shapes and sizes, all aspects of the journey of a product from ideas to our homes are scrutinised. No longer can companies dress a product up as friendly to the environment while hiding damaging processes and functions in the background, and the same can be said for packaging. Bottles and containers made from single-use plastic have already been a huge focal point, and in turn, they are likely to be outlawed in the next few years due to their detrimental effect on the environment. The focus is now shifting to the accompanying materials used on this packaging, such as labels, inks and adhesives.
Now, in the UK, the rate of household recycling rises every year, and it currently stands at 45%. While it’s encouraging to see this rate rise each year, it is still massively below other standards set by countries around Europe, with Germany recycling 67% of household waste as an example. A big question for labels specifically is – are we recycling our labels properly? The official advice is actually to separate labels from the packaging before recycling, but the reality is that hardly anyone carries this out as it’s far too time-consuming and downright awkward. So, to combat this, companies are advised to match packing and labels for them to be more suited to being recycled together.
Recycled vs Recyclable
There is a very big difference between a recycled label, and a recyclable label, which we will further explain here. But first, let’s understand what recycled means in more detail. Recycled materials refer to the raw material being reused for another purpose, reducing the need to consume virgin materials and reduces the strain on refuse, which all encompasses a focus on creating a circular economy in which virgin feedstocks are protected for the future and are not unnecessarily consumed. Recycled content can be reduced into two different sections:
Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) – This refers to packaging or products that have been collected as waste from the consumer. This includes recyclable waste collected from both residential and business residences.
Post-Industrial Recycled (PIR) – This refers to materials that are recycled following an industrial process, which can then be utilised for creating products and packaging for a consumer. This can also be referred to as PCW or Pre-Consumer Waste.
Recycled materials are materials that have been involved in a product or packaging in the past, either in an industrial or consumer setting, before being recycled to be used again. This contributes toward a circular economy. Recyclable materials are materials that have derived from virgin feedstocks or raw materials, but they have the capability to be recycled. Of course, this is much better than materials like single-use plastics, but not quite as sustainable as recycled materials as it still contributes to the consumption of raw materials.
Recycled Labels
Now we’re going to look at some recycled label products that would be great for your business. Again, these labels contribute towards preserving virgin feedstocks, contributing to the circular economy and are the green, environmentally friendly option. Further on in the page, we will touch on the inks and adhesives used on the recycled labels which have a huge impact on the overall environmental friendliness of the packaging and can even impact the labels’ ability to be recycled.
Recycled Paper Labels
Ideally, paper labels should always be used on paper or board packaging for the ease of recycling further down the line, but where this isn’t possible, you should use a wash-off adhesive to make the process of separating the label from the packaging much easier at the recycling process stage. We’ll touch on adhesives a little further down the page. There is an abundance of recycled and recyclable paper label items available to you and your business and there is absolutely no compromise in quality or aesthetic. These are extremely popular options amongst food products, cosmetics and almost any other product.
Recycled Plastic Labels
We mentioned earlier that single-use plastic is the greatest enemy to the striving effort towards a circular economy, but not all plastic fall under that category. There is a plastic label available, made from either Polypropylene (PP) or Polyethylene (PE), that can be recycled and reused. In addition to this, they are great to use with most packaging as most packaging is created from PP or PE. Of course, the ink and adhesive used for these labels must remain green options to fully contribute towards the protection of the environment, but these are definitely the most popular option for companies looking for the best quality labels without any of the negatives that come with non-recyclable materials.
Green Inks and Adhesives
As we stated earlier on the page, the labels are only as green as the inks and adhesives used on them. Using toxic ink or glue on recyclable labels will render it unrecyclable and therefore provide nothing toward sustainability. Therefore, it’s important to pay just as much attention to these materials as it is the labels themselves.
Traditionally packing adhesive was made from synthetic glues that were usually created with a combination of polyvinyl acetate, ethanol, water, acetone and some other compounds. The problem with these chemicals is that they are harmful to the environment and if used on recyclable labels, it will render them no long recyclable, and that is without mentioning the amount of damage done to the environment during the production of these adhesives. However, there are now green options for packaging adhesive that solves these sustainability woes.
Compostable and wash-off adhesives are now used on labels to ensure that they are environmentally friendly. The compostable adhesive is a waterborne glue based on an acrylic polymer which makes it biodegradable. Wash-off adhesive pretty much does what it says on the tin – it washes off with water. This means that during the recycling process, any clue or residue is safely removed from both the label and packaging. Check out our dedicated page on sustainable adhesives here for a more detailed look at label adhesives.
Inks with a plastic or petroleum base will usually contain harmful chemicals and compounds that have a detrimental impact on the environment due to the emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Essentially, VOCs are harmful gasses that are leaked into the air during various points of the manufacture of the ink and during the drying process at room temperature. This is why there is a need for green inks that combat these issues. There are multiple alternatives to these traditional harmful inks ranging widely from Algae Ink to Vegetable ink. Again, for more information on the different options available to you for ink, check out our dedicated page here.