Recycling has been a major focus within the international label industry association FINAT for a number of years. For the third year running, FINAT has rewarded exceptional achievement in this arena via a focused competition, the FINAT Recycling Awards.

UK cider makers Brothers Drinks and German label printer Hagmaier Etiketten & Druck are the headliners in the 2016 FINAT Recycling Awards, presented by the international self-adhesive label association during their European Label Forum in Amsterdam in June. Conceived as a way to increase visibility of the industry’s sustainability profile and, in parallel, the increasing recycling opportunities for label waste – particularly spent release liner – the competition rewards both label printers’ and brand owners’ outstanding initiatives.

UK cider makers applauded
Brothers Drinks Co. Ltd. of Shepton Mallet, UK, won the End User Award for its early involvement in a special program focused on the recycling of used PET release liner, and jointly set up by labelstock producers Avery Dennison and leading UK plastics processors Polymer Extrusion Technologies (UK). Brothers Drinks ships the used silicone-coated PET film liner following the automatic labelling of the drinks bottles to PETUK, where it is reprocessed into PET granulate for subsequent reuse in, for example, microwave trays. The jury was impressed by both the maximum-capacity recycling rate and Brothers Drinks’ efforts in spreading awareness of recycling in the media and amongst its customers. The award was collected at the European Label Forum on Brothers Drinks’ behalf by Avery Dennison’s Sustainability Director, Xander van der Vlies.

A second appreciation for Hagmaier
At the same time, the FINAT competition also, appropriately, recognised the efforts made by label converter companies in pursuit of waste reduction and sustainability. For the second time, the Converter Award was won by Hagmaier Etiketten & Druck of Münsingen, Germany, for their commitment – since 2011 – to recycling, and the fact that release liner, matrix waste, and other related secondary materials – paper and film — are all recycled by the company, eliminating landfill. Hagmaier is also, the judges recognised, extremely active in promoting the value of its recycling activities across the label industry supply chain, and also offers brand owner customers the possibility to return their used release liner at neutral cost. Rodolfo Hagmaier collected the award on the company’s behalf.

Specialist judging panel
The FINAT Recycling Awards 2016 were judged by an expert panel, consisting of former FINAT Recycling Consultant Jacques van Leeuwen, with Andreas Faul of INGEDE – the international association of the deinking industry – and Peter Sundt from the European Association of Plastics Recycling.

Jacques van Leeuwen commented: “We congratulate both winners and the other contenders with their accomplishments, as all entries this year were of an excellent quality, encompassing efforts in both recycling and awareness raising. We are heartened by the fact that the recycling of release liner is seeing ever greater uptake amongst both converters and end-users and look forward to the next edition of the FINAT recycling awards next year.”