Dow has announced that its INVISUTM 7007 wash-off pressure sensitive adhesive has received recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) as meeting or exceeding its most strict Critical Guidance Protocol for the recycling of clear PET articles with filmic labels and closures. APR’s Critical Guidance Recognition is a widely accepted recyclability assessment for plastics packaging and is granted to companies whose products solve challenges in sustainable package design.

“Labels are a crucial part of packaging as they convey important information to the end user,” comments Isabelle Uhl, R&D/TS&D fellow at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “INVISUTM 7007 Water-Borne Label Adhesive combines high performance with recyclability, as we believe our customers should not have to compromise one for the other. We prioritize innovation to deliver quality solutions that utilize design for recyclability and help the industry meet their sustainability commitments.”

Performance meets Recyclability
Production efficiency remains essential in label converting. As sustainability is a key focus for consumers and policymakers, companies are evolving to create solutions to meet new parameters, such as recycling protocols. Today, filmic labels can impact the recycling process when not properly separated from labelled items, and wash-off adhesives have proven a valid technology to allow clean label separation and therefore enable high quality recycling outputs.

“Converters need reliable label solutions for efficient adhesion and high-speed production, while recyclers want as pure recycling outcomes as possible to increase their yields,” notes David Keely, application technology leader, Adhesives, at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “When more applications are being made recyclable and better recycling outcomes are achieved, recycling rates will increase, fewer fossil fuels be needed, and everyone will benefit.“

INVISUTM 7007 Water-Borne Adhesive from Dow has been developed to address label recycling demands while expanding the possibilities of label performance. Featuring excellent adhesion and tack, high solids content for high-speed processing on state-of-the-art coating machines, INVISUTM 7007 wash-off label adhesive performs like available high-performing general purpose filmic label (GPFL) adhesives, while allowing for better recycling. As shown in testing trials, INVISUTM 7007 wash-off label adhesive allow for polyolefin-based (PE, PP) filmic labels to be separated during recycling in the washing step and to produce pure flakes for new materials.

“Dow aims to close the loop by enabling 100% of our products sold into packaging applications to be reusable or recyclable by 2035,” adds Izzat Midani, marketing manager, Adhesives, at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “The APR certification for our INVISUTM 7007 wash-off label adhesive is a critical third-party validation which confirms that brand owners and converters can feel more confident in their choice to use our products to meet their sustainability targets.”

Dow collaborates with companies throughout the value chain at its Pack Studios innovation centers, where it tests and optimizes packaging and label technologies designed for recyclability, to help improve the circular economy for plastics. As a full-service supplier of both acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives and silicone release coatings, the company is helping customers maximize label and packaging cost efficiencies.