Avery Dennison says it will be the first pressure sensitive labeling material supplier to introduce to the European market release liner made from recycled PET (rPET). This move reflects the company’s commitment to finding more sustainable solutions for the label industry.

Jasper Zonnenberg, global director, films, says the new rPET liner uses carefully selected post-consumer waste (PCW) and will be introduced in October 2018 across a number of self-adhesive constructions. “Avery Dennison has established eight ambitious sustainability goals that we are committed to achieving by 2025. As part of these goals we are focused on reducing waste, not only throughout our operations, but also through the whole value chain,” Zonnenberg explains. “We are determined to pioneer change across the industry. With a continued innovation focus on solutions that are responsibly sourced, use reduced amounts of material and are more easily recyclable we are pleased to be able to introduce a rPET liner to our portfolio – a liner that is not only easier to recycle, but itself is made of recycled materials.”

He continues, “As availability of suitable rPET is currently limited we will initially have a limited supply of our rPET liner, however we will soon be able to scale up production significantly and we aim to have rPET as an option across all of our filmic and paper constructions.”

Zonnenberg notes that the introduction of PCW rPET liner requires careful management during the liner production process to ensure the stability and robustness that 100% virgin resin PET liner is known for. He adds, “Conversion and application speeds are helping to drive the ongoing rise in demand for PET liners, and we have been careful to retain those benefits, while also supporting converters and end users as they make the transition from glassine. These new rPET liners are another example of our determination to provide solutions where higher productivity goes hand in hand with improved sustainability – creating a win-win for both productivity and the planet.”