At the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, FINAT had the pleasure of revealing the winners of the 2024 FINAT Sustainability Awards. This competition recognizes outstanding work in the label industry to advance sustainability. The awards were handed out by Jonathan Sexton, Sun Chemical, FINAT Board member and chair of the FINAT Sustainability Awards Taskforce, Päivi Knihti, UPM Raflatac, FINAT Board member and chair of the Advocacy Workstream, and Pablo Englebienne, FINAT Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability manager.

The 2024 edition of the competition, judged by Arno Melchior, global packaging director at Reckitt, Thomas Reiner, CEO at Berndt+Partner, and Fabrizio Di Gregorio, technical director at Plastics Recyclers Europe and RecyClass, received 28 entries in two categories: Reduction of environmental impact and optimization of recycling. The initiatives stemmed from the whole label value chain, covering adhesive formulations, release coatings, metallisation technologies, printing inks, manufacturing and printing equipment, labelstock, recycling methodologies and specific packaging solutions.

After a thorough selection procedure the jury awarded the following two initiatives:

Category: Reduction of environmental impact
This category focuses on materials, technologies and processes developed to minimise the environmental footprint of labels. ACTEGA Metal Print GmbH won for ECOLEAF Mindful Metallization. With ECOLEAF, ACTEGA has reinvented the metallization process by using “on-demand” metallization. By placing metal plates exactly where they are needed, ECOLEAF eliminates the need for PET carrier film and therefore film reels. This reduces waste and plastic consumption and minimizes the environmental impact associated with the production and disposal of these materials. ECOLEAF enables the production of eye-catching metallic label embellishments with an improved environmental profile.

Melchior states, “This initiative provides a solution to a problem that end users have had for a long time. Metallization often makes a product non-recyclable, however, with this method, the metallization is only applied where needed. Consequently, this substantially reduces the impact of the packaging on the environment.”

Category: Optimization of recycling
This category encompasses approaches to facilitate the recycling of packaging and to incorporate post-consumer recycled content. Henkel AG won for a sustainable solution with new wash-off PSA labels, AQUENCE PS 3017 RE. AQUENCE PS 3017 RE is a water based acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive designed for olefinic filmic labels used for PET bottles and supporting PET flake recycling.

While conventional methods require an energy-intensive, high-temperature process to completely remove labels, the new adhesive offers excellent wash-off efficiency – even at 65°C for PE facestock. This ensures that labels can be easily removed from bottles using less energy while increasing the purity and value of recycled PET. In addition to being a sustainable solution for olefinic labels (e.g. BOPP and PE) on PET bottles, Henkel provides a food contact statement for AQUENCE PS 3017 RE. The adhesive combines wash-off properties with water whitening resistance, making this an excellent choice for clear-on-clear labels. AQUENCE PS 3017 RE has received recyclability certificate by the renowned and independent cyclos-HTP Institute (CHI). It provides innovative solution to all label producers & brand owners, such as our own Henkel Consumer brands.

Di Gregorio notes, “It is a very innovative solution because the labels are able to come off at a very low washing temperature. It is a welcome product addition in the market, especially in the Nordic countries. It can also be applied on PET trays.”

Reiner adds, “This not only works well in the sorting and recycling streams, it also has a positive energy impact, because we need less energy to wash off the label.”

Jonathan Sexton, chair of the Sustainability Awards Taskforce, comments, “The high number of entries compared to previous editions demonstrates the high level of commitment in the label community to innovate sustainably and move the industry forward.”

Englebienne concludes, “The variety of topics addressed in the submissions show that there is no lack of innovation in the industry. During the deliberations, the judges were pleasantly surprised with how the label sector keeps pushing the boundaries to produce more sustainable packaging.”