The label and package printing industry continues to search for ways to better enable release liner recycling. With the release liner comprising some 30-40% of a pressure sensitive label construction, the sheer volume of designed waste presents a global recycling challenge.

According to Lara Pearson, Recycling and Circular Logistics program manager, Avery Dennison, only 10% of paper liners and 13% of film liners are recycled in the United States. That equates to 51,000 truckloads of liner per year, 140 truckloads per day. Plus, North America uses the highest volume of film release liner in the world.

Avery Dennison has been active in developing solutions for this issue. In addition to working closely with associations like TLMI and CELAB, Avery Dennison has established AD Circular. This liner recycling program has first been established in Europe to counteract the many challenges associated with release liners.

There are numerous barriers to liner recycling. Volume is often prohibitive, as many recycling outlets have minimum volume requirements for pickup. Transportation and cost are other challenges, as well as the geographical location to a liner recycling outlet.

AD Circular utilizes a web-based app to schedule pick up of used liners. It also provides useful data in the form of regularly updated analytics and certificates on the amount of liner material companies have sent to be recycled and the amount of CO2 emissions avoided.

“The AD Circular program connects converters and brands, providing opportunities for recycling, landfill diversion, and circularity,” says Pearson. “The program accepts all liner or matrix regardless of supplier.”

According to Pearson, Avery Dennison is hoping to “grow the platform” in the future. “This program connects converters and brands with vetted recycling providers throughout the US, who can offer opportunities for landfill diversion, recycling and circularity. It’s simple and cost effective,” Avery Dennison comments. “Converters simply need to sign up, and we’ll work with our recycling providers to take care of the rest.”

Avery Dennison has also partnered with Mitsubishi Chemical’s Polyester Film division on a circular solution for PET liner. By entering this agreement, Mitsubishi will offer a closed-loop process for PET liner recycling, with the goal of increasing the amount of recycled content in PET liners supplied to Avery Dennison and the industry as a whole.

“This program is not only a significant milestone in realizing our goal of diverting waste away from landfills, but it represents a giant step forward for the entire industry,” states Jeroen Diderich, senior vice president and general manager, Avery Dennison Label and Graphic Materials North America. “We are thrilled to have an opportunity for liner circularity and to help meet the recycled content goals for converters, brands and label manufacturers.”

Avery Dennison has promoted circularity and recyclability with its newest product launches, as well. “As brands and converters seek solutions to increase the circularity of plastic packaging, Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials has removed a key obstacle to plastic recycling with the introduction of next generation AD CleanFlake technology,” the company notes. “Already a leader in enabling recycling for PET plastics, this breakthrough innovation becomes the first label manufacturer to enable rigid plastic recycling across its film portfolio, providing brands and converters solutions that support recycling processes without compromising performance to meet sustainability goals.”

The company’s recyclability initiatives include linerless technology. Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials recently introduced a new direct thermal (DT) linerless label platform for variable information labels used in e-commerce, food delivery and pickup, quick serve restaurants, weigh scale, and transportation and logistics applications. By providing a DT linerless solution for these growing, technology-enabled applications, the company has eliminated the liner waste associated with label printing while offering converters a DT labeling solution that reduces matrix waste and improves process efficiency and productivity.

“The move to linerless labels is essential to reducing waste in the labeling industry and this new platform expands the use of these labels to a wide range of applications while offering multiple benefits to converters and end users,” says Kelli Messer, senior marketing director at Avery Dennison. “By eliminating the liner, our self-wound rolls of direct thermal labels deliver up to 50% more labels per roll, resulting in fewer roll changes, faster operations, and more efficient storage and transportation.”