Waste
management in the pressure-sensitive label industry is a high-visibility and
broad-ranging topic that is currently challenging the entire value chain - from
brand owners and retailers through label printers and labelstock laminators, to
raw material suppliers. New from AWA Alexander Watson Associates is an AWAreness Report designed to help point
the way to identifying appropriate solutions for all concerned: Pressure-sensitive Label Waste Management
Report.
What
constitutes label waste?
The
sustainability agenda has focused attention on many items within the broader
definition of packaging, but pressure-sensitive labels’ complex value chain and
laminate construction create challenges on recycling at various levels. These include laminate manufacturing waste,
press set-up waste, adhesive-coated matrix waste and – perhaps of the greatest
concern today – spent release liner.
Release liners – both paper and film – are key contributors to
successful pressure-sensitive labeling.
They are high-value products that can be recycled.
The
available options
All these
aspects of pressure-sensitive label waste are discussed in this concise study,
which clearly sets out the options available – material downgauging, linerless labels, coating, laminating and printing
labelstock in one machine pass, cradle-to-cradle recycling for reuse, and
recycling for alternative uses. The
status quo of legislation around the world, change drivers and change barriers
are all discussed, as a prologue to identifying the physical problems around
collection of label waste, and defining where the ownership of instigating such
collection should reside. The study
concludes with an up-to-the-minute review of companies globally who are
offering waste management solutions of all kinds for users of
pressure-sensitive labels.
AWA
Alexander Watson Associates’ Pressure-sensitive Label Waste Management Report
is a timely publication prepared to assist the pressure-sensitive label
industry at all levels in mapping out a route to responsible – and sometimes
financially-rewarding – management of its various waste streams. The report is available now to order via the
AWA Alexander Watson Associates website, www.awa-bv.com, where details of the
company’s full portfolio of market reports and events concerning the
pressure-sensitive label industry may also be found.
