Avery Dennison readies recycled polyethylene facestock for “industry-first” launch

28 May 2019 --- Avery Dennison is set to launch the industry’s first facestock made from recycled polyethylene (rPE). After completing successful print and dispensing trials, the adhesive materials specialist plans to unveil the new material at Labelexpo Europe in Brussels in September. The facestock has potential to create more sustainable label solutions across food, personal care and home applications.

Recycled PE contains more impurities than virgin PE film, which gives the film a unique aesthetic, without compromising printing, dispensing or application. Rob Groen in ‘t Wout, Senior Marketing Manager Films, expects consumers to quickly adopt and prefer the rPE look.

“There is a big appetite for making a personal contribution to sustainability and brands are actively looking for more sustainable material options. An rPE label will make a contribution towards that goal.”

The label contains 30 percent recycled content and it can be recycled in standard household recycling streams, the supplier notes. Due to the product’s flexibility, it is especially suitable for squeezable bottles and other flexible containers.

Groen in ‘t Wout tells PackagingInsights that recycled PE resin is not as widely available as recycled PET resin, for instance, and that is a challenge. “First we had to find a reliable recycling source and then evaluate the quality of the product,” he says.

With growing demand for recycled materials among consumers, Jenny Wassenaar, Avery Dennison Label and Graphic Materials Sustainability Director EU, claims that the new material is an important step towards meeting brand owners’ sustainability goals and complying with emerging regulations.

“Polyethylene labels are a very widely used component of packaging, so improving sustainability is important. The technical challenges we faced when developing this recycled polyethylene (rPE) product were significant in terms of matching technical performance and development work is ongoing,” Wassenaar explains.

“Our expectation is that films with recycled content will improve still further as we pursue new lines of research,” she adds.

Avery Dennison’s strength in materials science is enabling increased recycled content to be incorporated into label materials, as well as progressing recyclability of consumer goods packaging. Initial indications are that rPE will print and convert well and therefore it will be included in a number of sustainable solutions that will be launched this year at Labelexpo Europe in Brussels in September.

The international availability of the new facestock will be announced by Avery Dennison at a later date.