Faller Packaging improves its ecological footprint by rethinking its adhesive labels concept
To offer its customers sustainable and environmentally friendly label solutions, Faller Packaging pursues the motto “Reduce, Recycle, Rethink”. This means effectively reducing label material, using label backing recycling programmes, creating a recyclable label design and, where possible, promoting the use of recycled materials.
Faller Packaging, the specialist company for folding cartons, leaflets and labels from a single source, produces its labels efficiently and responsibly by following this approach. The reduced use of materials for face stock and backing means that less material needs to be disposed of. This conserves resources, reduces transport needs and optimises storage capacity usage.
Ensuring recyclability
Even with sustainable labels, functionality always comes first, and this must be ensured for each label’s usage scenario. In terms of sustainability, however, ensuring that the combination of label, adhesive and container is recyclable is essential. In general, a label should be made of the same type of material as the packaging because a single-variety material reduces the effort involved in separation and reuse.
However, a label not only consists of the part adhering to the product – the backing remains behind when the label is applied to the packaging material. Instead of disposing of the backing conventionally, customers can have it picked up by an adhesive material supplier, who then returns it to the recycling process. EU standards-compliant transport and recycling save CO2 emissions, conserve resources and cost no more than conventional disposal. The customer receives regularly updated analysis data and certificates for control purposes. Faller Packaging also recycles all the waste from its own label production, such as matrix material, trimmings and waste paper. This unique selling point demonstrates Faller Packaging’s commitment to sustainability.
Rethinking label solutions
Recyclates play a significant role in the circular economy. The higher their proportion, the less new material is needed. Faller Packaging promotes the use of recyclates and currently offers two recyclate label solutions: Paper labels made of “rpaper” with normal paper grammage are suitable for glass, cardboard, PET, HDPE and LDPE in the temperature range from -40 to +70 degrees Celsius. Labels made of recycled polyethylene (rPE) were developed by Faller for applying to HDPE and LDPE in the temperature range of -20 to +80 degrees Celsius.
Users must consult in each case with the packaging material manufacturer to determine whether they can use recycled material instead of identical new material. Suitability for different printing techniques must also be taken into account. The materials are suitable for all usage scenarios, but compared to their conventional counterparts, they occasionally have different properties that may influence the print result. Tests are carried out with the manufacturers to achieve the best results. This is also a question of optics, since recycled materials often have a different visual character, which cannot be eliminated even when printing. Replacing conventional materials is possible, but this must be tested in individual cases, and the final result must be closely coordinated with the customer.
