SUSTAINABILITY
Good knowledge is required to make sustainable choices due to the complex materials used – we know which choices are important from an environmental perspective
Sustainable choices
Air Labels wants it to be easy to make sustainable choices.
To maximize sustainability, here are six tips.
- You should think about whether you want to use a paper label or a plastic label, and how the entire package should be handled after use.
- A paper label should contain fibers from well-managed forests, which requires FSC or PEFC certification (see the Air Label dictionary or use a search engine). If you as customers do not make other choices, Air Labels only chooses FSC-certified fibers.
- A plastic label can be the best option for the environment if used on a plastic package to be recycled. This is because a paper label can make recycling the plastic more difficult. If possible, we should choose a thinner label (for less raw material consumption) or a label made of recycled plastic. In addition, there are plastic labels made from 100% bio-cellulose that do not contribute to CO2 emissions.
- After the use of the package, the label must function in the recycling process. The rule of thumb is that the label must be of the same material as the packaging: a PE label for a PE package, a PP label for a PP package, and a paper label for a carton, for example. In addition, a special adhesive may be needed. For example, a glass bottle that is reused should have either a label that is easily rinsed off or an extra durable label that remains when the bottle is washed. A PET bottle that is ground down in the recycling process should have a special adhesive that allows the label and the bottle to be easily separated.
- Currently, both Fasson and UPM Raflatac offer the possibility to collect the liner, the backside that remains after you have labeled your packages. The collected liner is reused, for instance to produce new lliner. There are certain conditions regarding volumes, contact us for more information.
- Air Labels strives to work as sustainably as possible and to make it easy for you to make environmentally friendly decisions. Because we have a wide range of suppliers, we can offer many different options and do not have to limit ourselves to a certain technology or supplier. If you leave the choice to us, we will choose either FSC fibers or thinner and/or recycled plastic for you.
Read more about sustainable choices
Eric White is chairman of Packbridge, which is a cluster for the packaging industry that brings together companies, universities and the authorities for increased collaboration and sustainable value creation. Packbridge is the largest packaging ecosystem cluster in Europe.
Read more about Packbridge
What is PPWR?
The EU’s new legislation, which in English is called “Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation” (PPWR) is designed to reduce the amount of packaging waste, harmonize packaging legislation and facilitate the transition to a more circular economy and will affect all of us in the packaging industry.
Read more about PPWR