The special HERMA wash-off labels will allow recycling operators to produce high purity PET pellets that do not contain any detrimental residues – no remains of paper or film labels, and no residual adhesive. Unlike downcycling or cascading, the resulting continuous cycle ranks among the most important requirements of a sustainable economy.
The HERMA labels offers the attributes of reliable adhesion and good resistance to the effects of moisture. Regular industrial cleaning processes are nonetheless capable of removing the labels without a trace. HERMA has been able to realise this hitherto elusive combination of characteristics thanks to the own self-adhesive materials production, which relies on innovative multi-layer technology.
In the HERMA laboratory the wash-off labels achieved a wash-off rate of 100 percent according to the strict requirements imposed by the Petcore test protocol version 1.4. Petcore is a European trade association encompassing the entire PET supply chain from manufacturers to users and recycling enterprises.
Largely closed material cycle - all contaminants removed
In the context of sustainability, the recycling of PET drinks bottles is an especially interesting topic. According to a 2017 study commissioned by the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, and conducted by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (Ifeu) of Heidelberg, “PET is the only plastic which, even as a post-consumer material, can be converted by appropriate recycling methods into recovered pellets that meet the statutory requirements governing direct food contact.” Above all, PET can be recycled not only once, but in principle an infinite number of times, which is a point the authors of the study were keen to stress. They stated, “It is highly probable (98% collection rate in Germany) that material originating from a disposable PET bottle and re-used in another bottle will also become available for a further use. From a purely technical perspective, multiple recycling is restricted only by the accumulation of additives in the PET.”
If the material remains in a largely closed loop, in the view of the authors the ecological balance is positive as well: “Appropriately optimised disposable PET bottles can perform well from an environmental viewpoint. Successful PET recycling can take place, however, only if the input element satisfies certain quality criteria as regards material purity.”
HERMA’s wash-off labels makes PET recycling simple, efficient and therefore affordable, because it aids the complete and rapid removal of the labels during washing as part of the recycling process. The label’s ability to remove all the contaminants at the same time is a key part of the solution – not only as regards the labelling of bottles, but also in the recycling process.
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