New wash-off labeling adhesive leaves no traces on packaging

New wash-off labeling adhesive - sustainable and easy to wash off

A cooperation between Schäfer-etiketten, Polifilm and HERMA, a labeling specialist has resulted in a sustainable and easy to wash off label for shampoo bottles. The label is consists of recycled household plastic packaging waste and it uses a new type of wash-off adhesive. It earned a nomination for the Product Technology Innovation category of the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe. The label has also drawn the attention of the large drugstore chain dm-drogerie markt.

An improved label made of recycled household plastic packaging waste

Aiming at creating a closed material cycle for Polyolefin (PE) and Polypropylene (PP) packaging, the new label outnumbers the one that won last year´s German Packaging Prize. The three companies first developed a label using both domestic and industrial plastic packaging waste as building material. Since some of the packaging was recycled with labels intact, the product may have contained inks and varnishes. Fortunately, this is not the case with wash-off labeling adhesive. This adhesive is applied as any other self adhesive PSA in the labels industry.

Wash-off labeling adhesives increases recyclability of PE and PP packaging

The new label is made entirely of PE packaging. It is attached using a wash-off labeling adhesive which can be easily removed (washed off) during the recycling process. Similarly to alkali soluble labeling adhesives, this leaves the shampoo bottle without a trace of glue residue. The clean removal of the label makes the bottle high quality material for further recycling purposes. The label can simply be removed from the recycling stream.