Avery Dennison has received OK Compost certification for BW099, a BPA-free and FSC®-certified thermal label material. Combined with the new SX6030 adhesive, the thermal label material offers brands options for sustainable packaging.
Meeting Market Demands for Sustainable Thermal Labels
The new label material addresses a significant shortfall in supply for compostable thermal materials. Demand for sustainable thermal labels is huge, including compostable labels, and the European EN13432 standard imposes extremely strict requirements before ‘OK Compost’ certification can be awarded by TUV Austria.
The new label material, under product reference BW099 (Thermal Eco BPA Free FSC SX6030-BG40WH FSC), uses a new facestock/adhesive combination to ensure a robust and practical material that needs no special storage conditions and has a normal shelf life. EN13432 is accepted as a compostability standard in many countries outside of Europe.
Labeling Compostable Food Packaging and Plastic Bags
The main application for BW099 will be the labeling of compostable food packaging and compostable plastic bags, especially last-minute directly printed labels for fruit and vegetables that are weighed and packed by consumers in the supermarket. Rapidly spreading bans on single-use plastics means there is a drive towards using compostable carrier bags and other packaging, all of which will require a compostable label.
Public opinion on the issue and composting being a potential solution is underlined by the Global Commitment launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UN Environment in October 2018. Avery Dennison is supporting this commitment, working with governments, NGOs, universities, and other organizations to eliminate plastic waste and pollution.
Luuk Zonneveld, product manager Select Solutions, said that the new material is available at 2m width, with optimized production efficiency to support the demands of the market.
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We know how important this product category is to converters and end-users, and we see it as a key contributor to our own wider and highly ambitious sustainability goals. We have been able to use conventional technology to produce this innovation, by creating a unique facestock/adhesive combination, and work is already well underway towards expanding our compostable range with more certified products” added Zonneveld.
Source: Avery Dennison