We all try to cause as little harm to the environment as we can; at home and also in the workplace.
For many years designers, brand owners and producers have been taking this into consideration when designing and sourcing packaging for their products. What this means depends upon a number of factors including the nature of the product, what the packaging is made from, where and how they hope that packaging will be recycled.
Having considered the answers to these questions and understanding what our customers are trying to achieve, the team at Axicon Labels are able to offer advice on a wide range of more environmentally friendly materials including recyclable, compostable and biodegradable labels.
Recyclable
Adjective
: waste or materials that can be processed and used again.
Is my label recyclable? A label on a product is usually considered by the consumer to be part of the packaging. To make this as easy to recycle as possible it’s good to match the label material to the rest of the packaging e.g. a paper label on a cardboard box would be deemed recyclable as would a PP label on a PET container. If you are able to do this it should be safe to consider your label recyclable.
As with other forms of packaging, the ink and adhesive on labels are considered as contaminates and are removed during the recycling process. The adhesive is filtered out at the same point as any plastics, staples etc…The ink is then removed from the pulp.
Can I recycle my laminated label? As long as the label and laminate material are the same this should be recyclable. This normally means a polypropylene (PP) label and laminate. As above, the ideal scenario would be if these are applied to a PP container. You can not currently recycle laminated paper labels.
Recycled
Verb
: A product made from previously used reprocessed material.
Do you supply labels made from recycled materials? We are able to supply a range of labels made solely from recycled fibres. This varies from basic paper labels most commonly converted into A4 sheets suitable for printing office documentation, address labels and other basic requirements through to more durable premium products like Rock Paper which is made from a mixture of recycled HDPE and waste generated from the marble mining process.
Biodegradable & Compostable labels
Adjectives
: A material capable of being broken down by the action of living things
: The ability of a material to be converted compost
Biodegradable labels will ultimately break down to its base components while compostable labels will break down and make a safe compost. In both cases this includes the adhesive. In order for label material to be deemed compostable it must meet the requirements of EN 13432.
Not sure of the best solution for your products? We are happy to discuss this and advise what options are available to you. With over forty years of experience, our team of experts are on-hand to help you find an label that enhances the look of your product whilst limiting the impact on the planet.