HERMA has reached another milestone in self-adhesive materials for labels designed to support the recycling of the widely used plastic HDPE in time for Interpack (Hall 8A, Stand D11): RecyClass has now confirmed that, with only a few exceptions, virtually all standard PP and PE films used by HERMA in combination with either the highly economical 72Hpw permanent all-purpose adhesive or the 62Xpc standard adhesive for films are “fully compatible” with the recycling of rigid white and coloured HDPE packaging. Until now, this applied only to selected PP films and to no PE films at all. For PP films, the certification now also effectively extends to the 62C adhesive, which is specially designed for clear-on-clear applications. The only materials excluded from the current RecyClass certification for all three adhesives are specialist products such as metallised PP films, which require a sorting test. RecyClass is a comprehensive cross-industry initiative dedicated to advancing the recyclability of plastic packaging. “HERMA is now one of very few suppliers to have received RecyClass certification for both PP and PE,” says Dr Stefan Kissling, Head of Adhesive Coating and Specialty Coatings at HERMA. “This opens up an entirely new range of design and application options for label printers and users alike. Above all, it gives them confidence that they can already choose label materials that support a key objective of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the PPWR.” A central aim of the regulation is to remove disruptive contaminants such as printing inks from the recycling process in order to recover recycled material of the highest possible purity. Because labels carry the printing inks, they become part of the solution when, for example, they are classified by RecyClass as “fully compatible” — meaning they can be removed from the relevant recycling stream in the standard washing processes used for that material. In the case of HDPE, RecyClass bases its assessment on a cold-wash process in the granulator at 40 °C.
Solutions for both HDPE and PET
For many years, HERMA has been systematically driving the development of suitable label materials for the widely used plastics HDPE and PET. Today, HERMA is one of the few suppliers to offer certified solutions for both of these major plastic streams. Certification is generally provided by RecyClass or Cyclos-HTP.
With these label materials, HERMA consistently combines recycling optimisation with practical benefits in day-to-day use. The 72Hpw adhesive, for example, is priced comparably to standard adhesives and is in many cases even suitable for clear-on-clear applications. Many of the certified materials are available in HERMA’s standard slit-width programme and can be supplied from stock. This allows many label solutions to be implemented quickly and flexibly — a real advantage for label printers and users.
