A carbon footprint is an output of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which analyses the impact of a product or service from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of generated waste through landfill and incineration. Can something as small as a product label make a significant impact in the face of the climate crisis? And if so, can switching to eco-friendly labels also benefit your business?
The answer to both questions is yes. Worldwide, nearly 20% of all single-use product packaging leaks into the environment (according to a 2020 McKinsey report), often making its way to the ocean, where plastic pollution accumulates into massive blobs like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Only about 14% to 18% of plastic waste is recycled globally.
Due to their sheer size, product labels contribute less to global packaging pollution than containers, wraps and boxes. Nevertheless, labels are common packaging elements, and they must be accounted for in any sustainable packaging initiative.
Commitment to Climate Change
The pulp and paper sector has already decoupled growth and CO2 emissions for several decades, but it remains energy-intensive. To go even further in its commitment to climate change mitigation it bets on breakthroughs in an array of technologies, which could reduce the sector’s energy needs by as much as 80%, and on a formidable potential to install renewable energy directly on-site. A recent acceleration in progress has been spurred by unprecedented collaboration amongst industry actors.
Cepi represents European pulp and paper manufacturers. It leads a network of innovative solution providers and boots-on-the-ground experts, called the Energy Efficiency Solutions Forum, or EESF. It includes engineers working across Europe for companies and suppliers in the sector.
Their aim is to accelerate the development and implementation of emission-reducing technologies, identify obstacles to their deployment and to advocate for a favourable regulatory environment. Recently, the EESF has collaborated with the heat pump industry and its EU association and laid the groundwork for heat pumps to be integrated in Europe’s paper mills. Heat pumps have the potential to provide about 50% of the energy required for heat and, in the same process, help to lower their CO2 emissions. Additionally, a recent study found that 30% of electricity and almost 6% of heat generated on-site could by 2030 come from solar or wind energy.
Sappi
Exactly one year ago, Sappi announced the investment of tens of millions of euros in state-of-the-art technical infrastructure at this site to be able to produce wet-strength, alkali-resistant label papers in the future and to establish itself as a full-range supplier of label papers in the long term.
The label papers are marketed to printers, converters and brand owners looking to achieve efficiency in printing and converting. Â Parade Label Pro WS is a single-sided double-coated label paper that also features a functional coating on its reverse side. The universal paper, which is also available linen-embossed, covers basis weights from 65 to 80 gsm and can be processed with the most common printing techniques like flexo, offset and gravure. It is suitable for high-quality labels for returnable containers in the beverage and food industry, such as returnable glass and PET bottles. The paper also has good lay-flat properties and versatile finishing options.
Sappi recently initiated extensive practical testing with selected customers with the aim of ideally meeting the requirements of the industry and perfecting the properties of Parade Label Pro WS. Following the completion of this validation phase, the product is scheduled for final release to customers in summer 2024. In the meantime, Sappi will be making test material available to all interested companies for qualification purposes.
Parade Label Pro WS complements its sister product, Parade Label Pro, which was developed for high-quality non-wet-strength labels in the food, beverage and consumer goods industries and is produced at Sappi’s Alfeld and Gratkorn mills. Both paper grades benefit from integrated pulp production and state-of-the-art production and converting equipment, such as a new embossing calender.
UPM Raflatac
UPM Raflatac showcased its latest innovations for more sustainable labelling at Labelexpo Europe 2023. At UPM Raflatac’s, visitors had the opportunity to explore its latest product innovations and find out how to make the switch to more sustainable alternatives and close the packaging materials loop. Visitors experienced the PureCycle label wash-off qualities in action in a wash-off demonstration. The PureCycle paper label wash-off solutions are designed to enhance PET and HDPE recycling.
A prime example of how the company combines its sustainability and end-use expertise is the new Rêverie 3 label material collection for wine, spirits and beverage end-use. The collection embraces circularity by using recycled fibres in aesthetically attractive labels and demonstrates, via unique collaborations with five leading Spanish designers, that sustainability and impactful design can work together to deliver stunning results.
Visitors also discovered UPM Raflatac’s Ocean Action label material made with Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) waste. Ocean Action – the world’s first certified label material to fight ocean-bound plastic pollution not only helps prevent plastic waste from ending up in the oceans, but also offers brand owners the possibility to meet their recycled content targets for packaging as an easy-to-use, drop-in solution created especially for home and personal care, food, and beverage end-uses.
In addition, UPM Raflatac showcased its CarbonNeutral product portfolio, which helps customers to lower their environmental impact and reduce the strain on natural resources. The CarbonNeutral certified products now cover the entire lifecycle of the label and allow UPM Raflatac’s customers to offer their printed and converted labels as carbon neutral. The development builds on UPM Raflatac’s Life Cycle Assessment service, Label Life, which recently received a new certificate of validity from leading international assurance service provider, DEKRA.
UPM Raflatac’s CarbonNeutral certified products include the linerless label range with solutions designed for all direct thermal linerless main end uses, including hospitality, e-commerce and logistics, and grocery retail. At the stand, visitors experienced linerless labelling in action. The CarbonNeutral certified products also include pressure-sensitive labels in the lower-carbon range RAFNXT+ designed for a variety of labels used in food, logistics, and home care packaging.
UPM Raflatac has also introduced new paper label materials – with certification for recyclability for PET and HDPE bottles – into its wash-off SmartCircle portfolio in a bid to facilitate complete circularity for plastic packaging solutions.
Apparently, the labels can be separated cleanly from recycled packaging to enable PET and HDPE flakes to be recovered without contamination from the label materials. As such, the solution is thought to enable a greater yield for recycled plastic, increase the accessibility of high-quality raw material, and reduce both waste and reliance on virgin plastic.
Lecta Announces New Innovation
Lecta has announced Metalvac, a range of metallised paper manufactured at its Leitza mill in Navarra, Spain. The metallised paper is produced using direct high vacuum metallisation technology, a process in which 0.08 g/m2 of aluminium is deposited on a one-side coated paper.
This is a single-material, paper-based solution, making Metalvac the sustainable alternative to other choices available in the market today, such as metallised plastic (polypropylene, polyester) films, aluminium foil – a product whose aluminium content is on average 300 times greater than that of metallised paper, or hot-stamping and metallic inks, amongst others.
Advantages are:
- Recyclability in standard paper and cardboard circuits
- High opacity
- Good folding properties
- Good mechanical resistance
- An even, glossy, smooth surface
- Excellent printability for offset, flexo and rotogravure printing
Lecta says Metalvac is an ideal paper for manufacturing high-quality wet-glue and self-adhesive labels, as well as for graphic applications. The company says, “You may also look forward to hearing more about our new range of functional metallised papers, specially designed for flexible packaging for food and non-food products, in the near future.
“Thanks to our integrated production system, including the manufacture of pulp and base paper, along with in-depth technical expertise, both in manufacturing techniques for a variety of specialty papers and in applying coatings, Lecta has developed a range of functional papers with sealing and barrier properties. These products are designed for the world of flexible packaging in the food, toy, and food service industries.”
Polyart Fiberskin
Polyart has announced Fiberskin Tag, 100% paper solution that the company says stands out due to its unique composition. Crafted entirely from paper, it boasts exceptional tear resistance and water resistance, courtesy of its specialised coating. Furthermore, it exhibits robust mechanical properties even in humid conditions.
This paper is not only suitable for food contact but is also recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable. It complies with food certifications BFR XXXVI and DGCCRF, but also with packaging regulations, specifically those governing cellulose nets for fruit and vegetable packaging (in accordance with the anti-waste AGEC law for a Circular Economy). This paper is FSC certified (FSC C195593).
Fiberskin Tag emerges as a valuable alternative to plastic when such substitution is essential. Featuring a one-sided coating, it is suitable for 4-color printing on both sides using flexography and offset technologies, as well as single-side thermal transfer printing. Its versatility extends to easy conversion using standard equipment, mirroring the behaviour of traditional paper and board during the conversion process.
Polyart says this paper finds its niche in various tags and labels applications, including bands for fruit and vegetables, nets for fruit and vegetables (wineglass labels), food labels in cold and refrigerated environments, wristbands for amusement parks and nursery tags.
Compared to other sectors, pulp and paper manufacturing makes substantial annual investments in the greening of its production processes. This comes with a certain number of near misses, which is why evaluating the business case for a new technology is an essential part of the process. A recent study of “deep eutectic solvents” aiming to decarbonise pulp making at the source has not had the results expected. But it led to breakthroughs in the production of lignin, which could be a major source of revenue for the industry in the near future, as an alternative to fossil-based materials.
