What began as a breakthrough solution for PET plastic bottles can now make PET packages more recyclable in a range of markets. On 22 June 2021, Avery Dennison announced the latest iteration of its award-winning CleanFlake filmic label materials, which are now suitable for PET packaging in food, home and personal care and other segments in addition to beverages.
“More than ever, CleanFlake helps brands keep the promise of PET,” said Avery Dennison product manager Mariya Nedelcheva. “Companies that use PET packaging no longer have to choose between true recyclability and outstanding performance when it comes to their labels. We are closing the gap between CleanFlake materials and conventional, general-purpose label materials. For companies that care about recyclability, the question now is not why they would use CleanFlake, but why they wouldn’t.”
First introduced in 2013, CleanFlake technology solves a critical problem in PET plastic recycling by helping to ensure that a label’s adhesive stays with the label and not on the package so that all label material fully detaches during the recycling process. The resulting washed PET flakes can then be recycled into new PET packaging. Flakes that are otherwise contaminated by conventional label materials must be downcycled or sent to landfills or incinerators, said the company.
Engineered for printability and performance
With a new proprietary adhesive, SR3011N, CleanFlake materials look and perform like any other self-adhesive label material. An upgrade to a best-in-class topcoat claims to provide outstanding printability, and CleanFlake materials are designed to deliver fast, flawless application on high-speed labeling machines. CleanFlake facestocks offer the same attractive, “no-label” look as comparable Avery Dennison materials.
Products in the CleanFlake portfolio comply with Petcore guidelines for trays and are certified by Institut Cyclos-HTP. Endorsement by the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) is pending.
“We are proud to offer a solution that helps keep PET plastic containers out of the waste stream and helps to increase the global supply of rPET,” said Avery Dennison’s Mariya Nedelcheva. “Our CleanFlake portfolio is one more way we’re helping to build a circular economy in Europe and around the world.”