Avery Dennison and Belgian-based Seliplast AG (which is an acronym for Second Life for Plastics) have launched a recycling scheme for label matrix waste made of polypropylene and polyethylene. The programme is now available to converters in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and France.
It originally began as a pilot last year in which more than 1,000 tons of plastic laminate and matrix waste from Avery Dennison’s plant in Turnhout, Belgium were converted into new granulate for industrial and household products.
This eliminates the need for waste material to be shipped outside of the region for manual sorting and recycling, which had previously been required due to the sticky nature of the residue. Christian Horn, managing director of Seliplast AG notes that the filmic matrix and laminate waste must comply with certain quality standards to be accepted. “For recycling to be practical, the waste matrix material has to be collected separately, avoiding paper contamination.”
The result is a good alternative to landfill or incineration, with consequential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Xander van der Vlies, Avery Dennison’s global sustainability director, concludes: “This type of programme is an excellent example of collaboration that creates a positive impact on the environment by turning product waste into source material for other products.”
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