The global shrink sleeve market is experiencing significant growth, providing greater branding opportunities, and enhancing protection for products, while also making packaging more recyclable when made from the right materials.
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Many manufacturers of beverages and household products are now using clear plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to increase recyclability and minimise the use of coloured bottles, which can be more difficult to recycle.
To compensate for the limited branding opportunities on clear bottles, shrink sleeves ensure that bottles remain colourful for brand identification with consumers. During application, heat is typically used to shrink the sleeve around the exact shape of the bottle. And before recycling PET or HDPE bottles, shrink sleeves are easy to remove.
&#;We asked around 100 stakeholders in the industry how they see the development of the shrink sleeve market. Everybody agreed that it is a strong growth market,&#; says Lothar Schaeffeler, director of technology at Siegwerk. &#;You see even double-digit growth in certain regions, which is remarkable.
&#;Many brand owners see shrink sleeves as the unique opportunity for having 360-degree billboard space. It&#;s about covering uniquely shaped contoured containers. Shrink sleeves provide a premium look.&#;
Alongside expanding the design and branding options, shrink sleeves also have practical advantages. One example is that shrink sleeves reveal tamper evidence to show if bottles have been opened before purchase by the consumer.
Furthermore, adding barrier properties to the shrink sleeves provides greater levels of protection for bottled items. Shrink sleeves with barriers can retain freshness for longer with consumable products, for example, keeping carbonated drinks fizzier by preventing carbon dioxide from escaping the bottle. Another practical use is that sleeves block UV rays from sunlight, avoiding interference with the contents of the clear bottle, which is particularly beneficial for perishable items such as dairy products.
Polyester is a stable material particularly well-suited for reuse compared with other types of plastic. While the clear PET bottle is simple to recycle, the same does not necessarily apply to the shrink sleeve material or mean they can be recycled together. For example, it is not possible to recycle glycol-modified PET (PETG) with PET bottles. When these materials are recycled together, it can lead to polyester clumping and does not result in a functional recycled bottle.
Especially in Europe, brands are using polyolefin shrink labels that can be separated from the bottles. While this is not enabling 100% recyclable packaging, it does allow for the bottle to be recycled.
And in certain markets, other materials such as PVC are common for shrink sleeves. However, PVC often has high chlorine content and can contain harmful additives to provide the material with the intended performance requirements. PVC material may be cheaper in the short term for the brand or manufacturer but has a far higher environmental impact. The material will likely end up in landfill or be incinerated, making PVC incompatible with the circular economy.
&#;Today, there is no good reason to use PVC shrink sleeves in the market,&#; adds Schaeffeler.
After use, shrink sleeves may also be turned into different products through downcycling. Yet if the circular economy is to function as intended, materials must be recycled and reused for their original purpose. A drink bottle and its shrink sleeve should remain these after recycling in a closed-loop system, instead of being repurposed into an item of clothing or discarded altogether. However, achieving circularity is dependent on the materials.
&#;We have much smarter opportunities in recycling the bottle material with the shrink sleeve material by combining the right materials,&#; says Schaeffeler.
Schaeffeler sees a trend of brand owners and manufacturers moving away from PETG and other materials to instead using crystallisable PET (CPET) for shrink sleeves, which can be recycled at the same time as the bottle without requiring separation.
&#;Performance of these new shrink sleeve materials, like crystallised PET, comes very close to the performance of glycol-modified PET,&#; he adds. &#;For most packaging, there is no reason not to switch to the much more environmentally friendly alternative material today.&#;
In the short-term, virgin materials from fossil fuels will still need to be added to recycled PET to maintain structural integrity and performance after a certain number of cycles. Nevertheless, the required proportion of virgin materials reduces significantly through recycling.
If a shrink sleeve is made from recyclable material such as CPET, it will need its ink removed before recycling. This process is known as deinking, and Schaeffeler says there are increasing numbers of recycling facilities investing in hot washing machines to achieve this. Sustainable inks play a crucial role in avoiding harmful substances coming out in the hot washing process that would need careful disposal.
Siegwerk is a specialist manufacturer of sustainable printing inks and coatings, and a recognised leader in circular solutions for the packaging industry.
&#;Siegwerk is very much engaged in developing advanced functional coatings and inks that enable a higher level of sustainability with an unchanged, uncompromised level of functionality and packaging performance,&#; explains Schaeffeler.
With annual estimates putting the figure of plastic bottles produced in the hundreds of billions, it is vital to ensure that as many of these units are recycled as possible. A fully recyclable bottle and shrink sleeve with sustainable inks will bring the industry one step closer to achieving full circularity in this key packaging segment.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of copolyester shrink label. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
&#;Using the right shrink sleeve technology for specific bottle materials means you can recycle the bottle and sleeve together to increase the yield towards 100% recyclability,&#; adds Schaeffeler.
Author: Recygal
Lately, as you wander through the grocery store aisles it doesn&#;t take long before you notice that some shelved items seem to be jumping out at you. Many beverages, yogurts, snack foods, toddler meals, pet foods, cleaning and personal care products seem to be screaming, ÒLook at me!Ó Glossy, vividly colored, labeled items do stand out from the crowd, but are they wreaking havoc in our recycling streams?
Form-fitting, high definition printed labels have been coined, ÒHeat Shrink LabelsÓ by the packaging industry. Consumer goods companies believe that these high tech, eye-catching marketing tools actually help to influence our purchase decisions. In other words, we tend to put these highly labeled items in our shopping baskets rather than leave them on the store shelves! With marketers always trying to capture our attention and turn our attention into sales, it is not surprising that heat shrink labels are one of the fastest growing segments of the packaging industry.
Heat Shrink labels can be used on containers made from plastic, glass, metal, and other materials. Because a heat shrink label is directly shrunk onto a container, it can be used to label any shape container and provide 360 degrees of visual ÒHere I am&#; space. Unfortunately, the majority of heat shrink labels are made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride plastic). PVC labels used on PET bottles (PolyethyleneTerephthalate), PP containers (Polypropylene) and HDPE jugs (High Density Polyethylene), or on any type of plastic container other than PVC are not readily recyclable. PVC is the same plastic resin used to make &#;see-through&#; blister packs and clamshells. Just like their thermoformed cousins, PVC heat shrink labels are not environmentally friendly; they complicate recycling and can even reduce the overall recycling rate. In today&#;s highly competitive beverage industry, PVC labels are fast becoming the label of choice for PET bottles. This is truly unfortunate because PET bottles are the most recycled plastic product in our country; we shouldnÕt be doing anything to risk damaging the PET recycling rate.
So, why donÕt we hear more about this? Basically, because the separation of the PVC label from the PET bottle has become the responsibility of the recycled resin producer who is the last step in the recycling stream.
In a nutshell, the curbside recyclables picked up by our local municipalities are not put under stringent materials separation; the collected recyclables are shipped off to MRFs (Materials Recovery Facilities) for sorting and baling by recyclable type. To sort through all the various types of recyclables, MRFs utilize mechanical, optical, and hand separation techniques. While MRFs strive to separate PET plastic from PP or HDPE, PVC labeled PET bottles escape scrutiny and are not separated from their 100% PET counterparts. Why? Because the recycled resin producers who purchase the baled PET have come to accept that the bales are not pure PET and may contain as much as 25 Ð 30% other materials. Resin producers know that once separated from the PET plastic, some of these extraneous materials can be sold profitably. In the case of PVC, the intrinsic characteristics of this plastic make it difficult to separate out under standard industry practices.
So, why is PVC so difficult to separate? When resin producers remove the plastic from the bales, the plastic is subjected to a wash phase which removes dirt, grime, and paper labels. Since water is an integral part of the process, these recyclers also utilize a continuous water flotation process as a means of plastic separation too. Floating is not a viable means to separate tight, bottle hugging PVC labels from PET bottles. And, even if the labels somehow become detached from the bottles, PVCÕs high density does not enable it to be isolated using current industry floatation/separation techniques. When the PVC cannot be separated, the contaminated PET cannot be turned into recycled PET flakes and recycled PET pellets; the overall PET recycling rate is lowered.
With American consumer goods companies screaming for more recycled PET content in their packaging, it is not the time for the packaging industry to be making PET more difficult to recycle. In all fairness, there are PVC heat shrink label alternatives. Packaging companies have developed heat shrink labels from PET and PP plastic too; however, their costs remain prohibitive. If a PVC label costs two cents less than a PET or PP label, guess which label is going to be put on the bottle? Additionally, since the packaging industry has big investments in PVC labeling, it will probably take more than just a few cents per bottle before any significant change in industry practice takes place.
Despite these hurdles, the company Herbold Meckensheim USA is now commercializing an innovative machine designed to remove heat shrink labels from plastic bottles. According to the company, The Plastic Bottle Label Remover Òdrastically reduces the rejected bottles as well as the amount of hand sorting/removal required. The result is improved productivity and cleaner productÓ. To see this machine in action, please watch this YouTube video:
Removing Heat Shrink Labels
The Plastic Bottle Label Remover is well established in European recycling programs. We can only hope that it becomes a staple in the recycling arsenal of USA recycled plastic resin producers too. For most recycled PET resin producers, this piece of equipment is a sizable investment. Yet, if PVC heat shrink labels continue to be the packaging label of choice, such equipment will be necessary to make PVC labeled PET bottles truly recyclable.
In the meantime, help out the recycled resin producers and remove these labels from your bottles and containers. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where you have PVC recycling, recycle these labels with other PVC items.
Happy Heat Shrink Label Recycling!
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References: ÒShrink Sleeve Labels: Promote Your Brand From Every AngleÓ, walle.com , ÒMunicipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for Ó, epa.gov, ÒWhat Happens Inside a Materials Recovery FacilityÓ, S. Last, hubpages.com, ÒPET recyclers canÕt solve supply quandaryÓ, M. Verespej, ÒWaste and Recycling NewsÓ, May 2, .
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