A typical pressure sensitive label consists of a liner, an adhesive and a facestock. All three components have an impact on sustainability, and all three should be considered when looking at label sustainability. It's also important to consider the ink and any coatings or embellishments.
Facestock
As the main material of the label, the facestock is one of the most obvious places to look for sustainable options. As demand increases, the variety of more environmentally friendly facestocks continues to grow. Today’s environmentally savvy customers can choose from a wide variety of sustainable facestocks such as:
- Post-consumer recycled paper or film
- Sustainably-sourced and certified paper material
- Biodegradable paper made from non-tree sources
- Compostable label material
- Plastic films made from non-petroleum products
- Recyclable PET
- Thinner/lightweight facestock options
Liner
Label release liners make up 33% or more of the materials used to produce pressure sensitive labels. Unfortunately, they also pose a particularly difficult challenge when it comes to sustainability. Typically, release liners are coated with silicone, making them difficult to recycle. Only specialized facilities are able to remove the silicone and recycle the paper. While some companies have worked to create options for recycling liners, most liners currently end up in landfills.
Some of the options for more sustainable release liners include:
- Liners made with recycled raw materials
- Sustainably sourced and certified liners
- Recyclable liners
- Thinner liners
- Liners produced by a company with a liner recycling program
- Linerless labels
Adhesive
Label adhesives can in and of themselves be more or less sustainable. They can also have a direct effect on recyclability and overall sustainability of packaging. Options for more environmentally friendly adhesive include:
- Water-based adhesive
- Low VOC adhesive
- Flake away/wash away adhesive
- Biodegradable adhesive
- Repulpable adhesive
Ink and Label Coatings
The ink that the label is printed with, as well as any coatings and embellishments applied to the label can have a direct effect on its overall environmental impact. As companies balance requirements for aesthetics, ink quality, durability, or resistance properties, some sustainable options include:
- Low VOC inks
- Biodegradable inks
- Water-based, biorenewable inks
- Low energy/LED cured UV inks
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