New Label Adhesive For More Assured PET Recycling

Published: May 26, 2021

HERMA has developed a new adhesive specifically for PET bottles that satisfies even the very strict requirements imposed by two Scandinavian countries or their collection schemes.

The new HERMA adhesive 52W has now been approved by the Norwegian collection scheme Infinitum and added to the list of recommended adhesives by the Swedish equivalent Returpack. Both the approval and the recommendation concern the adhesive in combination with the label materials HERMA PP white super tc (grade 881) and HERMA PP 50 transparent super tc (grade 886).

The new adhesive reportedly ensures not only that the labels are reliably washed off the bottles without leaving any residue, but also that any tackiness which would allow the labels to stick after washing is removed. Its properties facilitate both the complete removal of the labels and the reliable separation of the PET bottles and labels.

“52W enables us to ensure that label particles cannot regain their stickiness during drying and then become attached again to the washed PET flakes. In the context of separation for recycling, this is a key requirement of the Norwegian and Swedish recycling regulations. The PET flakes can therefore be separated from the labels, ready for recovery and conversion, using either the sink-float or air classification technique,” said Dr. Ulli Nägele, head of development, HERMA.

“Practical tests have shown a similar behaviour with our adhesive 62Rpw, which we unveiled back in 2019. Grade 52W now enables us to comply with the requirement even with a washing temperature as low as 65 degrees Celsius,” added Dr. Nägele. “Often in other countries a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius is the norm. Our development team was put to the test again, but prior experience in this field enabled us to deliver results quickly.”

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