With the launch of its new AD Circular program, an initiative designed to enable the recycling of used paper and filmic label liners in countries across Europe, Avery Dennison aims to reduce or even eliminate the number of label liners currently going to landfill or being incinerated in Europe.
Some 470 kilotonnes of liners were consumed by companies in Europe in 2019, of which only a third were recycled, noted Burak Sahbaz, senior director marketing & sustainability, citing statistics from AWA, a label industry consulting firm. “Using all that material only once, is not environmentally sustainable, and runs contrary to consumer expectations and the spirit of European regulations establishing a circular economy.”
The programme is built around an online app. Using the app, participating companies simply schedule an appointment for Avery Dennison to pick up the used label liners, which are then shipped to one of its recycling partners. The web app also provides useful data in the form of regularly updated analytics and certificates on the amount of recycled liner material, the volume of CO2 emissions they have avoided as a result, and more.
According to Sahbaz, the programme’s ultimate goal is to be able to recycle 75% of the label waste Avery Dennnison brings to the European market by 2025. Recycling 1 kilogram of liner prevents the emission of 2.28 kilograms of carbon dioxide, he said.
The collection and transport of used liners through the AD Circular programme will comply with EU regulations, and the costs will be comparable to existing waste disposal services.
The programme will launch in eight countries during the first half of 2021, including France, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Other European countries will follow in the latter half of the year.
Material made from recycled liners will be used in new packaging materials and other qualitative products. Avery Dennison envisions eventually evolving a liner-to-liner recycling loop.
Avery Dennison is headquartered in Glendale, California. The company employs more than 30,000 employees in over 50 countries. Reported sales in 2019 were $7.1 billion.