Dow and Avery Dennison have co-developed an innovative hotmelt label adhesive that enables filmic labels and packaging (PP/PE) to be mechanically recycled together. The new olefinic hotmelt adhesive is reportedly the first of its kind on the label market designed for chilled food applications. The solution is approved by Recyclass for recycling in the HDPE colored stream in European markets.

Hotmelt adhesives offer excellent performance in labels for chilled applications, but standard hotmelts reduce the usability of recycled PP/PE material. Because this new olefinic hotmelt is based on the same chemistry as PP/PE packaging, when combined with a polyolefin facestock, the label and packaging can be treated as a mono-material and recycled together, offering better recyclability without compromising performance.

The new adhesive is based on AFFINITY™ GA Polymers from Dow and sold by Avery Dennison under the name CF3050 in the Europe, Middle East, North Africa (EMENA) region.

“The joint launch of this new olefinic hotmelt is a great example of how collaborating with partners across the supply chain, like Dow, is key to deliver innovations that help reduce waste, enable the circularity of plastics, and advance the circular economy,” says Jarkko Pitko, senior research associate at Avery Dennison Materials Group EMENA.

“It is Dow’s goal to deliver 3 million metric tons per year of circular and renewable solutions by 2030,” said Imran Munshi, global marketing manager, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “Collaborations like this will help accelerate our contributions towards a circular economy for plastic packaging.”

To learn more, visit www.dow.com and www.averydennison.com.