RecyClass, a non-profit initiative advancing recyclability and transparency to the origin of plastic waste in Europe, has released an updated version of its Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for Labels & Adhesives applied on PET bottles. The updated version reflects months of collaborative work within the RecyClass PET Technical Committee, which included experts from across the packaging value chain, including label and adhesive manufacturers, recyclers, and converters.

According to RecyClass, the revised protocol introduces new success criteria, focusing on the effective separation of labels from PET bottles, ensuring that adhesive residues remain predominantly on the label, and verifying that PET flakes do not degrade after the oven test.  

“We believe that understanding how each packaging component behaves during the recycling process is key to increasing the quality of recycled plastics and their consequent uptake in new products. The enhancements made to this protocol enable a more precise and consistent evaluation of how labels and adhesives perform throughout the recycling process,” said Chairman of RecyClass Paolo Glerean.

Testing for the revised protocol was done in four different RecyClass Recognized Testing Facilities, which resulted in the approval of more than seven adhesive technologies. All Approval Letters are publicly available on the RecyClass website.  

RecyClass invites all companies producing labels and adhesives for PET bottles to test their technologies according to the updated protocol. By doing so, they will help improve the recyclability of PET packaging and advance the circularity of plastics in Europe.

Learn more at https://recyclass.eu.