Avery Dennison recently announced it has received the Flexographic Technical Association’s Environmental Excellence Award for Innovations in Sustainability. The company was recognized for its CleanFlake™ portfolio of label materials developed to advance the recycling of PET containers.

“We understand that industry-transforming innovations begin with a view of the entire value chain—from responsible sourcing to end-of-life analysis,” said Darrell Hughes, vice president and general manager of Avery Dennison Materials Group North America. “We worked closely with stakeholders, including raw material suppliers and reclaimers, to solve a very real challenge: improving the recyclability of PET containers. We are proud to be offering the industry a solution that will allow more high-quality recycled PET to enter the supply stream.”

Direct printing, paper labels and standard pressure-sensitive labels applied to PET bottles tend to lower the recycling efficiency and the quality of recycled PET. CleanFlake is a patent-pending adhesive technology that reportedly “switches off” when submerged in a caustic bath so the label cleanly separates from the PET flakes. Although these labels adhere firmly to PET bottles or containers during use, they can be detached in a conventional recycling facility and then they rise to the surface in the float/sink separation phase, allowing clean PET flakes to sink for easier reclamation.

For more information, visit www.averydennison.com.