New EcoTec Label Line for Eco-Friendly Product Labelling

Labels are a vital part of any packaging. They have a substantial impact on the purchasing function of customers by drawing attention to a product. In addition, labels have plenty of details that can control consumers to purchase a product or look for an option.

Customers also evaluate the product packaging and the used label’s sustainability when purchasing a product. Hence the question is plastic more useful than paper or vice versa? There is no general answer to this question. It is essential though that the same materials are used for packaging, for example, a PET label on a PET bottle with a PET cap or a paper label on a cardboard box. Unlike composite packaging, mono-packaging can be recycled without the consumer manually separating the different composite packaging materials. If that doesn’t happen in advance, the only way to recycle is thermal recycling, such as waste incineration.

In addition, packaging sustainability can be increased by using environmentally friendly labels. DTM Print, an international OEM and solution provider for specialty printing systems, has bundled its selection of eco-friendly, recycled, or natural labels under the new label line DTM EcoTec. As of now, the following four inkjet materials are part of the EcoTec line; further substrates will follow:

• DTM EcoTec Hemp Paper: This label consists of 100% hemp fiber. Hemp can be harvested thrice a year, and plantation trees only every seven years. Thanks to its fibers, which are five times longer than wood pulp, the material is particularly tear-resistant and can be recycled very often.
• DTM EcoTec Grass Paper: The natural grass fibers of the label not only give the paper material its unique, natural look and reduce the amount of process water needed in the production process. The adhesive is an acrylic dispersion, permanent solvent-free, and can be in direct food contact according to EU regulation No 10/2011.
• DTM EcoTec Paper Matte Nature: This paper label is 100% recycled backing from used label rolls.
• DTM EcoTec Poly Clear Gloss R90: It is a glossy clear poly label consisting of 90% post-consumer recycled (also known as PCR) PET material. It features the same clarity, mechanical properties, and printing characteristics as its non-PCR counterpart, “DTM Poly Clear Gloss.” Using PCR material also establishes more plastic production and industry recycling volume.

In addition, the water-soluble adhesive of the above labels is below 0.01%. That means it also passes the recycling process.

“To produce exceptional product labels for all kinds of applications, you not only need advanced and resource-friendly print technology as integrated into our color label printers but also high-quality material,” explains Albion Bekolli, label specialist at DTM Print. “Every product leaves a footprint on our planet, and using label material that is environmentally friendly and sustainable helps to keep it as small as possible.”

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