Thermal paper is graded entirely from recycled fibers
HERMA also persists in building its assortment of sustainable stock in the thermal label segment. It now ranks among the first suppliers in the industry to deliver an adhesive material based on a phenol-free thermal paper entirely produced from recycled fibers.
“Thermal labels remain of enormous significance in the logistics and commercial sectors and account for a substantial portion of overall volume,” says Katja Schumacher, who oversees label material development at HERMA. “That’s why it’s important to develop sustainable solutions that satisfy all the customer requirements.”
HERMAtherm rECO (grade 903)
HERMAtherm rECO (grade 903) is a white thermal paper without a protective surface coating or an economy grade. Its surface delivers a good print quality barely distinguishable from that achieved with conventional thermal paper grades. Labels in this category are typically used in the weighing and labeling sections of food packaging lines. The new paper also produces excellent results when printed with EAN barcodes and other code systems.
The label stock made with the paper is coated with the multi-layer adhesive 62Gpt. It offers low migration values and good initial tack, which is especially beneficial in high-speed labeling lines and blow-on labeling.
Two more phenol-free papers
Two other phenol-free thermal label papers, HERMAtherm Top M (grade 912) and HERMAtherm D (grade 919), were launched at the start of the year. Each standard premium-quality paper has a protective coating on both sides and is produced from FSC® Mix Credit materials. Both grades are ideal for use wherever thermal labels made from smudge-proof, solvent- and grease-resistant paper are required, as in food applications. They can be coated with numerous adhesives, making suitable label stock available for every application.
Easy to recycle
Last year HERMA premiered an adhesive material for thermal printer labels that is the first of its kind worldwide to be fully approved for food contact. With HERMAtherm nature (grade 900), the imprint is produced by a physical reaction that does not involve any chemical developers. Consequently, labels incorporating this paper are suitable for disposal in regular waste paper containers because it does not disrupt the recycling process. This compatibility with recycling (combined with the HERMA adhesive 72Eps), an increasingly important factor, was recently certified by PTS, the research and service institute of the German paper industry.
