Self-adhesive labels without the backing material!

Packaging Solutions Green Solutions

Self-adhesive labels usually require a release liner which supports their production and storage until they are used. Now, new technology from Evonik helps to reduce the waste by removing the need for the backing material.

With conventional self-adhesive labels, as much as 40% of the total material goes into the rubbish. As soon as the label is removed, the paper or plastic backing material is no longer required. This results in mountains of waste, and in Europe alone, up to 300,000 tonnes per year of paper and plastic liners end in landfill and incineration plants.

To help meet this challenge, Evonik's innovative Tego RC Silicones have enabled innovative label systems that require no liners. The product from Evonik's Interface and Performance Business Line is applied invisibly to the upper surface of the label over the printed surface – the labels can even be rolled up without sticking to each other. Not only does this save 40% of the overall weight and the associated material costs, but it also helps to conserve resources.

Naturally the labels need to stick well, and this is where ultraviolet light comes in. The Evonik silicones form a network when subjected to UV radiation and then cure. This way they adhere to the intended surface in just a fraction of a second. With conventional self-adhesive labels, this effect is achieved through heat, which requires more energy. The Evonik technology therefore also saves energy consumption compared to label systems with thermally cured silicones and it protects the label itself. Evonik's RC technology provides an economic advantage as well as the ecological benefits from reducing wastage and using less energy.