CCL Label pioneers closed loop solution for stretch sleeves

Packaging Solutions Green Solutions

CCL Label is to offer a closed loop recycling solution for stretch sleeves. Stretch sleeves are often used for returnable PET bottles that are then re-used. The recycling facility will be located at CCL’s Voelkermarkt site in Austria, which is a hub for the production of stretch and shrink sleeves mainly produced for the dairy, beverage and home care industries.

‘As making our labels and sleeves more circular is one of our main goals for the next years, we are proud to be the first ones in the industry to offer a circular solution for stretch sleeves. In addition to reusing and recycling the PET bottles, our beverage customers can now fully recycle their decoration on the bottles into new stretch sleeves – with our revolutionary EcoStretch solution,’ said Reinhard Streit, vice president and managing director CCL Food & Beverage.

‘There is a world of opportunity to rethink and redesign the way we make products. The new investment is part of CCL Label’s long term plan to support ‘Design for Recycling’ with labels and to contribute to a more circular economy. With more and more deposit schemes being introduced to increase the recycling rates, we expect the returnable bottle systems to expand.’

The sleeves are removed from the PET bottle after the bottles have been returned to the bottler. The sleeves are then shipped to the CCL Voelkermarkt site, where – after deinking and cleaning – the sleeves are molten and shaped into pellets, which feed back into the manufacturing process, thus creating a new sleeve in a closed loop.

Last year CCL Industries signed the Global Commitment of the New Plastics Economy which is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

In addition to the closed loop recycling solution for stretch sleeves, this type of decoration has a lower carbon footprint compared to other options to begin with. Stretch sleeve material is very thin and applied to containers without the use of adhesives or heat – which lowers the carbon footprint and makes them more eco friendly. Furthermore, cost savings up to 50% are possible compared to other technologies.