New Labelmakers tech saves liner from dump

Labelmakers Group has secured the rights for the worldwide patented RecuLiner technology for Australia and New Zealand, creating a local circular solution for recycling glassine liner from pressure-sensitive labels that would otherwise go to landfill.

To date, liner recovery has focused on collection and exporting to overseas markets, which is heavily emissions intensive. Tonnes of waste pressure sensitive material go into Australian landfill each year. 

The RecuLiner technology allows the conversion of glassine liner into insulation products for the commercial and residential building industry, with scope for other market applications as well. 

Recycling of glassine liner is a global problem and there are only a few locations around the world with the technology required to remove the silicone from the glassine paper. This means that glassine liner has historically been sent to landfill.

Labelmakers has long held the position that a local solution is the only real solution and, to this end, has secured the RecuLiner patented technology for the region.

To deliver a fully circular solution, Labelmakers has entered exclusive and long-term manufacturing arrangements by licensing the technology to fellow Australian business Enviroflex Commercial, a leading provider, producer, and installer of insulation products.

This local manufacturing arrangement will kick-start a new recycling opportunity in Australia with job creation and landfill diversion as the core of the program.

“This is an exciting day for Labelmakers Group, RecuLiner, Enviroflex and the entire label industry because this aligns us and our customers with APCO’s 2025 National Packaging Targets for recycling and re-use of packaging materials,” said Adam Bamford, managing director of Labelmakers Group. “We expect to start onboarding customers in July this year with scale-up planned over the next 12-24 months,” Bamford said.

“This local manufacturing arrangement will kick-start a new recycling opportunity in Australia, with job creation and landfill diversion as the core of the program. Labelmakers will be focusing on the rollout across New Zealand in due course,” Bamford said.

The collection of spent glassine liner from customer sites will be managed through a newly created department of the group, called Labelmakers Liner Recycling Services.

Enviroflex CEO Felicia Richardson said, “There are so many exciting facets to this new partnership but from a scale-up perspective, the insulation channels to market already exists so we don’t have the time lag associated with developing a new market or customer.

“We intend to commence manufacture in July 2021, meaning Labelmakers’ customers will be able to start to redirect their spent liner in the near term, and well in advance of the deadline for meeting the 2025 National Packaging Target deadlines,” Richardson added.

Technology innovator RecuLiner says, “Labelmakers clearly understands the importance of taking action to deliver real sustainability solutions for their customers. We are excited that our technology can help Labelmakers achieve its sustainability targets and trust this will be an example of excellence for the global label industry.”

In 2018, Labelmakers appointed a dedicated group sustainability manager, Damian Smyth, to lead the group’s sustainability agenda and the company says this announcement is one of many it will be making over the next few months.