- Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) acknowledges Dow’s innovative wash-off label adhesive suitability for clear PET bottle and filmic label recycling.
- INVISU™ 7007 adhesive combines high adhesion performance with design for recyclability.
- The certified solution addresses both converters’ demand for reliable and high-performing label solutions as well as recyclers’ needs for cleaner recycled materials.
MIDLAND, Michigan – August 22, 2023 – INVISU™ 7007 wash-off pressure sensitive adhesive from Dow (NYSE: DOW) has received recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) as meeting or exceeding its most strict Critical Guidance Protocol for the recycling of clear PET articles with filmic labels and closures. APR’s Critical Guidance Recognition is a widely accepted recyclability assessment for plastics packaging and is granted to companies whose products solve challenges in sustainable package design.
“Labels are a crucial part of packaging as they convey important information to the end user,” said Isabelle Uhl, R&D/TS&D Fellow at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “INVISU™ 7007 Water-Borne Label Adhesive combines high performance with recyclability, as we believe our customers should not have to compromise one for the other. We prioritize innovation to deliver quality solutions that utilize design for recyclability and help the industry meet their sustainability commitments."
Performance meets Recyclability
Production efficiency remains essential in label converting. As sustainability is a key focus for consumers and policymakers, companies are evolving to create solutions to meet new parameters, such as recycling protocols. Today, filmic labels can impact the recycling process when not properly separated from labelled items, and wash-off adhesives have proven a valid technology to allow clean label separation and therefore enable high quality recycling outputs.
“Converters need reliable label solutions for efficient adhesion and high-speed production, while recyclers want as pure recycling outcomes as possible to increase their yields,” added David Keely, Application Technology Leader Adhesives at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “When more applications are being made recyclable and better recycling outcomes are achieved, recycling rates will increase, fewer fossil fuels be needed, and everyone will benefit.“
INVISU™ 7007 Water-Borne Adhesive from Dow has been developed to address label recycling demands while expanding the possibilities of label performance. Featuring excellent adhesion and tack, high solids content for high-speed processing on state-of-the-art coating machines, INVISU™ 7007 wash-off label adhesive performs like available high-performing general purpose filmic label (GPFL) adhesives, while allowing for better recycling. As shown in testing trials, INVISU™ 7007 wash-off label adhesive allow for polyolefin-based (PE, PP) filmic labels to be separated during recycling in the washing step and to produce pure flakes for new materials.
“Dow aims to close the loop by enabling 100% of our products sold into packaging applications to be reusable or recyclable by 2035,” added Izzat Midani, Marketing Manager Adhesives at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “The APR certification for our INVISU™ 7007 wash-off label adhesive is a critical third-party validation which confirms that brand owners and converters can feel more confident in their choice to use our products to meet their sustainability targets.”
Dow collaborates with companies throughout the value chain at its Pack Studios innovation centers, where it tests and optimizes packaging and label technologies designed for recyclability, to help improve the circular economy for plastics. As a full-service supplier of both acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives and silicone release coatings, the company is helping customers maximize label and packaging cost efficiencies.
Learn more about INVISU™ Water-Borne Label Adhesives from Dow here. Explore this and other Dow label innovation at stand 7E41 at Labelexpo Europe 2023 in September.
About Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics
Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP), a business unit of Dow (NYSE: DOW), combines core strengths of R&D, worldwide reach, broad product lines and industry expertise to deliver high performing technologies for end use markets in food packaging, personal hygiene, infrastructure, consumer goods and transportation. P&SP is one of the world’s largest producers of polyethylene resins, functional polymers, and adhesives, and enabled by Pack Studios, is a leading innovator and collaborator across the value chain on sustainable application development and circular economy life-cycle design for plastics. www.dowpackaging.com
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth; asset integration and scale; focused innovation and materials science expertise; leading business positions; and environmental, social and governance leadership to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive, and sustainable materials science company in the world. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings, and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated, science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility, and consumer applications. Dow operates manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 37,800 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $57 billion in 2022. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.
For further information, please contact:
Edward Keels
Dow
ekeels@dow.com
Uta Uenal
Dow
uuenal@dow.com
Patricia Piera Almarcha
Porter Novelli
patricia.pieraalmarcha@porternovelli.be