With a shared goal of creating a sustainable self-adhesive labelling industry, more than 30 companies from around the world have formed CELAB.
CELAB – the acronym for ‘Circular Economy for Labels’ – is an initiative founded by companies in the self-adhesive label industry to create greater circularity for their products by enhancing and promoting matrix and release liner recycling around the world.
Comprising many of the self-adhesive label industry’s largest companies, CELAB will operate as a coalition, empowered to reach across the entire value chain to promote a circular economy for self-adhesive label materials. CELAB is designed to facilitate collaboration at a global level and encourage the universal adoption of best practices while fostering regionally appropriate initiatives and cooperation.
Due to the wide variance in production processes and recycling capability in different markets, CELAB’s structure includes a global steering committee and regional branches. The global steering committee sets priorities for the consortium. The regional branches create work streams on various aspects of matrix and release liner recycling, including analysing technical issues, promoting the use and creation of recycling networks and options, interacting with government regulators, and educating the industry and public. There are currently two regional Branches – one in Europe and one in North America – with plans to form additional regional branches in the future. Matrix and liner accessibility will be measured in cost difference to landfill, a metric to be established by working teams in each region.
Global CELAB members include Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Avery Dennison, BASF, Dow Performance Silicones, Elkem Silicones, Henkel, Loparex, Mactac, Mondi, Multi-Color Corporation, PolyPlex, UPM Raflatac, Sappi Europe and Siliconature. Membership is open to all companies in the self-adhesive label supply chain who commit to CELAB’s objectives and are willing to help support its work.
CELAB spokesperson Paul Nathanson said, ‘CELAB is technology- and solution-neutral in order to ensure that the most viable solutions that contribute to sustainability are developed and promoted for matrix and release liner recycling. The steering committee is designed to serve as a ‘clearinghouse’ for best practices and solutions developed by the regional Branches and to be promoted globally.’
Renae Kezar, senior director and global leader, sustainability, Avery Dennison Label and Graphic Materials, said, ‘Collaboration is at the heart of our sustainability vision. This marks our first industry-wide effort to work together and we’re learning a lot. In a competitive environment, this isn’t always easy but CELAB is the embodiment of how shared goals can reach across an entire value chain to push the industry forward towards circularity.’ As well as being a global CELAB member, Avery Dennison is supporting both CELAB-Europe and CELAB-NA.
