The new wash-off adhesive will help produce high-purity PET pellets without any detrimental residues

Bottle

Image: The new Herma adhesive 62Rpw achieves a wash-off score of 100% even when used with film labels. Photo: courtesy of HERMA.

Self-adhesive technology provider Herma is set to introduce special wash-off adhesive, dubbed 62Rpw, for label applications.

The new wash-off adhesive will help recycling operators to manufacture pure PET pellets without any detrimental residues of paper or film labels, as well as residual adhesive.

Focus is increasing on detergent bottles, soap dispensers and cans for food and cosmetics, in addition to PET beverage bottles.

Herma’s new adhesive provides the attributes of required adhesion and better resistance to the effects of moisture. Regular industrial cleaning processes can remove it without a trace.

Due to the intermediate layer, adhesive bonds better with the label, as well as enables it to remove completely from the PET surface later.

Herma’s new adhesive will initially available with a wet-strength and alkali-proof paper

The company will initially provide the new adhesive with a wet-strength and alkali-proof paper and a PP film.

HERMAcoat greaseproof (grade 228) and HERMA PO transparent (grade 846) label materials are certified from the Institute cyclos-HPT for the recyclability along with the 62Rpw adhesive.

HERMA PP white extra tc (grade 880) and HERMA PP 50 transparent tc (grade 885) are expected to secure the certificates soon. All the material can be applied to PET containers and bottles.

According to the company, each of the label materials with the new adhesive 62Rpw achieved a wash-off rate of 100% in the Herma laboratory, as per the requirements of the Petcore test protocol version 1.4.

Petcore is a European trade association that represents the entire PET supply chain ranging from manufacturers to users and recycling enterprises.

Herma development head Dr Ulli Nägele said: “The label’s ability to remove all the contaminants at the same time, including printing inks in particular, is a key part of the solution – not only as regards the labelling of containers and bottles, but also in the recycling process.”

In October, Dow introduced new Adcote L76-500 high-solids adhesive for high-speed metal lamination applications.