Release Liners: A Commentary

At a conference on release liners held last year, Corey Reardon, CEO of industry consultant AWA Alexander Watson Associates (www.awa-bv.com), commented, “We must not forget that the release liner industry is a producer of waste material after a self-adhesive application is completed. As it positions itself for the future, this becomes more and more of a critical issue.”

It is a very important issue. As companies—especially consumer product companies—position themselves as sustainable enterprises, the hard reality of pressure-sensitive (p-s) labeling’s impact on the waste stream will get more and more attention.

Pressure-sensitive labeling holds a significant share of the North American labeling market—close to 50 percent according to recent AWA market studies—and it is expected to remain a dominant contributor for years to come. However, as sustainability concerns continue to grow and influence the market, the waste generated by this labeling method—which for the most part is sent to landfills—will need to be addressed.

Chicago-based Channeled Resources Group (CRG, www.channeledresources.com) is one company that offers alternative solutions to this problem, and has for a number of years. Yet, adoption of these alternatives has been slow, at best, according to Cindy White, president of CRG. Below, she offers her viewpoint the issue.

Commentary: Cindy White

A popular book a few years ago was “Who Moved My Cheese?” It told the story of how difficult it is to get people to change. Today, CRG, like the characters in “Who Moved My Cheese,” is challenged by the lack of response from manufacturers, converters, and end users of p-s label stock. No one wants to stop 30,000 truckloads of liner waste—more than half of which comes from p-s roll stock—from going into North American landfills every year. It requires too much CHANGE! Wal-Mart’s new sustainability index may trouble some, but, frankly, I welcome it. If people will not change on their own, for the good of the planet, then people need to have sustainable practices imposed on them—future generations deserve it!

For almost two decades, CRG has promoted a solution to liner waste. The “Liner Recycling Program” offers an alternative to filling landfills with recyclable liner material. Paper can be repulped and made into new paper, and film can be reground and made into new plastic products. In some cases, used release liner can even be reused in different applications. The bottom line is that we’re stuffing landfills with products that have value, and can reduce the need for virgin products derived from trees and oil.

The efforts of manufacturers like Sara Lee and Unilever to recycle their liner waste have demonstrated that it can be done without adding much change or cost to their processes. Change is usually the biggest hurdle that companies face. Simply putting liner waste into a dedicated gaylord on the manufacturing floor requires a change in procedure that is sometimes difficult to implement and follow. A buy-in at the highest levels of the organization followed by training and a shared vision throughout the company is an approach that makes change more palatable and any recycling program far more successful.

The Liner Recycling Program offers local service centers throughout North America, wherever a minimum of a truckload per month of liner can be accumulated—whether that comes from one generator or twenty generators of liner waste. The only cost is the freight charge to the service center. CRG will accept a single skid (approximately 1,500 lbs.) at a time. If a truckload can be collected by a single waste generator at its location, we will pick it up—making the program cost-free. In some cases, a truckload of liner of good quality (no contaminants) will receive a per pound payment when market conditions allow. No matter how big or small, the Liner Recycling Program can offer a cost-effective alternative to landfill waste. It will be good for business and great for our environment. pP