PET Design Guidance

Label selection should be considered carefully to find the solution most compatible with the recycling process that also provides the necessary performance characteristics. To be categorized as Preferred, a finished label must meet both of the following criteria:

1. The printed label will not interfere with automated sorting steps
2. The printed label (Inks and adhesives) will not interfere with the quality and quantity of the recycled PET.

Link to Yuanlong Packaging

PREFERRED

Automated sorting performance criteria:

• For containers with a brimful volume of 550 ml or less, the surface area coverage of the label is no more than 55%, and no metal decoration is employed on the label.

Surface area is defined as the area of the label divided by the area of the side wall and shoulder of the container. The area of the neck ring, threaded finish and base are not included in the area calculation. Metal decoration includes vapor deposited metal films, metal foils, or inks with metallic pigments.

Containers with no more than 55% surface area coverage by a label are expected to sort accurately in both NIR and color optical sorters. Labels with metal decoration can be tested for any impact on sorting performance using APR Test Methods.

Since labels for PET packaging most often become a waste stream, APR encourages labels that are as small in surface area and weight as possible.

• For containers with a brimful volume of over 550 ml, the surface area coverage is no more than 75%, and no metal decoration is employed on the label.

Surface area is defined as the area of the label divided by the area of the side wall and shoulder of the container. The area of the neck ring, threaded finish and base are not included in the area calculation. Metal decoration includes vapor deposited metal films, metal foils, or inks with metallic pigments.

Containers with no more than 75% surface area coverage by a label are expected to sort accurately in both NIR and color optical sorters. Labels with metal decoration can be tested for any impact on sorting performance using APR Test Methods.

Since labels for PET packaging most often become a waste stream, APR encourages labels that are as small in surface area and weight as possible.

Labels will employ hot caustic resistant inks designed to be compatible with PET recycling, and float in water.

Metalized material includes vapor deposited metal films, metal foils, or inks with metallic pigments.

While standard polystyrene has a density of > 1.0 g/cm3 and sinks, expanded polystyrene may float and be separable from the PET.

Click below for commercially available Labels that have achieved APR Design for Recyclability Recognition

APR Design® for Recyclability Recognitions

DETRIMENTAL

Paper labels

The PET reclamation process involves a hot caustic wash that removes adhesives and other label components. This process renders paper into a pulp which is very difficult to filter from the liquid, adding significant load to the filtering and water treatment systems. Some of the small individual paper fibers will remain with the PET and carbonize when the material is extruded, causing unacceptable quality degradation. Non-pulping paper labels that resist the caustic wash process sink in the float-sink tank, thereby causing RPET contamination.

RENDERS NON-RECYCLABLE

PVC and PLA

Both materials are extremely difficult to remove in the recycling process due to their similarity in density to PET, which causes them to sink in the float/sink tank along with the PET. Both cause severe quality degradation in the final recycled PET stream even in very small amounts.

REQUIRES TEST RESULTS

Laminated label substrate

Labels that break into small, very thin pieces of material are more difficult to manage in the recycling process because they behave erratically in a float-sink tank. Therefore, labels that stay intact are preferred. Carry-over of delaminated labels into the RPET can result in contamination.

In order for any of these label materials to be considered Preferred Design, the specific items must have been tested and found Preferred based on the test results. If these items have not been tested, they are considered Detrimental to Recycling. Testing will determine the appropriate category.

Companies that are considering such materials and are unsure of their compatibility with recycling should ask their suppliers to provide APR test results.

DEFINITIVE TEST

Labels that exceed the surface area coverage as described in Preferred Guidance section.

Labels with high surface area coverage may interfere with detection of the PET container. The label substrate (film or paper), inks, and metal decoration can interfere with NIR detection when the label covers a high surface area of the container. Also, high label surface area coverage may cause a clear PET bottle to be sorted as a colored bottle in a color sorter.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of pet aluminum sticker. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

If one&#;s design is outside of the best practice guidance above, the labeled bottle must be evaluated using the APR test methods below.

DEFINITIVE TEST - NIR

DEFINITIVE TEST - Color

Film Labels that sink in water per PET-S-05.

Crystallizing co-polyester label films should be tested to show crystallizing behavior and show they do not cause &#;clumping&#; similar to that of amorphous PETG films.

SCREENING TEST

DEFINITIVE TEST

Olefin films that sink in water due heavy inks but float after exposure to hot caustic wash solution should be tested

SCREENING TEST

DEFINITIVE TEST

Labels containing metalized materials that are above the preferred surface area per APR-RES-SORT-4.

Labels that have surface areas above the preferred surface areas specified in the Screening Test below would need to be tested using the Benchmark Test below to verify they are under the spherical equivalent thresholds.

Metalized material includes vapor deposited metal films, metal foils, or inks with metallic pigments.

Without further testing, labels with metalized material with surface areas above the starting points in the table are categorized as detrimental due to a higher probability of being removed by the metal detector during sortation.

Solid foils will continue to render the package non-recyclable per APR&#;s definition.

SCREENING TEST

BENCHMARK TEST

Polystyrene labels that sink

The density of PET is 1.38 g/cm3 and so it sinks in water. Polystyrene has a density of > 1.0 g/cm3, so it sinks and remains with the PET in float/sink separation systems. It is not compatible with PET and may cause serious processing and end-use problems.

SCREENING TEST

DEFINITIVE TEST