92 | Flint Group“These laboratories and test facilities enable a faster switch to approved sustainable coatings by label and Flint Group Evolution Series coating products comply with APR critical guidance for recycling of PET packagingpackaging converters”for innovations that are designed to be Caustic Resistant OPV, is an overprint to avoid clumping of the plastic, with the recycling-compatible. varnish to facilitate recycling of PET bottles risk of melting and machine damage. Any For a sustained circular economy to utilizing pressure-sensitive labels. The contamination can result in rejection of the work, a sustainable innovation must ensure varnish minimizes contamination of the complete recycled batch to landfll. quality and be economically viable – it wash water and bottle fake in the caustic ‘Finally, we investigate the impact on the must not add complexity, but increase bath by keeping the ink secured to the label washwater to ensure it meets stipulated effciency within the production process. substrate. When immersed in the foat-sink requirements. The Deinking Primer for If an innovation compromises the process, bath, the label is released from the bottle instance, meets this expectation by acting there is less likelihood that the supply chain and foats to the surface where it is as a fne powder that can be fltered after will invest in it or adopt it. separated from the bottle recycling stream. removal from the substrate.’This was the philosophy behind Flint ‘We are developing further solutions, These laboratories and test facilities Group’s new Evolution Series of ink and for example FCM (food contact materials) enable a faster switch to approved coating products. The series will deliver compliant coatings, and coatings to sustainable coatings by label and packaging greater recyclability and reduced CO2 improve the recyclability of other plastics converters. The facilities are able to plan emissions (LED curable). such as HDPE,’ says Dr Paulo Vieira. ‘We are and run experimental or commercial jobs Flint Group set up a sustainability task also addressing the safety of water-based with customers seeking to adopt a new force to bring the new products to market, inks. In the latter case, we are exploring coating. The job would be run both with including Dr Paulo Vieira, Niklas Olsson the possibility of replacing volatile organic and without the new product, from fle to and Chris Price. compounds (VOCs) with bio-renewable print. After washing, a lab report can be ‘Evolution is based on a “plug and play” products in their ink formulation.’ generated on how the substrate washes. A approach,’ explains Niklas Olsson. ‘This successful performance would mean the means a proven, sustainable coating can Laboratory testing converter gains a product in their portfolio be introduced, and the same quality can Flint Group’s laboratories in the US that they can offer to brand owners. This be achieved without further changes to and Europe are focused on developing would allow the converter to engage in the converting process. Such a solution new sustainable products, following the formal critical guidance testing using means the supply chain can achieve a step relevant guidance, procedures and test certifed institutions in their respective change in, for example, the recovery of methods in different global markets. The locality. Best case timescales from initial recyclable plastic, with minimal disruption labs feature state-of-the-art narrow web discussion to product roll-out are two to or added costs in the converter’s workfow. presses and test equipment that replicates three months. Testing of customer printed Furthermore, each product has achieved the conditions of the recycling process as material supported in the feld by Flint APR recognition after rigorous testing, well as a fully equipped migration testing Group personal can also be evaluated.accelerating and simplifying the verifcation laboratory. Working with major substrate ‘At industry conferences on sustainability, and adoption process.’ and labelstock manufacturers, coating and we often debate what the best approach material performance are assessed from a should be on boosting recycling, and Boosting PET recyclability number of perspectives. meeting sustainability targets,’ says The frst products in this series, both UV What are the KPIs for an effcient Olsson. ‘For suppliers at least, the answer is fexo, assist in boosting the recyclability recyclable coating? Chris Price explains: “every little helps” – but with only a short of PET packaging with shrink sleeves or ‘First, a sustainable coating needs to time-frame to do so, collaboration is vital.’ self-adhesive labels. perform in the same way as conventional Olsson says the Evolution Series has The frst product is the Evolution counterparts before recycling. Tests include already attracted strong interest from brand Deinking Primer, which causes an ink to maintenance of color, shrinkability, ink owners as well as from converters since its release from crystallizable polyester shrink anchorage, yellowing and resistance introduction in September 2021. sleeves (cPET) in the recycling process properties for instance. Second, at the ‘By providing both a dedicated product without contamination. The primer keeps recycling stage, there are additional program along with testing and R&D the ink anchored to the substrate through attributes to measure. Recycled PET is only facilities, we expect to help sustainable the usable life of the sleeve. But when the valuable in its clear state – free from stains, coatings and inks play an important role, in substrate is immersed in a caustic bath, the haze or discoloration. So, we measure the helping the industry rise to the challenge,’ ink is removed from the sleeve material L*a*b* color values of the plastic pellets, to concludes Dr Paulo Vieira.without staining the valuable bottle fake. ensure the coating causes no color change. Both PET sleeve and bottle are then rinsed ‘Third, we look for any impact on the and pelletized into recycled polyester pellet formation and extrusion process. Go to www.fintgrp.com/en/(rPET) for reuse. All non-recyclable material must be divisions/packaging-narrow-web/The second product, the Evolution removed in the bath before these stages, narrow-web for more information labelsandlabeling.com