How does heat shrink label support the recycling of packaging materials?
Publish Time: 2025-06-05
As global awareness of environmental protection increases, companies and all sectors of society are looking for more environmentally friendly packaging solutions. Among the many packaging forms, heat shrink label is widely used in food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and other industries due to its excellent performance and flexibility. However, in addition to beauty and functionality, heat shrink label can also support the recycling of packaging materials in many ways and contribute to the realization of sustainable development goals.
1. Selection of recyclable materials
Heat shrink label is usually made of plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). These materials have good physical properties, can withstand the high temperature shrinking process, and provide excellent protection and display effects. In recent years, more and more manufacturers have begun to use recyclable materials to produce heat shrink labels to reduce the impact on the environment.
For example, PET is a widely used recyclable plastic that not only has excellent transparency and strength, but also can be easily processed in existing recycling systems. Many brands choose to use PET material heat shrink label, which not only meets the packaging needs of the product, but also promotes the recycling of materials. In addition, some innovative companies are developing heat shrink labels based on bio-based plastics. These materials are not only derived from renewable resources, but can also be naturally degraded under certain conditions, further reducing the pressure on the environment.
2. Optimize design to improve recycling efficiency
In order to better support the recycling of packaging materials, the design of heat shrink labels is also being optimized. Traditional heat shrink labels may cause some problems during the recycling process, such as incomplete separation of labels from containers and label residues affecting recycling quality. Therefore, manufacturers are committed to improving the design of labels to make them easier to be identified and processed by recycling equipment.
A common practice is to use labels made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which can be mixed with other plastics of the same type in the standard plastic recycling process without significantly affecting the recycling quality. In addition, some advanced heat shrink labels use flotation technology to make the density of the label in water lower than that of the container to which it is attached, so that it is automatically separated during the recycling process, improving recycling efficiency.
Another innovative method is to introduce a tearable design, that is, to set an easy tear or weakened area on the label to facilitate consumers to manually remove the label from the container when discarding the packaging. This not only simplifies the preparation work before recycling, but also reduces the difficulty of recycling caused by label residue.
3. Promote the simultaneous recycling of labels and containers
In practical applications, heat shrink labels are often used in combination with various containers (such as glass bottles, plastic bottles, metal cans, etc.). In order to achieve more efficient recycling, manufacturers are exploring how to make labels and containers recyclable simultaneously. This means not only ensuring that the label itself is easy to recycle, but also ensuring that it does not hinder the recycling process of the container.
A typical example is in the beverage industry, where many brands choose to use PET bottles with PET heat shrink labels. This combination is not only convenient for consumers to identify and sort, but also during the recycling process, PET labels and PET bottles can enter the same recycling stream together, and after a series of processes such as crushing, washing, and granulation, they can be remade into new products. In contrast, if the label and the bottle are made of different materials, additional sorting steps may be required, which increases the cost and complexity of recycling.
In addition, some companies are also researching and developing label materials with strong compatibility so that they can be smoothly processed in different recycling systems. For example, some new heat shrink labels can be decomposed into small molecules at high temperatures to avoid clogging recycling equipment or contaminating other materials. The application of such materials helps to improve the recyclability of the entire packaging system.
4. Promote consumer education and participation
Although technological and design advances have provided a solid foundation for the recycling of heat shrink labels, the active participation and support of consumers are still needed to truly achieve large-scale material recycling. To this end, many brands and retailers have carried out consumer education activities through various channels to encourage people to properly dispose of waste packaging.
On the one hand, companies can inform consumers how to properly peel off heat shrink labels and put them into corresponding recycling bins through the logo or instructions on the product packaging. On the other hand, with the help of social media, websites, offline activities and other platforms, the importance of recycling packaging materials and specific operation methods are popularized to the public. For example, a well-known beverage brand released a video tutorial on its official website, which shows in detail how to easily remove heat shrink labels and classify them, attracting a large number of users' attention and sharing.
In addition, some local governments and non-profit organizations are also actively promoting the "zero waste community" project, and enhancing residents' environmental awareness and action through lectures and demonstration points. In this context, as an important part of packaging, the recyclability and reuse value of heat shrink labels have been recognized and valued by more people.
In summary, heat shrink label not only wins the favor of the market with its excellent performance and wide applicability, but also actively supports the recycling of packaging materials by adopting recyclable materials, optimizing design, promoting synchronous recycling and promoting consumer education. For enterprises, choosing environmentally friendly heat shrink label is not only a manifestation of fulfilling social responsibility, but also an effective way to enhance brand image and win consumer trust.
