The proliferation of film usage that took place during the recent supply chain shortages has not abated. In fact, converters are utilizing filmic substrates at a bustling pace, which has tasked suppliers with ramping up R&D. The newest films are thinner and more sustainable than ever before, and they deliver the kind of performance exacting brands expect from their labels.

This is arguably the most prominent trend in the industry. “Sustainability is not going away, and any effort around sustainability is going to be a focus,” says Dan Riendeau, strategic business unit manager – Packaging, Flexcon. “Downgauging films seems to be a trend that is gaining popularity. More and more customers are asking for a thinner version of a BOPP film or PE film. These reductions are easy to calculate and justify the sustainability impact.”

With sustainability and recycling top of mind for so many, it’s no surprise that suppliers have prioritized sustainability with their newest filmic substrates.

“Due to the paper supply chain issues, there were several converters who made the switch to filmic materials,” notes Christina Barajas, sustainability manager, Mactac North America. “Many of those customers did choose to stay with film even after paper became more readily available due to the brand owners preferring the look of printed films, the vibrancy available in filmic materials, and continuous availability.”

“When the paper supply chain had challenges, we had many end users and converters switch to film products,” adds Kyle Strenski, business director, UPM Raflatac Americas. “These typically were PET liners and white PP face materials. Many have stayed with the PET liner even after the paper supply returned.”

There are numerous advantages to using films, as well. Not only do they perform exceptionally well on the shelf, often delivering the no-label look prized by brands, but their sustainable attributes are gaining notoriety.

“Sustainability has become a pivotal focus in the recent research and development of films within the industry,” says Melissa Harton, marketing manager North America, Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives. “The urgency to address the significant plastic pollution in our environment has led to heightened pressure to offer packaging alternatives that are more sustainable. Many advancements in the label and packaging film industry stem from this growing demand for environmentally-conscious options.”

“Paper is considered detrimental to the recycling process, so having APR (Association of Plastic Recyclers)-approved filmic materials available is critical to assist brand owners in meeting their 2025 and beyond sustainability goals,” adds Barajas. “Sustainability has helped drive R&D initiatives, as we are looking to provide our customers with sustainable products to meet the brand owner’s goals. We look to utilize guidance provided through the APR to ensure that future products available are made with sustainability in mind to ease the recycling burden.”

Attention is coming from all areas of the supply chain, as Hakeem Thornton, senior marketing manager, films, Avery Dennison, observes. “Recyclers and MRFs are requesting laser focus on design for recyclability,” says Thornton. “The removal of detrimental and non-recyclable packaging is instrumental in increasing the yields, purity and output of recycled resin that can be used in a circular economy. All of these requests put an emphasis on innovations in that space and understanding the ever changing landscape to meet those demands.”

For Flexcon, sustainability is ever present. The company has mapped out numerous initiatives, both for today and the future. “We are building our 3-5 year product roadmap on solutions needed to be successful, and the main focus is around sustainability and forward-thinking solutions,” says Riendeau. “This includes functional adhesives and coatings, as well as sustainable materials, with the goal of enabling and enhancing recyclability of label materials and a wide variety of container types.”

Films are also incredibly advantageous in the booming shrink sleeve market. Multi-Plastics, for example, has focused on sustainable films that help deliver a 360-degree canvas for brands – meeting both sustainability and performance goals.

“The APR-approved PET film that Multi-Plastics provides for this market is a marketers’ dream, and it allows brand owners to start complying with new state legislations,” remarks Bob Weber, North American sales manager, Multi-Plastics. “I believe the states are looking for PET and HDPE containers to work for curbside recycling. With our EnviroCycle PET sleeve and the right ink chemistry, the sleeve recycles with the container – and it just does not get any better for the brand owners needing to comply.”

There are challenges associated with sustainability, though. Primarily, the presence of raw materials.

“The primary challenge for the industry as a whole is the limited availability of raw materials,” says Harton. “There is a notable scarcity of high-quality recycled or post-consumer materials that can be effectively utilized in producing these films. To address this shortfall, there is a crucial need for expanded infrastructure dedicated to facilitating the clean recycling of post-consumer materials.”

“We believe this will improve in the future, but today it is a limiting factor for mass adoption,” adds Thornton.

The nature of the plastic, required adhesive, and overall performance must all be accounted for when designing new products, too. “One of the largest opportunities we face within sustainable product design is the variety of plastic substrates that may require an adhesive label,” states Barajas. “The first step is understanding the plastic type, such as PET, where the label needs to float off the container during the recycling process, or HDPE, where the label can stay on the product. The challenge is ensuring we have a durable product that is vibrant on the shelf to capture the consumer’s attention but also meets all recyclable standard requirements to take the guesswork out of disposal.”

As Amy Donato, PPG global platform director, Teslin Products, notes, in many cases the design process requires a balancing act to ensure that all parties receive the required performance while also prioritizing the environment.

“These challenges include sourcing eco-friendly materials without compromising performance, ensuring compatibility with existing manufacturing processes, maintaining cost-effectiveness, and meeting regulatory standards,” says Donato. “Additionally, achieving sustainability often involves balancing durability, print quality, recyclability, and the overall environmental impact, requiring innovative approaches and thorough testing to create effective and environmentally-conscious substrates.”

The recycling challenge was visible for Coca-Cola recently. As Riendeau remarks, an adjustment in expectations by both brands and consumers may be necessary. Coca-Cola changed its iconic green Sprite bottle due to problems associated with green plastic from a recycling standpoint.

“When it comes to choosing post-consumer waste (PCW) films over virgin, the reality is that a film comprised partially of PCW resin may have imperfections, and it may be more costly than those made from virgin plastic,” states Riendeau. “So, there may be trade-offs associated with moving to more sustainable materials.”

While sustainability is a key consideration for suppliers and converters alike, performance is king. However, most substrate suppliers have optimized their materials to perform equally well, regardless of sustainable preference.

“The sustainable films we offer are drop-in solutions when compared to their standard counterparts and would have zero impact on design,” says Strenski. “An example would be designing for our standard 2.4 mil White BOPP versus our 2.4 mil White Forest Film. Both products look and perform the same.”

There are a number of notable trends in the sustainable films space. “Another trend that we’ve seen is converters are looking to move away from single-sourced products to allow more robust supply security,” adds Strenski. “In other words, if a converter was getting a unique product to the industry from only one source, we are seeing the industry look for alternatives that have multiple suppliers.”

In the future, legislation and guidelines will reign supreme, and Multi-Plastics has innovated based on these upcoming guidelines. “The label market will be seeing major changes, especially starting in 2025, as brand owners face areas like EPR and new legislation being written into law covering recycling,” says Weber. “Converters need to pay special attention to the new Meets Preferred Guidance program, which APR is supplying to brand owners and states writing new laws. Multi-Plastics has already been supplying EnviroCycle PET shrink film, but we’re also looking at other films to expand into packaging markets. Our goal of being in organizations like TLMI and APR is to be involved, stay knowledgeable, supply films that work in this changing environment, and keep our accounts updated.”

Sustainable priorities

While sustainability used to be a buzzword in the label and package printing industry, substrate suppliers have tackled this challenge head on. In fact, collaboration between suppliers and converters is at an all-time high, as feedback from label printers helps shape future product engineering.

“Sustainability is an absolute priority for us,” says UPM Raflatac’s Strenski. “When looking at new films, we always review how they support our corporate goals and sustainability portfolio.”

“Converters are at the forefront of hearing from the brand owners and end users about their overall sustainability goals,” explains Mactac’s Barajas. “This, in turn, drives great dialog between us and the converters on different sustainable solutions – whether it be products that are recyclable, utilize thinner liners, thinner faces, and adhesives made with renewable resources.”

Many might wonder why the change has resonated this time. For example, sustainability was an industry concern some 10 years ago, but the action often did not meet the discussion. Now, however, suppliers are in overdrive to deliver functional solutions to the industry.

“Sustainability resonates throughout the entire value chain, with most converters recognizing that the impact is far-reaching, extending beyond mere pricing considerations to what materials they run, how they run them, and preventing containers from winding up in the landfill,” says Flexcon’s Riendeau. “There are many factors that contribute to a more sustainable approach within the label industry. Flexcon understands the multifaceted nature of sustainability and is able to assist converters in various aspects, be it guiding material choices, minimizing waste, championing new technology innovation, or facilitating industry certifications.”

Collaboration often includes education from the supplier side. This ensures converters have the most knowledge at their disposal to guarantee sustainability and performance. Plus, many lack the capacity to establish independent Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) departments, looking to suppliers for support.

“At PPG, we take our role as partners to converters very seriously,” says Donato. “PPG invests significant time in nurturing relationships with our converter customers, fostering robust partnerships that enable us to craft tailored solutions aligned with their unique requirements. Beyond merely offering product solutions to address their pressing issues, we prioritize supporting them with education and insights into sustainability. Our aim is to equip converters with the knowledge needed to engage in meaningful conversations with their customers and prospects, fostering a more informed and sustainable industry landscape.”

Demand is coming from the brands, too. As time has gone on, customers are becoming far more discerning when selecting their filmic substrates.

“The main drivers toward sustainability are the brand owners,” states Fedrigoni’s Harton. “These brand owners are driven by multiple factors, including the desire to set their product apart in the market, emphasize the value of a sustainable product, meet regulatory standards, fulfill corporate objectives, and minimize their impact on the environment (CO2 emissions, etc.). They hope to achieve these objectives by utilizing materials that either use fewer resources or have a lower environmental impact.”

Synthetic papers, such as those offered by PPG Teslin, also hit the mark for sustainability. Due to the combination of functional benefits, durability benefits like water, chemical, and tear resistance, tamper-evident security, and static dissipative nature, PPG Teslin substrate is often used in demanding label applications where the label, and the information that is printed on it, needs to remain secure for the life of the item.  “Converters value the versatility of PPG Teslin substrate,” remarks Donato. “It can be used for a broad range of demanding applications, it is compatible with most print technologies, and it does not require special inks or pre-treatments unlike many film materials.”

New to the market

Avery Dennison offers a range of film products that can enable recycling of packaging and include recycled material while still providing that premium appearance. “Avery Dennison has taken a huge step in this area by offering AD CleanFlake Technology as the primary adhesive to be used in conjunction with rigid film products moving forward,” says Thornton. “AD CleanFlake Technology advances the circular economy by enabling the recycling of rigid plastic packaging.   Additionally, we are seeing more brands looking for recycled content materials. In addition to our rPET liner, we are looking at film facestocks with recycled content materials to help brands meet their goals.

Avery Dennison’s newest launches are numerous. AD CleanFlake Technology offers next generation adhesive technology that enables recycling for rigid plastic packaging without compromising performance. Meanwhile, Global MDO Next Generation films, also recognized as the company’s semi-squeeze film, is known for enhanced print surface and better clarity. “We recently announced our metalized films with AD CleanFlake technology have been recognized by the APR for HDPE and PET recycling,” says Thornton. “We are the first to be recognized for offering a portfolio of metalized label solutions capable of working with the recycling systems to enable rigid plastic recycling. Plus, our Recycled Content Liner contains 30% recycled post-consumer waste (PCW) from PET bottles.”

Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives has introduced two distinct lines of sustainable film products. Its recycled films line presents a diverse selection encompassing recycled polypropylene and polyethylene films, crafted to meet the stringent quality and performance demands of the labeling and packaging industry. Within this line, Fedrigoni’s recycled polypropylene films feature an rPET liner crafted from 30% recycled content, rPP facestocks boasting over 85% recycled content, and a new top-coating technology, TCX.

“Our bio-based film range represents an innovative leap, derived primarily from recycled vegetable oil, resulting in films that deliver remarkable performance attributes while prioritizing our planet’s preservation,” says Harton. “These bio-based films are fashioned from renewable resources and are intentionally designed to be recycled within existing polyolefin recycling streams at the conclusion of their lifespan.”

Most recently, Flexcon added the Flexcon Optiflex THIN Ecofocus line to its offering of packaging label materials that support recyclability. These are downgauged versions of the company’s Optiflex Ecofocus products and are comprised of 1.6 mil BOPP and 2.2 mil PE films on a .92 mil TracRite PET release liner.

“The BOPP films utilize our V-52RE wash-off adhesive to enhance recyclability of PET containers, and the PE films utilize our V-127RE adhesive for HDPE containers,” says Riendeau. “They are the first downgauged products on the market to gain APR recognition.”

Mactac has worked diligently with the APR to ensure that its materials and adhesives deliver the performance expected by brands. The Ohio-based manufacturer has achieved several notable benchmarks regarding its CHILL AT adhesive.

“Mactac is proud to share that we have the first APR Design for Recyclability HDPE hot-melt adhesive, CHILL AT, which provides a robust all-temperature adhesive that can be applied wet or dry, is ideal for food packaging, and stays on the container during the HDPE recycling process,” states Mactac’s Barajas “In addition, we are elated to announce another first in the industry – our Mactac CHILL AT has also gone through approval through APR to be the first hot-melt adhesive to be approved for PP containers.”

Multi-Plastics has focused on the use of PCR in its newest products. According to Weber, “Multi-Plastics is the only current supplier that offers a PET shrink film with 30% PCR and now, in addition, a 50% PCR product. This is a huge statement for brand owners looking to offer PCR in their packaging.”

According to PPG’s Donato, Teslin contains up to 60% less plastic compared to other similar synthetic substrate products (polyethylene terephthalate or PET, biaxially oriented polypropylene or BOPP). When comparing an A4 sized sheet of 7 mil Teslin substrate versus a 4 mil PET film, this saves up to 4.5 metric tons of plastic entering the economy and waste streams and translates into 15 metric tons of avoided CO2 emissions, per one million A4 size sheets.
Additionally, Teslin is a polymer-based film and unlike pulp-based paper it does not include any forestry products. It also does not include any toxic ingredients as defined under Reach, RoHS or Prop 65. 

“Teslin can be safely disposed of at the end of its useful life, and it does not contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) – sometimes called ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t break down easily and can stay in the environment and in the human body for a long time and have the potential to be a health concern,” adds Donato.

Finally, UPM Raflatac’s newest sustainable film is a 2.0 mil White BOPP with 30% bio-based resin. The resin originates from used cooking oils (UCO), the company notes.


Appvion unveils new film label facestock
Appvion has expanded its Next Generation Technology product offering by launching CleanSlate, a direct thermal film that enhances traditional direct thermal performance by offering a higher level of environmental durability.

Appvion’s CleanSlate film can be used in standard direct thermal printers for pressure sensitive labels. Due to its color, CleanSlate is easily distinguishable and recognizable as a direct thermal film, free of phenolic developers.

“Appvion’s R&D team developed a unique direct thermal film that creates a physical reaction leaving a permanent image behind. Its heat stability and long-term resistance to sunlight provides peace of mind for businesses and customers alike,” says Katie Sell, Appvion product manager.

Appvion recently introduced its Next Generation Technology, a patent-pending direct thermal coating design that produces heat stable, high-performing labels, films, and ticket and tag products.

The following direct thermal paper facestocks are currently coated with the Next Generation Technology chemistry:
• Résiste 185 – A top-coated, direct thermal facestock that has been engineered for resistance to oil, heat, and room temperature plasticizers used in short-term weigh scale, retail, and logistic label applications.
• Résiste 15% PCW – A recycled, top-coated paper label facestock that includes at least 15% post consumer waste and performs like a virgin fiber product.
• Résiste Rx – A durable top-coated, direct thermal paper label facestock engineered for pharmacy prescription labels.
• Wavex PD – A heat-stable, durable top-coated paper facestock designed for package delivery labels that are scanned with near-infrared scanners up to 670 nm.
• CleanSlate Film – A direct thermal film label facestock that delivers environmental durability and heat stability for indoor and outdoor applications made with more natural components. 

“With our recent launch of Next Generation Technology, CleanSlate is a one-of-a-kind product in our sustainable portfolio,” adds Sell. “Our forward-thinking initiatives propel Appvion toward a sustainable future.”