When talking about recycling-friendly packaging for cosmetics, healthcare or cleaning products, people usually think first of bottles, containers or closures. Yet labels are also playing an increasingly important role. In the case of plastic packaging, they can help determine how well a material stream can be processed in the recycling process.
If labels and, above all, the printing ink applied to them can be purposefully removed from the process under the conditions of the respective recycling procedure, this improves the quality of the recovered recyclate. For label printers and, last but not least, label users, this brings a topic into focus that has long been considered a special case: pressure-sensitive materials that are not only impressive in processing and appearance, but also support design for recycling.
This is precisely where self-adhesive materials specialist Herma has been focusing for some time now. With its large portfolio of self-adhesive materials, it demonstrates how recycling support, industrial practicality and economic efficiency can be combined much better today than a few years ago. At the beginning of 2026, the company received significantly expanded certification from RecyClass: with only a few exceptions, practically all commonly used PP and PE films in relevant combinations are fully compatible with the recycling of rigid white and coloured HDPE packaging.
umbrella global player initiative
The verdict from RecyClass carries weight. This is because it is a comprehensive, cross-industry initiative that drives the recyclability of plastic packaging while promoting the traceability of plastic waste and recycled plastic content in Europe. The more than 100 RecyClass members include global players such as Pepsico, L’Oreal, BASF, Aldi, Nestlé, Bayer and Ferrero, among others.
Until now, Herma only had the coveted RecyClass certifications for selected PP films, but not for PE films. Now the company is among the few suppliers to have received corresponding certificates from RecyClass for both PP and PE. Specifically, this concerns film face materials with a permanent all-round pressure-sensitive adhesive or a specific standard film pressure-sensitive adhesive. In the case of PP films, this likewise applies for the first time to applications with a pressure-sensitive adhesive specialised in clear-on-clear.
Increasing regulatory pressure
For label printers, this means one thing above all: more scope for action. Because the broader the spectrum of self-adhesive materials supporting recycling, the easier it becomes to reconcile design, application and sustainability requirements. With the new RecyClass certification, recycling-oriented solutions are no longer restricted to special combinations.
The timing is well chosen. Because regulatory pressure is increasing significantly. For example, with the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the PPWR, design for recycling is moving more into focus across the entire supply chain. While this is a European Union regulation, it is still relevant for companies outside the EU as soon as products, packaging or label solutions are intended for the EU market. Anyone who supplies internationally will therefore increasingly have to align with criteria defined in Europe.
Solutions also for PET
Merely looking at HDPE is too short-sighted. The self-adhesive materials specialist has also been driving forward solutions for PET for years and is now one of the few suppliers that can provide reliable proof for the two major plastic fractions, PET and HDPE. In addition, certifications in this area are not issued by a single testing body. Herma has been working with various evaluation approaches here for years, including based on the specifications of RecyClass and Cyclos-HTP, two of the most important and respected European players in this field. As a result, reliable guidelines already exist today on the basis of which material decisions can be made, even though complete harmonisation of testing methods across Europe is still pending.
Permanent all-rounder instead of a specialist solution
A central role in corresponding certificates is played by the newly developed pressure-sensitive adhesive 72Hpw. This is a permanent multi-layer pressure-sensitive adhesive which, in many film applications, is comparable in terms of cost to standard solutions, while at the same time possessing properties that can support the recycling process. „This pressure-sensitive adhesive is a crucial factor,“ emphasises Dr Stefan Kissling, Head of Adhesive Coating and Special Coatings at Herma. „Solutions that support the recycling process currently only find broad acceptance if users do not have to compromise on cost, performance and breadth of application. Our goal from the outset was to develop a pressure-sensitive adhesive that covers a broad spectrum of applications, which also includes supporting plastics recycling. And both customers and testing institutes confirm to us that we have achieved this very well.“
Current examples from the portfolio
The versatility of the 72Hpw pressure-sensitive adhesive can be further underlined with various examples. For PET packaging, no fewer than twelve combinations of 72Hpw and different label materials—including paper, PE and PP films—have been certified by Cyclos-HTP for recycling streams 5, 5a and 5b, namely transparent PET bottles, other PET bottles and PET trays.
Special mention should also be made of the new Herma PP-flex label films. They have been developed for plastic packaging ranging from cosmetics, household products and cleaning agents to beverages and food, where significantly thicker PE films have often been used up to now. With a material thickness of just 45 µm, their use enables substantial material savings compared to standard PE films (up to around 40 percent in percentage terms). At the same time, they offer properties that are in high demand in practice: good printability, excellent processability, rigidity and dispensability. In combination with 72Hpw, both PP-flex films have already been certified for applications that support the recycling process of not only HDPE, but also PET packaging. These films thus stand for both resource efficiency and a design for recycling.
Another example concerns clear-on-clear applications. Here too, it is evident that the 72Hpw plays a role not only in technically driven recycling contexts, but equally in visually demanding standard applications. In combination with transparent PP film, it combines high transparency with permanent adhesion and properties that can support the recycling process. For applications in areas such as cosmetics, healthcare, household cleaners or premium packaging, this creates a solution that combines design requirements, industrial processability and recyclability.
Interactive GreenGuide
Optimising plastic recycling is just one area where labels can make a crucial contribution to conserving resources. The company's new interactive GreenGuide demonstrates how different sustainability requirements can be implemented as needed through the selection of a suitable self-adhesive material. According to the company, this is currently the only digital tool of its kind, guiding visitors in a structured manner through criteria such as recyclability, material compatibility, and the regulatory requirements of the PPWR. Label printers, packaging developers and designers, as well as brand owners, are thus provided with a well-founded basis for decision-making regarding application-specifically optimised solutions. „Our aim is to make this new complexity manageable,“ emphasises Dr Stefan Kissling. „With the GreenGuide, we are creating transparency and pointing out concrete alternatives that can be implemented today – from recycling-friendly pressure-sensitive adhesives to material-reduced concepts.“
Not all certification is the same
However important recycling optimisation is, the topic of certifications currently remains dynamic. Even within the EU, there are still no uniform regulations according to which corresponding solutions must be tested in every case. Nevertheless, packaging manufacturers, users and label printers can already orient themselves towards selected certifications today. According to Herma's assessment, these primarily include RecyClass, the Cyclos-HTP Institute and Petcore or the European PET Bottle Platform. In addition, there is the National Testing Center for Plastics in the Netherlands, which is also working on evaluation standards and cooperates closely with RecyClass.
packaging journal 4/2026
This article was published in packaging journal 4/2026 (September).
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