What Are You Looking For?
01 What Are Dissolvable Labels?
Dissolvable labels are made from water-soluble paper, which completely disappears during washing. This characteristic makes them an ideal choice for products in reusable containers, food storage, and certain recycling applications. Traditional labels often leave adhesive residues or stubborn fiber remnants during washing or recycling processes, which can interfere with cleaning or recycling. In contrast, dissolvable labels vanish completely, and since there is no exposed adhesive to attract dust or particles, they reduce contamination and make material recycling easier.
In recent years, the continuous development of dissolvable and water-washable labels is due to the fact that the entire ecosystem, from producers to consumers, is being driven by a series of regulations to continuously drive change.
On the production side, brand owners are increasingly paying attention to how label choices reflect their environmental commitments. Many brand owners believe that dissolvable or water-washable labels are a practical way to connect with environmentally conscious consumers, who prefer products with less environmental impact. At the same time, manufacturers are facing increasing environmental pressure to achieve corporate sustainable development goals, such as improving the reusability of labels, increasing the use of post-consumer recycled materials, and reducing waste generation.
On the consumer side, environmentally conscious consumers also contribute to reuse and recycling systems. However, when labels are difficult to remove, this process can be a headache for consumers. Adhesive residues or partially torn labels can make containers look dirty, discouraging people from reusing them at home or returning them for deposit refund programs.
The problem is even more serious in the recycling process. The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has confirmed that adhesives and substrates can directly affect the quality of recycled PET. Containers with non-removable labels can contaminate an entire batch of recycled materials, reducing recycling rates and the quality of post-consumer recycled materials.
Both producers and consumers are willing to contribute to sustainable recycling, but poor label design has become an obstacle. This mismatch has become a major barrier to participating in the circular economy.
At present, brand companies such as Heineken and Fever-Tree have adopted flush-off technology, which is specifically developed for professional cleaning facilities and can quickly separate labels without residue. Assuming that during the alkaline cleaning process, the adhesive can make the label fall off completely instead of breaking into countless fragments, this will be a great progress for PET recyclers and ensure that PET flakes are not contaminated.
In addition, new developments in the plastic field have also made the application of water-washable labels no longer limited to PET bottles and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers, which are widely used in packaging. Some adhesives can even be removed in a colder cleaning cycle, providing greater flexibility for recyclers. This means that more types of materials can be properly recycled without reducing the quality of recycled materials.
The "Design for Recyclability" certification program of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in the United States has proved that these solutions can also help prevent problems such as discoloration, turbidity, or adhesive seepage. These problems have long existed in the North American processing system and have reduced the quality of recycled materials. These advances directly improve the quality of recycled content by supporting clean separation and maintaining transparency.
At present, with the accelerated implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy in Europe and the increasingly strict packaging regulations in North America, the industry is undergoing rapid changes, and brand owners are facing unprecedented pressure for packaging compliance. For example, California's SB 343 and SB 54 regulations in the United States clearly define recyclability standards based on APR guidance documents. Packaging materials that do not meet the standards may not only be "labeled" but also face additional costs and market restrictions. In addition, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's "Plastic Pact Network" requires that packaging materials must be 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.
The introduction of this series of regulations has set clear rules for the packaging and labeling industry. It clarifies which types of plastics must be gradually phased out, while requiring brand owners to achieve challenging recycling and composting targets. In fact, this means that companies must redesign packaging. They should avoid using problematic materials, ensure that at least half of the plastic packaging is recyclable or compostable, and explore alternative solutions such as bio-based plastics.
Design decisions at the design stage determine whether labels can remain feasible in the recycling system. True sustainable development needs to balance the "3P" principle - that is, people, planet, and profit, and deeply recognize that environmental and economic factors are equally important. Companies that fail to keep up will face regulatory penalties and increasing consumer pressure, especially now that nearly 80% of consumers are willing to pay a higher price for sustainably produced products.
In addition, market competition is also a driving force. Coca-Cola is conducting an experiment on its Sprite product, replacing traditional plastic shrink sleeves with laser engraving technology. This makes the recycling process simpler because there is no need to remove labels.
05 Challenges Faced by Label Printers and Suppliers
Today, the vigorous promotion of recyclable packaging is both exciting and unsettling for the industry. This shift is just one of the many innovative ideas emerging at present. For label printers, the growth of certified water-washable materials has changed the way project specifications are set and executed. Suppliers are currently forming differentiated advantages through certification combinations, such as the assessments of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), RecyClass, the Dutch Institute for Packaging (KIDV), and Cyclos-HTP, which have become industry benchmarks. When providing advice to brand clients, printers must evaluate inventory availability, printing equipment compatibility, and price consistency.
For equipment manufacturers and technology providers, it is crucial to ensure that easily removable labels are still compatible with standard thermal printers and barcodes. These emerging solutions have proven that they can meet the strict requirements of the healthcare, food service, and manufacturing industries without losing performance.
The adoption of water-washable technology marks a broader transformation in the industry. Today, the criteria for evaluating labels are no longer limited to print quality and brand impact; their role in maintaining a closed-loop recycling system is also of great concern. With the continuous improvement of certification systems and the gradual narrowing of cost gaps, the barriers to the promotion of water-washable technology are increasingly being reduced.
Lianqian Neighborhood, Siming District, Xiamen, Fujian,
China 361008
Tel: 0086-13395056294
Email: sinitan@foxmail.com
