US materials science company Avery Dennison has achieved a significant milestone with its sustainable solution CleanFlake.

The technology removes labels from packaging during recycling, enabling efficient HDPE (high-density polyethylene) mono-material recycling.  

The latest edition of CleanFlake has been recognised by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) for meeting or exceeding the voluntary requirements of APR's Design for Recyclability.

The APR design guide provides information and testing protocols on how to design plastic packaging for recyclability in North America.

Avery Dennison’s updated CleanFlake technology includes a repositioning feature that allows the manual removal of labels from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) substrates within an 8-hour window.

This is particularly useful in cases of misaligned labels during the automated labelling process.

This functionality helps prevent wastage of both the bottle and its contents, to minimise waste and encourage the effective utilisation of resources.

Integrating with current value chains, CleanFlake is available with facestocks and liners that contain recycled materials or are made using fewer resources, providing a fully sustainable label construction.

Avery Dennison recently announced a commitment to transition its pharmaceutical portfolio to recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) liners by the end of 2025. 

The company’s other solutions include labelling and functional materials, radio frequency identification (RFID) inlays and tags, and software applications for the packaging industry.