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What does it mean to be "Recyclable"?
To be considered "recyclable" a product has to be collected, sorted, processed and applied - none of these steps can be eliminated.
A label usually becomes an integral part of the product to which it is applied. Careful consideration should therefore be given to both the packaging material and label choice to ensure compatible materials are used for recyclability. Labeled packages can typically be recycled if the label content and surface coverage are low enough to facilitate recycling.
Cardboard and Paper Packaging
Cardboard and paper packages with a paper label are recyclable. If a plastic label is used, the packaging can still be recycled providing the label's weight does not exceed 20% of the total packaging weight.
PP, HDPE, and LDPE Packaging
In most cases, plastic packages with filmic/synthetic labels can be recycled. A PE product with a PE Label may be considered recyclable, similarly, a PP product with a PP Label can also be considered recyclable.
In addition, as a general rule for polyolefins (PE and PP) combined, a PP product with a PE label may be considered recyclable, as can a PE product with a PP Label.
PET Packaging
A PET product with PET label may be considered recyclable but the quality of the recycled material may be lower due to contamination.
A PET product with polyolefin (PE or PP) based label may be considered recyclable if the density of the label is less that 1 g/cm3. The use of a wash-off adhesive can support the recyclability of PET packaging materials.
Aluminium Packaging
Aluminium packaging with thin filmic labels can be considered recyclable.
The recyclability of packaging materials is highly dependent on the local sorting and recycling infrastructure for any other product combinations than those mentioned above, it is recommended to check the suitability of the recycling process locally.