R&D Organization

  • 「貼る」のさらに先へ。
    開発しているのはラベルの未来です

    ラベルで社会はより良い方向に変えられる、私たちはそう信じています。

  • Mono-material labelstocksAchievement of mono-materials with PET containers

    The key to efficient recycling was to use mono-material for the container and to provide ink removal functionality during the washing process.

  • Plastic-alternative labelstocksA big step toward a sustainable society with PLALESS

    A product born from the fusion of water-resistant paper and adhesive technology that meets the demand for plastic-free products

SUCCESS

Mono-material labelstocks
Achievement of creating mono-materials
with PET containers

Mono-material labelstocks
Achievement of creating
mono-materials with
PET containers

What kind of product is mono-material labelstock?

[Marketing manager] By using polyester-based materials for the labelstocks (facestock and adhesive), this product is created as a mono-material with polyester-based containers, such as PET bottles and boxed meal containers. The adhesive is a removable type, but even if you forget to remove it and the label remains, it can be recycled together.

What kind of product is mono-material labelstock?

What was the most ingenious aspect of the product?

[Sales manager] The printing coating has a function that allows deinking (removing ink) with hot alkaline water. That allows for the removal of ink and other impurities, because the ink is eliminated during the recycling washing process.

How was it developed?

[R&D manager] In the recycling of PET bottles and other containers, labels are currently peeled off by consumers, or removed by machine or by hand in the recycling process, because label contamination degrades the quality of the recycled resin. We wondered if it would be possible to develop a label that could improve the efficiency of recyclability without the need for labor and effort, so we began development based on the concept of creating mono-materials.

How was it developed?

What were some of the challenges in developing the product?

[R&D manager] The mono-material labelstock has a special coating on the facestock so that the printed layer peels off when triggered by hot alkaline water, but the selection of the material for this coating took a great deal of time. In addition, for the development of the adhesive, we had little knowledge of polyester-based adhesives, and this product had to be compliant with Japan's Food Sanitation Act with regard to the formulation of additives. So, we struggled to create a better product with a limited choice of materials.

What types of product is it suitable for?

[Sales manager] We believe it is suitable for beverage PET bottles and food containers, as well as for cosmetics and toiletry containers. The product has been well received by customers, not only for being a mono-material, but also for its acquisition of Japan's Biomass Mark and compliance with Japan's Food Sanitation Act, and it is being increasingly adopted as a label to be applied to containers.

What types of product is it suitable for?

What are you working on now, and what do you see in the future?

[Marketing manager] In the course of introducing this product, we began to hear from customers that they wanted labels that were compatible with polyethylene and polypropylene. In order to meet that demand, we would like to work on the development of new adhesives in cooperation with our Research center in future.