ASLAN Introduces NEW LoopPET and LoopLAM Post-Consumer Recycled Content Media
Made from recycled materials, ASLAN launches new post-consumer waste containing PET products, ushering in a new more environmentally friendly era.
Faced with the affects of both the pandemic and hit by floods, ASLAN Selbstklebefolien GmbH | (aslanfolien.de) devoted itself during these challenging times to product development. The result of which, is the creation of new truly sustainable films.
ASLAN new LoopPET SRL 19 white print film, LoopPET DRP 18 clear print film and LoopLAM DRL 19 clear overlaminate films contain up to 70% recycled PET, which comes directly from post-consumer waste. The recyclable PET bottles are collected from the public via local supermarket vending machines. These are then pressed, colour-sorted and washed to remove labels and adhesive residues. The materials are then shredded, melted down and formed into PET granules or beads which are in turn melted down again for film production.
"...with recycled PET, we are on the road to a better and more ecological option," explains Doctor Petra Tschöpe, Team Leader Research and Development at ASLAN. "For us, it's not about being PVC-free, but about keeping an eye on the production chain and oil consumption. 100% recycled material cannot be used in film production, as the film must have certain technical properties. It requires a uniformly melted homogeneous mass achieved with 70% PET material and 30% new materials before a new film can be rolled out."
On the Way to Sustainability
These new LOOP films can be used anywhere that traditional PVC pressure sensitive products are today, namely in short-term retail POP campaigns where a more ecological product makes more sense. Traditional PVC films cannot be made from recycled materials, and as PVC does not decompose, used films are usually burned or end up in land-fill. Using PCW recycled content material combined with water-based pressure sensitive adhesive is a good start in terms of sustainability. "The final stage of development would be to use a product for such a campaign, which is then recyclable. We are working on this," says Petra Tschöpe.
Investing in the Environment
Although ASLAN has been dealing with the topic of sustainability for a very long time, the product development itself takes time. "Even before the pandemic, we were making our customers aware of alternative products, but the willingness was not so great. There had been products with less PVC content for several years, but nobody wanted to pay for them." That has changed during the pandemic. But how did this come about?
"The topic was ultimately triggered by the big brands, which have imposed a code of conduct in the field of sustainability: In order to advertise it, the large corporations, for example, no longer want to use PVC and pass this requirement on to the suppliers. The higher price is no longer the argument. In this way, our customers became much more attentive and specifically asked about sustainability and environmental compatibility. Of course, we are happy about that. But we are very careful with the statement 'sustainable, green, ecological'. We don't want to greenwash. We want to be able to justify well what we bring to the market," says Anja Falkenberg, Head of Sales and Marketing.
PVC is not easy to replace due to their product advantages in terms of flexibility and durability. "It is true that PVC is regarded as 'bad' by consumers. But you have to weigh it up: When looking at the ecological footprint, it is better to use PVC for durable products. If PVC were to be totally eliminated, you would have technical performance issues, as some properties of PVC films cannot yet be replaced with more sustainable materials. It is important to us to proceed in a step-by-step structure in order to achieve real sustainability. After all, we have to be 100% behind what we do," says Petra Tschöpe.
Sustainability has also been pushed forward within the company itself: Almost the entire delivery fleet has been converted to hybrid and four charging stations have been installed at the site, their waste separation has been reconsidered and changed, all lighting within the facility have been replaced by LEDs – and this is just the beginning! In its product portfolio, ASLAN intends to launch many more interesting products on the market and to further promote more sustainable development. Research is focused on developing raw material alternatives to crude oil, or using products with a PCW/recycled content of up to 80/90%. The aim is to reduce energy consumption, along with returning the materials to the cycle in order to close the product loop.
"This is the big trend and that's what we're dealing with," says team leader Tschöpe. "We can't make film from grass yet. But with every new product development, we take sustainability into account and ask ourselves what possibilities there are to keep the CO2 footprint as low as possible. And we still have a lot up our sleeve."
Source: Rheinisch-Bergische Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH, https://www.rbw.de/img/logo-rbw.svg
