Coated Label Products: Sustainability

Going green is now the norm

Recycled Content Face Stocks

Our recycled content papers contain post-consumer waste. Using post-consumer fiber eliminates waste going to landfills and decreases the volume of virgin wood pulp needed to produce these papers.

• R60SG – A blue-white 60# semi-gloss face stock with 30% post-consumer recycled fiber.
• R51LJ – A 50# facer with 100% post-consumer recycled fiber for laser and inkjet printing.

Sustainable Films

Green Bay Packaging offers several face stocks that meet ASTM D6400 standards and are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute. These products are designed to compost quickly, completely and safely, without leaving any plastic residues. In addition, these films are made from renewable resources, not petroleum.

• PLA – Made from corn, EarthFirst^® PLA film is a primary label film face stock available in 2.0 mil white (0WPLA).  1.6 mil and 2.0 mil clear versions are available as a custom order.
• Acetate – A 2.0 mile clear film (020AC) designed for primary labels, as well as security and tamper-evident applications.

Recycling Compatible Adhesives

For Paper Substrates
Paper labels with Recycling Compatible Adhesives, applied to a paper substrate, can be processed without problems during recycling operations.  This allows items such as envelopes, catalogs, and office paper containing pressure sensitive paper labels to be recycled.

Green Bay Packaging offers two Recycling Compatible Adhesives that meet the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute testing protocol RCA LRP 2v5.

• 760S– A general purpose permanent adhesive.
• 548S – A hard repositionable adhesive.

For PET Thermoform Containers
The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers, APR, has developed a protocol to help stakeholders determine the impact of label and adhesive choices on PET thermoform recycling, the Protocol for Evaluating PET Thermoform Labels and Adhesives for Compatibility with PET Recycling.

Green Bay Packaging offers the following structures that conform to the protocol being used by Canadian consumer products companies and retailers to enhance the recyclability of PET thermoform containers.

• 054SG/770S/40SC – S8240760 – Semi-gloss paper with an all-temperature adhesive.
• 054SG/780S/40SC – S8247960 – Semi-gloss paper with a general-purpose permanent adhesive.
• 054SG/790S/40SC – S8247560 – Semi-gloss paper with an aggressive permanent adhesive.
• 023VT/780S/40SC – S8247860 – Top-coated direct thermal paper with a general-purpose permanent adhesive.

Natural Liner

Our brown 40# (40NK) and 39# (39NK) Natural Kraft Liners eliminate the bleaching process.  In addition, end-users can recycle the used liner with their corrugated recycling stream, saving the cost of landfilling it.  These super-calendered liners are environmentally-friendly alternatives that don’t sacrifice die-cutting and stripping performance.

Recycling Options

The label industry has long desired to recycle waste matrix and liner materials.  Only recently have recycling options become available. The following companies are able to handle pressure-sensitive waste, although service will be contingent upon volume, location, and condition of your material:

FSC Certified Materials

Without proper forest management, the paper industry is threatened, as well as wildlife, plants, soil, and water quality.  The Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC^®), is working to ensure proper management of timber resources.  Use of FSC certified paper grades helps conserve forests for the future. 

Green Bay Packaging has earned Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) Chain of Custody (CoC) certification from Scientific Certification Systems, one of the world’s leading FSC certifiers and one of FSC’s founding members.  Green Bay’s FSC CoC certification allows both you and your customer to purchase label stock knowing that the materials are sourced from sustainably managed forests. Use of FSC certified paper grades helps conserve forests for the future. 

To view the FSC CoC certificate, click here. For more information regarding the FSC and FSC Certification please visit www.fsc.org.

These paper grades are FSC certified.

• 06INK – 60# Matte-Coated Ink Jet
• D55SG – 55# Semi-Gloss with Indigo Topcoating
• R60SG – 60# Semi-Gloss with 30% Post-Consumer Waste
• 0WCSW – Classic Crest Solar White Smooth
• R51LJ – 50# Recycled Laser Jet with 100% Post-Consumer Waste

Environmentally Friendly Manufacturing

Reducing our impact on the environment is an important part of our manufacturing process.  As part of this commitment, we have become certified to the TLMI Label Initiative for the Environment Program. 

In addition, our work has been honored with a number of environmental awards, including -

• The 2011 Business Friend of the Environment Award from the Wisconsin Environmental Working Group, an affiliate of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce for our recycling efforts.
• Being recognized, in 2012, for the second time as a Green Master by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council.
• The Wisconsin Governor’s Award for Excellence in Environmental Performance – twice – for our continuing efforts to reduce our environmental impact.

Some of our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment include -

• Minimizing air emissions and hazardous waste by using only water-based acrylic adhesives and solventless silicone.
• Recycling our manufacturing and office waste.
• Pre-treating our waste water, easing the burden on the public treatment facilities.

*EcoVantage is a trademark of Green Bay Packaging Inc. EarthFirst is a registered trademark of Plastic Suppliers, Inc.