PFFC - November 2007 - (Page 27) RELEASE LINER SPECIAL REPORT A Recycling Reality? In the pressure-sensitive label market, the release liner supply chain faces a number of threats and costrelated issues. Still, there are opportunities. By Corey M. Reardon, AWA Alexander Watson Assoc. Release Liner Reclamation Asia Pacific 29.2% round the globe, there is much current activity in the release liner market. While its reputation in many quarters remains as a “necessary evil,” this is because it represents a high percentage of the cost of a pressure-sensitive label— typically 20% –30%. As the world’s attention focuses on environmental sustainability, the need to commission a strong working platform for reuse and recycling of release liner waste becomes increasingly imperative. The issue of release liner recyclability largely has been resolved, thanks to the efforts of pioneers like Calvin Frost of Channeled Resources Group, and film liners offer a very simple pathway to reuse through regranulation, but large-scale commercial reclamation of release liner still has to be made a reality. Label Stock: The Prime Market A Rest of World (ROW) 4.0% 2006 Worldwide Label Demand (39,500 Million sq m) Source for all charts: AWA Alexander Watson Assoc. Of the many industrial uses for release liner—including tapes, medical and hygiene applications, and envelopes—p-s label stock remains its prime market globally, claiming around 50% of the market and growing at 9.9%/yr. In the label stock market, there is much emphasis on the quality and functionality of film liners, but paper-based liners—calendered krafts, including glassine, clay coated, polyethylene coated, and other grades—still command a massive 85% of usage. Calendered krafts continue to enjoy the majority share with about 44% of the market. However, it certainly is true to say we are seeing the highest volume growth in film liner, which is perhaps restrained only by raw material cost issues. NOVEMBER 2007 | 27 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM
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