02 Nov 2023 --- UPM Specialty Papers and adhesive tape specialist Lohmann have teamed up to boost paper liner recycling in the tape industry. The collaboration builds on UPM LinerLoop, the company’s closed-loop paper liner recycling solution, launched in 2018. For adhesive tape liners, the greatest technical barrier to high-yield recycling is that the industry has traditionally used siliconized release liners with a darker brown shade, explains UPM. As the typical shade of glassine is white or light, recycling darker colored glassine grades in the same stream contaminates the recycled pulp. “In the partnership, Lohmann and UPM Specialty Papers have worked together to find the best all-round solution to design the liner material so that the recyclability would be optimized. For example, the standard dark yellow color of the tape industry has been replaced by white in the products to ensure the compatibility of tapes to the labels recycling stream,” a spokesperson at UPM Specialty Papers tells Packaging Insights.
