According to the Germany-based labelstock supplier whole raft of environmental benefits can be expected from the new adhesive-coated eco-friendly addition to its product portfolio.
“Protecting the environment and conserving resources are key considerations for VPF when developing new self-adhesive materials. So, it is especially gratifying to find innovative new paper grades that are produced using a readily available renewable like grass,” explains the company in a release.
Environment-friendly paper
These brand-new papers contain 50% of sundried fresh fibres. This provides a major advantage by slashing the required energy and water input during production. According to the paper manufacturer, less than one litre of water is needed per ton of grass fibre pulp, compared with 6000 litres of water per ton when producing conventional wood cellulose. This automatically results in significant energy savings and an associated reduction in CO2 emissions. The level of chemical additives is also reduced.
Available in a grammage of 95 g/m2, the grass paper is recyclable, compostable and certified as an FSC-Mix. It has been approved for direct food contact. It can also be easily printed using conventional printing methods.
Available for both permanent and removable labels
VPF is providing labels made of grass paper with two different adhesives coatings as standard.
For permanent-label applications the acrylic emulsion adhesive 958 is used. According to the company, this grade is ideal for small diameters and a large variety of substrates. The multi-purpose adhesive has been approved for direct food contact.
For removable labels, VPF employs the 987 adhesive. Removable without a trace from many different kinds of substrate, this adhesive too is based on acrylic emulsion.
Both adhesives were selected after extensive migration and ageing tests conducted in VPF’s laboratories at its home plant in Sprockhövel, Germany.
