Re-Play: the liner born again as a label

Whenever a self-adhesive label is applied, the siliconized glassine backing reaches its end of life and becomes waste. However, this material is high-quality, composed of the purest fibers with important mechanical properties. A waste of resources and value that prompted Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives to study solutions to recover it. The result is the Re-play range. Solutions that go beyond recycling, where waste becomes valuable and is transformed into a more precious material with a lower environmental impact.
Indeed, once used and discarded, the siliconized glassine is collected from end users and reintroduced, as raw material, in the production process to become an integral part, up to 20%, of the facestock.
This premium range of self-adhesive materials signed Manter by Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives is the first example of upcycling in the labelling industry, based on a closed-loop recycling system. To recycle the collected glassine, the Group has sealed an exclusive partnership with Les Papeteries de Clairefontaine, which possesses a low-temperature repulping process powered by biomass. The glassine paper added to white wastepaper results in a high-quality product without needing de-inking processes and registering significant raw material savings.
Since 2021 Fedrigoni has worked to develop an inhouse LCA based on the “from-cradle-to-gate approach”. Thanks to it, the impact of Re-play has been measured: compared to a self-adhesive material obtained from recycled cellulose using the traditional method with a de-inking process, Re-Play reduces CO2 emissions by up to 45%, water use by up to 55% and energy use by up to 49%. The promotional campaign, aligned with the Group’s commitment of “Making Progress” towards a more responsible business, has revolved around the analogy with the famous Cinderella’s fable. Like her, from scullery maid to belle of the ball, waste is turned into facestock material for high-premium labels.