SustainLabel!® Awarded Preferred Design Recognition

In March of 2023, after many months of hard work, Yerecic Label became the first pressure sensitive label printer awarded Preferred Design Recognition per the Association of Plastic Recyclers’ (APR) Design Guide for printed pressure sensitive labels applied to Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) packaging containers!

Over the years, Yerecic Label has focused our efforts on reducing our environmental impact within our own walls. To help build a better tomorrow, we are also committed to extending that impact to our customers and, by extension, their end-users. As the market pushes for recycled material within product packaging in order to meet sustainability goals, Yerecic Label contributes to increasing yield of food grade recycled plastic through its SustainLabel!® Preferred Design Recognition label construction.

What is Preferred Design Recognition?

The Preferred Design Recognition Program recognizes materials, components, and complete packages that are considered Preferred in the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability. A Preferred Design Recognition label construction is designed to be fully recyclable to the highest standards of testing when applied to a PET container. To be officially recognized, the construction requires a special substrate and recycling friendly ink system, as well as other evaluations and quality control processes.

One of the most critical parts of Preferred Design Recognition is the lab report required by APR to prove that the label construction passes all established preferred testing protocol for pressure sensitive labels. This includes labels that cleanly separate from PET without leaving adhesive residue behind, a label substrate that floats in the caustic solution (rather than sinking once separated from the PET) and a non-bleeding ink system.

Why is Preferred Design Recognition important?

A Preferred Design Recognition construction ensures that the label size, substrate and inks will not detrimentally impact the recycling process in any way, contributing to a higher yield of FDA food grade plastic to re-enter the value chain as recycled content and fulfill a circular economy. For companies committed to using post-consumer recycled resin (PCR) in their plastic products, using plastic packaging that meets the design principles outlined in the guide helps to ensure that high quality recycled plastic is available.

Poor package design leads to contamination in the recycling stream, which affects not only the recyclers, but also the companies who have made commitments to manufacture and source sustainable packaging. Our goal at Yerecic Label is to encourage brand owners to actively explore sustainable packaging alternatives with their suppliers and to design for recycling whenever possible, even if the stream does not yet exist. As a result of these initiatives, we will be one step closer to a completely circular economy for plastics in packaging!

Visit the APR website for more information about the Preferred Design Recognition Program, as well as other Recognition Programs APR offers. For more information on Yerecic Label’s Preferred Design Recognition, visit YLfresh.com/Sustainability or contact us at YLMarketing@yereciclabel.com