As a global company that provides labeling solutions for the consumer packaging, graphical display, logistics, apparel, industrial and healthcare industries, Avery Dennison is all too familiar with the environmental challenges of label liner waste.

To address this issue while supporting its own sustainability goals, the company teamed up with Noble Environmental Technologies and its ECOR Circular Economy Team to create a first-of-its-kind green exhibit for Labelexpo Europe 2017, held Sept. 25-28 at the Brussels Expo in Brussels, Belgium.

With “Pioneering Change” as its theme, the booth was constructed from 60 percent label liner waste that had been reprocessed and turned into ECOR, an advanced sustainable green building material made from recycled waste fiber that is certified cradle-to-cradle, 100 percent bio-based, recyclable and compostable.

“The booth was a fun and visible way to visualize the urgent issue of label waste, the possibilities for the industry to do business more sustainably and Avery Dennison’s love of any opportunity to innovate,” explained Renae Kezar, global senior director of sustainability at Avery Dennison.

She continued, “The reliance on liners in the pressure-sensitive industry and the related waste is an issue we are keen to address. One of our 2025 sustainability goals involves a commitment to help our customers reduce the waste from our products. Another goal calls for us to create more products that have positive environmental impacts. Building our exhibition booth out of label waste is a real opportunity to learn more about creating uses for our waste material, as well as a chance to educate our customers and employees about how we can all become more adaptive and responsible.”

Key elements made from recycled label liners included the booth’s meeting rooms, storage areas, technical areas, floors, walls and an activation zone called “Change the Future.”

In addition, 15 new products designed to deliver enhanced shelf appeal, higher performance, increased sustainability, intelligent solutions and increasingly transparent compliance and services were featured in an interactive section of the stand-out booth, which attracted its fair share of attention and acclaim at the show, according to Derek McSpadden, vice president of operations at Noble Environmental Technologies.

“Consumer product brands have a unique responsibility to help shift the world to a circular economy model, and Avery Dennison’s long-standing business practices and investments in sustainable solutions for product labeling makes them an ideal partner for us to help them lead the way,” McSpadden said.

He continued, “We are always looking for collaborations that help our partners bring efficiencies to their businesses while reducing waste and that contribute towards a Circular Economy. We look forward to continuing to work with Avery Dennison to advance many new innovative uses for ECOR-based solutions made from their waste and which can be continually recycled back into the materials marketplace.”

According to McSpadden, the uber-green booth will also make its debut at LabelExpo Asia, taking place Dec. 5-8 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, in Shanghai, China.

When the exhibit reaches the end of its lifespan, its ECOR elements can be easily be recycled alongside materials like cardboard – not a typical scenario for most trade show booths that rely on non-recyclable materials such as MDF and particleboard, and thus, end up in landfill.

But for companies like Avery Dennison that are integrating sustainability mandates into their business models, designing exhibit booths for recyclability demonstrates their commitment to walking the walk – not just giving lip service – when it comes to protecting the environment.

“Liner waste is an industry issue and we are committed to pioneering the best ways to drive its re-use,” Kezar said. “(Constructing our booth) partly from our own liner waste is another way we are supporting our sustainability goals and helping to push our industry forward – especially when concerned with the need for waste reduction.”

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