Opackgroup: Adhesive-Free Stretch-Sleeve Labels Aim to Facilitate PET Bottle Recycling – Cooperation with Morssinkhof-Rymoplast

(Photo: Opackgroup).

Dutch packaging and film manufacturer Opackgroup presented a packaging solution for water bottles developed in cooperation with recycling company Morssinkhof-Rymoplast on 29 October 2026. The solution combines a bottle made from 100 percent recycled PET (rPET) with the "Circu-sleeve" stretch-sleeve label. The sleeve is made from LDPE and contains 50 percent post-consumer recycled material (PCR). It is held in place on the bottle solely by its elasticity, eliminating the need for adhesives.

Separation of PET and PE During the Recycling Process
After collection, the packaging is delivered to Morssinkhof-Rymoplast, where it is shredded into plastic flakes. First, the lightweight sleeve fraction is separated by air classification ("windshifting"). This is followed by sink-float separation based on differences in material density: PET sinks, while the PE sleeve and bottle cap fractions float. This process enables the PET to be separated from the other packaging components.

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As the sleeve is applied without adhesives, no adhesive residues from the labelling process enter the washing stage. Following further cleaning steps, the PET fraction can be reprocessed for high-quality PET applications. The separated LDPE from the sleeve is recycled into plastic raw material. The cap fraction is also processed for use in other applications. A process intended to turn used caps into new caps ("cap-to-cap recycling") is still under development.

Opackgroup comprises seven manufacturers of flexible packaging and films and, according to the company, operates at ten locations in the Netherlands. Its manufacturing capabilities include extrusion, lamination, flexographic printing and converting. Morssinkhof-Rymoplast operates 13 specialised recycling facilities across Europe and processes both post-consumer household plastic waste and industrial plastic waste, particularly HDPE, LDPE, PET and PP.

The packaging combination is designed to enable the separate mechanical recycling of the bottle, label and cap. However, the announcement does not provide specific information on recycling yields, purity levels, processing volumes or implementation on an industrial scale.

More information: www.opackgroup.com, morssinkhof-rymoplast.com

Opackgroup - Oerlemans Packaging B.V., Genderen, Netherlands

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