How CCL works with recyclers and sorters to improve our products and make their life easier!

Recyclers and Sorters are an integral part of the CCL sustainability network. We make sure to collaborate with and visit recycling faclities to make sure that our products work in the recycling streams. Field trips and exchanges are high up on our agenda – to one way glass recyclers, polyolefin recyclers and PET recyclers alike. Here is where we get our insights and get our R&D teams involved to make things better!

Recycling glass should be straightforward — it’s infinitely recyclable, after all. But the reality is more complex. One of the challenges in glass recycling is label contamination. Traditional adhesives often bond too tightly to glass shards or leave behind residue that contaminates the cullet stream, causing high rejection rates and unnecessary waste.

Labels sticking to glass cullets can cause the glass to be ejected

That’s why we’ve developed EcoShear® — a breakthrough adhesive technology engineered specifically for single-use glass bottles. It enables virtually residue-free label removal, dramatically improving the recyclability of glass packaging.

The result? Glass waste during recycling drops to just about 1.5 kg per ton — a significant improvement that directly boosts the yield of high-quality recycled glass.

But we didn’t stop there.

We’re also transforming plastic bottle design for light-sensitive products like yogurt, protein drinks, and probiotics. By using floatable polyolefin sleeves, we’ve enabled a shift from opaque HDPE or PET containers to transparent PET bottles — without sacrificing light protection. The protective barrier is now in the sleeve, not the bottle.

• Carbon-free inks ensure PET recycling remains efficient.  
• Bottles maintain their familiar white appearance.  
• The entire package meets Design for Recycling guidelines.

Together, EcoShear® and our recyclable sleeves represent a new generation of packaging that supports a circular economy — by design.

At CCL, we’re not just improving recyclability — we’re removing the barriers to it. Because packaging innovation isn’t just about function or branding anymore — it’s about designing smarter systems that work for the planet. Let’s make every bottle recyclable!

The CCL team (R&D, Sales, Sustainability) out in the wild to improve our label products