The new rules take effect in August! Europe's paper packaging "three killer moves" arrive: eliminating glue entirely -- but can it still be recycled?

Europe's new packaging rules take effect in August, and adhesive removal technology for paper packaging becomes key: laser heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing and cold-seal coating solutions compete for the market. By 2030, all packaging must reach 70% recyclability, and adhesive residue is the biggest obstacle to recycling. The three technical routes each have their advantages, but conversion costs and production speed remain challenges. As regulation tightens, companies are accelerating their transition - how to balance environmental protection and profitability?

Europe's new packaging rules will take effect in August, with adhesive removal technology for paper packaging tested in Germany: laser heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing and cold-seal coating solutions

The European regulatory framework on packaging and packaging waste is about to enter its implementation period.

According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the regulation requires that by 2030 all packaging reach at least 70% recyclability, rising to 80% by 2038.

Under the pressure of this timetable, relevant German companies and technology centers are conducting tests and retrofits around "removing or reducing the negative impact of adhesives in the recycling chain", with paper packaging being one of the most direct targets for improvement.

This shift is not driven merely by environmental slogans, but by the practical constraints of the recycling system.

Whether paper and paperboard can re-enter the cycle after recycling is often held up by factors that "seem small but affect the structure": labels, sealing forms, and coating and adhesive residues can all make fiber sorting and reprocessing difficult, and can even cause batches of recycled paper to be rejected.

The BBC, citing scientists at North Carolina State University, pointed out that the industry refers to this type of problem as "adhesive residue".

When adhesive residues damage equipment and reduce the quality of recycled materials, the consequences do not stop at a single production stage but extend to the stable supply of recycled fiber.

The figures in the paper packaging sector also reflect the contradiction: the BBC noted that about 74% of the paper and paperboard consumed in Europe in 2024 was recycled.

A high recycling rate does not mean that "recyclability" holds everywhere.

Some packaging structures that functionally provide sealing and leak prevention may still lose compatibility during actual recycling because of the combination of adhesives and materials.

The goal of European regulation is to move "recyclability" from a concept to executable material and process standards.

Around this issue, alternative paths mainly revolve around three technical routes "from laser to cold seal", whose common core is to reduce reliance on traditional adhesives and make packaging easier to integrate into existing recycling systems.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379839.html