Finat names sustainability winners

Finat has named Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives, Herma and Henkel Adhesive Technologies as winners of its 2026 Sustainability Awards, announced at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from 34 entries and twelve finalists across three categories.

Fedrigoni won the reduction of environmental impact category with SH6020-W Plus, an adhesive designed so that one label can work on both reusable and single-use glass packaging. The judges liked that it combines secure adhesion in use with effective wash-off, which supports bottle reuse without compromising glass recycling, and that it works on existing labeling equipment.

Herma won the optimization of recycling category with its 72Hpw permanent pressure-sensitive adhesive, which is designed to be compatible with PET, HDPE and glass recycling. Finat says extensive testing supports its use across several packaging and recycling streams, and the judges liked its combination of market impact and proven performance.

Henkel won the renewable materials category with Bio-EtAc, a bio-based ethyl acetate that serves as a renewable alternative to fossil-based ethyl acetate for acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives. 'The drop-in option is widely applicable and readily available, while maintaining performance and reducing reliance on fossil resources,' said the Finat judges.

The other finalists in the first category were All4Labels' Stardirect direct-to-container decoration, which the company says can cut plastic use by up to 57 percent, Bluestar Silicones' Silcolease RE, a release coating using chemically recycled silicone polymers validated at up to 1,200m/min, Jindal Films' Label-Lyte RLC M30 BOPP label film with 30 percent recycled polypropylene, UPM Raflatac's Carbon Action PP Label, and CCL Sleever Machines' Combisteam LWPET. In the recycling category, the finalists were Koninklijke Geostick's coldwater washable PP label developed with Avery Dennison, Avery Dennison's PET recyclable RFID technology recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers, and BASF's acResin UV 3532 adhesive for PET labels. DuPont's Tyvek with Renewable Attribution was the other finalist in the renewable materials category.

Finat says the winners show three routes to more sustainable packaging: enabling reuse without hindering recycling, designing adhesives to work with established recycling processes and introducing renewable feedstocks without losing function. The awards are meant to give the label industry a platform to share best practice.