Mitsubishi Polyester Film receives AIMCAL environmental award

Mitsubishi Polyester Film has received the 2011 Sustainability Award from the Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL) for its Reprocess sustainable liner recovery program. 

Mitsubishi Polyester Film manufactures silicone coated PET films used in the pressure sensitive label market. The plant located in Greer, South Carolina, USA, produces in-line silicone treated release films, which become the dispensing liner for labels that are placed on consumer goods including beverage bottles and personal care products. 

The Reprocess sustainable liner recovery program is described by the company as closed-loop recycling process for polyester release liners. The liner-to-liner recycling process yields Reprocess sustainable liners with recycled content. It diverts spent liner material from landfills as well as being exported for use in low-end applications.  

‘This award is a testament to Mitsubishi Polyester Film’s ongoing initiatives to promote environmental sustainability,’ said Dennis Trice, president and chief operating officer. ‘Furthermore, this award solidifies our position and commitment within the label and liner industry.’ 

In selecting Mitsubishi Polyester Film as the Sustainability Award recipient, the AIMCAL judges cited the company’s ingenuity for creating a new market for spent release liner material. AIMCAL is an international non-profit industry trade association. The Sustainability Award is presented annually to companies that have demonstrated insight and innovation in equipment, materials or processes that reduce environmental impact, minimize energy usage or waste, and/or increase recycling. 

‘This program is establishing the cradle-to-grave solution that the labeling industry has been seeking,’ said Dr Marshall Ledbetter, the program project leader. ‘It is the first time a company has created a closed-loop sustainable recycling process for polyester release liners.’ 

Mitsubishi Polyester Film is actively collecting spent liner and will announce the process’s commercialization during the second quarter. 

Click here for more stories about Mitsubishi Polyester Film on L&L.com.