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Executive Order 13148 directs that, once environmentally benign pressure sensitive adhesives for paper products become available, Federal agencies begin purchasing paper products using these adhesives whenever technically practicable and cost effective. "Environmentally benign pressure sensitive adhesives" are for stamps, labels, and other paper products and can be easily treated and removed during the paper recycling process. Now, you can purchase pressure sensitive labels made with environmentally benign adhesives. Why should we look for paper products using environmentally benign adhesives? Ordinary mailing labels, self-sealing envelopes, and other adhesive-coated products can cause significant problems for paper manufacturers using recovered fiber because the adhesives can clog recycling machinery or cause weaknesses in the paper that cause it to break during the manufacturing process. Down time expenses to clean jammed equipment and disposal of the sticky waste will cost American business an estimated $800 million annually. In the papermaking industry, adhesives, glues, and similar contaminants are known as "stickies." The need to solve the sticky issue grew rapidly when the U.S. Postal Service introduced self-adhesive stamps. Recognizing both the soaring popularity of no-lick postage and its environmental responsibility to recycle, the Post Office asked representatives of the paper and pulp, adhesive, and converting industries to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Products Laboratory to address the root cause of "stickies" and develop a solution. In 2001, this public-private partnership fulfilled its mandate with the release of USPS P1238-F, which details specifications for postage stamps with "environmentally benign adhesives." Who is working on creating alternative adhesives? The Initiative to Promote Environmentally Benign Adhesives (IPEBA), which includes representatives from Franklin International, Dyna-Tech Adhesives, the 3M Corporation, DFS Technologies, and the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute, worked in concert to develop laboratory, mill, and image analysis procedures based upon the unprecedented work conducted by the Postal Service. The testing protocols and specification are intended to insure that the adhesives used in pressure sensitive laminates and labels will be benign in the paper recycling process. This cooperative effort will result in environmentally preferable mailing labels, envelopes, and other adhesive products that will enable improved recyclability of office paper and greater recovery of high-fiber content stock. Where can I find more information about environmentally benign adhesives? You can find research data, resources and links for adhesive manufacturers, label converters and retail purchasers on the website of the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI), www.tlmi.com. Where can I purchase products containing environmentally benign adhesives? The first company to offer labels made with environmentally benign adhesives is Wayne Trademark from High Point, NC. Information on Wayne Trademark's labels is available at http://www.waynetrademark.com/BenignAdhesive.htm or by phone at 800-327-1290. |
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