3 Environmentally Friendly Performance Label Materials

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1 3 Environmentally Friendly Performance Label Materials Technical Bulletin October, 2007 Background: There is a growing interest around the world in using materials and processes that will help to sustain or improve the quality of our environment for generations to come. This way of thinking has led globally to some formalized cradle to grave initiatives. On the cradle side, a directive known as RoHS 1 came into force in July of 2006 in Europe. The RoHS directive bans the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and certain other substances above specific levels in electronic equipment sold in Europe. Although there is no prescribed RoHS certification protocol even in Europe, there is a requirement that an electrical/electronic equipment manufacturer maintains documentation to demonstrate compliance. On the grave side, there are also some take-back regulations coming into existence in Europe such as WEEE 2 requirements whereby governments will coordinate the collection/disposal of discarded items and correspondingly charge costs back to the manufacturers. Such regulations and the threat of associated costs are providing an incentive for equipment manufacturers to design-in and drive the ability to re-use, recycle, and return its used components and end-products to the manufacturer at no-charge (or even for a credit in some cases). The electronics industry has been a target for these regulations because (using the United States as an example) electronic waste is estimated to be growing 2-3 times faster than any other waste stream. Although a lot of these environmental regulations began in the European Union, our global economy is quickly spreading a demand for their compliance to manufacturers in Japan, the America s, and other countries in Asia, the Pacific and throughout the world. In some cases these directives have taken the form of market-specific requirements (such as IMDS 3 for automotive), mandated corporation-specific reporting, and perhaps even more inclusive lists of banned materials from national or state/provincial levels of government. Scope: The use of identifying labels and/or the selection of particular label materials can be an important consideration during the design and scale-up phases of new consumer products and manufacturing processes. 3M offers a wide variety of label materials that are compliant with the RoHS Directive and/or could be used as a part of a program to help OEM s in their pursuit of WEEE friendliness. It is said that the 3R s of environmental stewardship are Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This bulletin will discuss a variety of label materials and applications within the framework of these 3R s. Terms such as green or earth-friendly do not really carry legal definitions for label materials (that are known at the time of this writing), but they may be applicable to a chosen product based upon given parameters of an application and the intention of making the most environmentally responsible decisions. Reduce 3R s = Reuse Recycle

2 Reduce: Companies throughout the world are using Lean Manufacturing and DFSS 5 tools to reduce the waste of labor and materials within their processes. Obviously, much of this activity is driven by cost reduction to make the companies globally competitive, but a side-benefit is the direct tie that can be made to a plant s Significant Aspects identified through environmental management system projects (driven by the 4 ISO14001 standard). To make an operation run as efficiently as possible, it is essential to supply accurate realtime inventory data into the facility s planning systems. Identifying all raw components and finished goods with a scannable bar-code or RFID 6 label is a key step to gathering and maintaining that data. 3M has created some comprehensive selection guides ( and ) that can help you determine the best material for the job. Included in the offerings are some products like 3M Label Products 7246 and that help to maintain image integrity even in the demanding and sometimes harsh environments of manufacturing processes, and in field service

3 Reuse It is sometimes cost-effective for a manufacturer to rework nonconforming products rather than scrapping them and starting over. Reworking is a superb example of reuse as it minimizes the use of energy while allowing the reworked materials to be re-used. In these instances it may be desirable to cleanly remove the identifying labels/bar codes so that they can be re-labeled with new tracking information. Cleanly removable polyester label materials like 3M White MC Polyester Label Product FM01972 are particularly durable and well suited for high value and more demanding manufacturing processes like those seen in circuit board and electronics applications

4 Reuse (continued) Returnable totes/racks/packaging are another splendid example of reusing manufactured items for multiple trips through the manufacturing cycle. It may be important to re-label these totes/racks/packaging with new tracking information for the next trip through the cycle, so cleanly removable labels can play an important role. 3M offers a wide selection of removable label materials, including items such as 3M Paper Label Product 7142, 3M Vinyl Label Product FV1222, 3M Polypropylene Label Product FP016902, and 3M Clear Polypropylene Label Product FP

5 Recycle A label material can generally be considered as being recyclable along with the recycle stream into which the labeled article (such as plastic bottle, etc.) is placed, inasmuch as the adhesive itself is a small percentage of the weight of the label and certainly of the labeled article. As such, we generally refer to a product such as 3M Matte White Polyethylene TC Label Product FPE05102 as a recyclable label. In practice the extent of its recyclability would depend upon the object to which the label is applied and upon the actual recycling process to be used. The high-density polyethylene face film used to make 3M label product FPE05102 is recyclable as an HDPE 7, meaning that the small amount of film present as labels on bottles (less then 5%, depending on the application) can be recycled into the blow molding process used to produce the bottles. It can also be recycled when used as a label on shrink wrapping for skids. For labeling of a non-polyethylene plastic item, it may be necessary to match it up to a label made with a different film to make the combination fully recyclable. It is always recommended that machine trials be conducted to fully evaluate recyclability in a new application. In terms of paper label recycling there are some special requirements that may apply and this led to the introduction of 3M Paper Label Material 7113 whose facestock and adhesive are considered repulpable by TAPPI 8 useful Method 213. As a side note, the release liners typically used in 3M s label materials contain 15-30% of in-process recycled material. Definitions: 1 RoHS = Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment 2 WEEE = Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment 3 IMDS = International Material Data System 4 ISO = International Standards Organization 5 DFSS = Design for Six Sigma 6 RFID = Radio Frequency Identification 7 HDPE = High Density Polyethylene 8 TAPPI = Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry - 5 -

6 Product Use All statements, technical information and recommendations contained in this document are based upon tests or experience that 3M believes are reliable. However, many factors beyond 3M s control can affect the use and performance of a 3M product in a particular application, including the conditions under which the product is used and the time and environmental conditions in which the product is expected to perform. Since these factors are uniquely within the user s knowledge and control, it is essential that the user evaluate the 3M product to determine whether it is fit for a particular purpose and suitable for the user s method of application. Warranty and Limited Remedy Unless stated otherwise in 3M s product literature, packaging inserts or product packaging for individual products, 3M warrants that each 3M product meets the applicable specifications at the time 3M ships the product. Individual products may have additional or different warranties as stated on product literature, package inserts or product packages. 3M MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY ARISING OUT OF A COURSE OF DEALING, CUSTOM OR USAGE OF TRADE. User is responsible for determining whether the 3M product is fit for a particular purpose and suitable for user s application. If the 3M product is defective within the warranty period, your exclusive remedy and 3M s and seller s sole obligation will be, at 3M s option, to replace the product or refund the purchase price. Limitation of Liability Except where prohibited by law, 3M and seller will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from the 3M product, whether direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential, regardless of the legal theory asserted, including warranty, contract, negligence or strict liability. ISO 9001:2000 This Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division product was manufactured under a 3M quality system registered to ISO 9001:2000 standards. 3 Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division Converter Markets 1030 Lake Road Medina, OH (fax) Recycled Paper 40% pre-consumer 10% post-consumer - 6-3M is a trademark of 3M Company. Printed in U.S.A. 3M (10/07)