Label Apeel calls for greater efforts to reduce waste in label industry after USA trip to look at ways of turning self-adhesive waste into fuel pellets.

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 7 October 2014

UPDATED: 7 October 2014

Stuart Kellock, MD of Braunstone-based label printers, Label Apeel has just returned from a research trip to the USA where he was looking at new methods of turning self-adhesive waste into fuel pellets. As always, the award-winning printers is eager to lead the way in the UK in finding ways of reducing the impact it has on the environment and turning the by-products into a potential revenue stream.

Kellock describes the rational behind the trip: “The trip was organised by John Bamberry of BPIF Labels ((British Printing Industries Federation) and was a massive eye opener that more in this country needs to be done to reduce our carbon footprint. We visited Channeled Resources a rework outfit based in Wisconsin, who take B grade paper material and rework them so as they are usable. They are effectively reducing waste going to landfill by simply sorting and sifting to produce a secondary product that can be used. We were able to see how a rigorous checking process meant that Channeled Resources basically take one man’s dirt and turns it in to, if not gold, then certainly the next best thing and have a positive impact on the planet.”

The trip also took in a visit to a recycled material pellet making company owned by the CEO of Channeled Resources, Calvin Frost. Any materials that are unsalvageable by Channeled Resources are taken to the facility, mixed with waste from other packaging suppliers and turned in to pellets that can be burned in coal fired boilers as either a mix with the coal or on their own. The end product has a similar calorific value to that of coal, but fewer emissions.

“Channeled Resources are currently looking to bring this technology to the UK in 2016 and I for one cannot wait.” praises Kellock. “We stopped off at a label printers whose waste goes in to the pellet mill. It was interesting to see their early adoption of lean techniques and also their own paper lamination press which has seen them reduce material costs by 15%, something we could all learn from.”

Kellock, also spent time at the Label Expo Americas, where Digital remained the predominant story:

“With ever more ink jet machines, further advances by Xeikon who sees their Cheetah Press matching the HP Indigo for machine speed. Having run a digital press for over 4 years this idea that run speed is important is lost on me I am afraid. For me the focus needs to be on colour gamut and make ready time. From what I could see all the digital suppliers are happy to talk about colour gamut but less keen to prove it, I am sure it is just that this is not as sexy as run speed but as an old hand in digital now my advice is this is where we should all be looking,” finishes Kellock.

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