Silicone-coated release liner has long been one of the label industry’s most persistent waste challenges. Essential to the performance of self-adhesive materials, it has traditionally been difficult to recycle and has therefore often ended up in landfill after use.
Against this backdrop, Techlan Ltd and HERMA UK are marking two years of collaboration aimed at supporting more circular solutions for release liner waste in the UK. Over the course of this collaboration, the two companies have helped establish a practical route for the collection, cleaning and reuse of suitable silicone release liners in the label industry – creating measurable environmental benefits and opening up new value from a previously discarded material stream. To date, the collaboration has contributed to the recycling of over 300 tonnes of release liner, helping to avoid more than 200 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and divert substantial volumes of waste from landfill. In total, 17 companies have been supported through the initiative so far.
Techlan, a UK specialist in release liner recovery, has developed a patented process that cleans and restores used silicone release liner while preserving the material’s structure for reuse in suitable downstream applications. The company collects used silicone papers not only from the label industry, but also from sectors such as aerospace, automotive and composites, before cleaning and converting them into new liner reels for further use. Rather than breaking the material down, the process is designed to retain its value and return it to use in industrial and specialist end uses.
“An active driver of the circular economy”
HERMA UK has supported this development with its extensive knowledge of self-adhesive materials and of waste streams arising in the label market. By helping identify where suitable liner waste originates, which material types are appropriate for recovery and where awareness needed to be built in the market, HERMA UK has played an important role in expanding access to the solution.
“From the beginning, our aim was to find a practical way to recover release liner that would otherwise go to landfill,” said Mark Thompson, Founder of Techlan Ltd. “Working with HERMA UK has helped us better understand the label market, the origin of suitable waste streams and how to build awareness of a viable alternative. Over time, that collaboration has helped create momentum for a circular solution in an area where progress had traditionally been difficult.”
Emmanuel Odofin, Managing Director at HERMA UK, said: “At HERMA, we see ourselves as an active driver of the circular economy. As a specialist in self-adhesive materials, we have deep knowledge of material flows, applications and market requirements. Our collaboration with Techlan shows how this expertise can be used to help advance practical sustainability solutions. Techlan has developed a highly promising approach, and we are proud to have supported greater market awareness and access to relevant customers over the past two years.”
Growing market demand for sustainable solutions
Unlike conventional waste treatment routes, Techlan’s process focuses on cleaning used liner rolls so that they can be reused in suitable applications where technical performance and material availability are critical. These applications include specialist industrial uses and selected converting applications, such as in adhesive tapes and other specialty formats.
The collaboration also reflects growing market demand for sustainable solutions that go beyond aspiration and deliver measurable outcomes. For companies under increasing pressure to reduce waste, improve resource efficiency and document environmental progress, release liner recovery offers a practical contribution to broader circularity goals. According to Techlan, the reprocessing of suitable release liner can reduce CO₂ emissions by around 67 percent compared with the use of virgin material.
“What has made this collaboration valuable is the combination of technical innovation and market understanding,” Thompson added. “HERMA UK brought valuable insight into the structure of the labeling industry and helped us connect our solution with the right audience. That has supported the growth of our recycling service and demonstrated that circular approaches can succeed when material expertise and innovation come together.”
Looking ahead, Techlan and HERMA UK expect demand for release liner recovery and reuse solutions to continue growing as more companies seek credible ways to reduce waste and strengthen the circular performance of their operations.
