What are washable labels for?

Washable labels

For all products in deposit bottles or jars, the use of washable labels on rolls is ideal. After returning the bottles, the labels are easily removed by literally washing them in a bath containing between 1.2% to 1.5% lye solution and water at + 80°C. But this process can also be applied to plastic bottles or containers. Especially if the container consists of recyclable plastics such as PP or PE. These and other plastics can only be recycled in a cycle with the same type of material.

What is a lye solution and how does it work?

But what exactly is a lye solution? A lye solution is an alkaline solution that you can make with baking soda, for example. Industrial dishwashers, on the other hand, contain special cleaners that can also remove lye-soluble labels. The product should be put in the alkaline bath for at least ten to fifteen minutes. However, labels may come off even after less time, depending on the paper type of the label, the amount of printing, use of foil embossing and use of protective varnish or spot varnish. Therefore, we recommend that self-adhesive labels that need to be removed later do not have varnish applied. Hot foil printing or spot varnish can be used, but it is better to limit the area of these finishes.

Important: Pending removal of the labels, the empty bottles or containers should be stored dry and not exposed to weather conditions. Water or moisture may cause the labels to come off (partially) already. If the labels then dry up again, the final removal of the labels will not occur or will be very difficult. Long-term storage of the empty bottles can also negatively affect removability. The advice is therefore to always remove the labels as soon as possible after receiving the bottles back.