Sustainable Thermal Labels by HERMA—Phenol-Free and Made From Recycled Fibers

Image of seafood wrapped in plastic with a thermal label on the bottom stating the packaging information for the product. — Image courtesy of *HERMA*

HERMA announced that it is growing its portfolio of thermal label materials. The company is now offering thermal grade paper that is phenol-free and produced entirely from recycled fibers. It has identical print quality by other economy-grade papers without a protective coating, says HERMA.

The company continues to build its stock in the thermal label segment. HERMA says that it now ranks among the first suppliers in the industry to offer an adhesive material based on a phenol-free thermal paper made from entirely recycled fibers. “Thermal labels remain of enormous significance in the logistics and commercial sectors and account for a substantial portion of overall volume,” says Katja Schumacher, who oversees label material development at HERMA. “That’s why it’s so important to develop sustainable solutions that satisfy all the customary requirements.”

HERMAtherm rECO (grade 903) is a white thermal paper without a protective surface coating—economy grade. Its surface delivers a good print quality that is barely distinguishable from that achieved with conventional thermal paper grades, states HERMA. Labels that are typically in this category are used in the weighing and labelling sections of food packaging lines. The company states that new paper also produces positive results when printed with EAN barcodes and other code systems. The label stock produced with the paper is coated with the multi-layer adhesive 62Gpt. With low migration values and good initial tack, the adhesive is reportedly beneficial in high-speed labelling lines and in the case of blow-on labelling.

In addition to this new offering in the company’s portfolio, two other phenol-free thermal papers are were launched at the beginning of the year—HERMAtherm Top M (grade 912) and HERMAtherm D (grade 919). Both of these standard premium-quality papers feature a protective coating on both sides and is produced from FSC Mic Credit materials. According to HERMA, both grades are ideal for use wherever thermal labels made from smudge-proof, solvent- and grease-resistant paper are required—as in food applications. The papers can be coated with numerous different adhesives, so that suitable label stock is available for every application.

Last year, HERMA premiered an adhesive material for thermal printer labels that is reportedly the first of its kind world-wide to be full approved for food contact. With HERMAtherm nature (grade 900), the imprint is produced by a physical reaction that does not involve any chemical developers. In consequence, labels incorporating this paper are suitable for disposal in regular waste paper containers because it does not disrupt the recycling process. The product’s recycling compatibility (in combination with theHERMA adhesives 72Eps), which is an incredibly important factor, was recently certified by Papiertechnischen Stiftung (PTS), the research and service institute of the German paper industry.