Eco-design: Harmonised European methodology to characterise the behaviour of adhesive products during paper recycling

CTP has conducted several projects with the objective to give recommendations to the producers of paper and board packaging for the improvement in the recyclability of their products. Several characterization tests have been developed. Concerning the specific case of adhesive materials, at least two methods were mainly used in Europe to characterize the behaviour of adhesive application during paper recycling. (CTP-PTS method developed during a EU project, INGEDE method 12 developed by PMV). There is a need to have the same evaluation, independent of the laboratory performing the trials (adhesive producers, converters, papermakers...) to speak the same language. Based on this statement, it was decided that the 3 European institutes (PTS, PMV and CTP) develop a common adhesive test method. This method could be considered in the near future as the European standard test method. The option chosen was to combine the most interesting aspects of the procedures previously applied by CTP, PTS and PMV. Consequently, the development of a procedure based on INGEDE n°12 and including the macro-stickies formation rate (CTP Eurostickies method) was proposed and investigated.