Page 17 - FINAT Yearbook 2012

place. For the last two years, most committee meetings have taken place back-to-back with Board meetings, which has certainly facilitated a better ‘workflow’ and has strengthened the personal contacts between volunteers serving in the different bodies in FINAT.
AV: The first committee to implement the new guidelines was the Technical Committee; and although it appeared that there was still a strong need for additional clarification, I think we have now installed an effective framework, which is now also being implemented by the Marketing Committee. The main challenge now is to broaden the engagement of label converters in the work of FINAT.
how do you see the current state of recycling and sustainability in the self- adhesive labelling industry? how critical are the recycling and sustainability issues for the future success of the self- adhesive label industry?
KW: A number of recycling initiatives have been developed and are being deployed. However, it is crucial to keep the momentum and create critical mass. To date, only a minor fraction of spent release liner materials in Europe is collected for recycling, and this is not sufficient to establish a sustainable business proposition for companies
Henrik Kajüter
interested in using the materials generated by our customers. Technically the solutions are there, but awareness is lacking, and the logistics requirements still suffer from a lack of economies of scale. FINAT has identified recycling and sustainability as key to the continued success of the self- adhesive label industry, and this is exactly why we have re-established the FINAT recycling project, and why the L9 meeting dedicated an entire session to this topic. Although collection and recycling are typically local activities and circumstances may vary across countries and even regions, there is still a benefit in joining forces internationally, if only to spark new ideas and innovations and to share knowledge and experiences.
what are the main drivers behind the recycling and sustainability developments in our industry?
KW: In many countries, firm legislation is now in place that limits or even eliminates the possibility of landfill as an option to dispose of waste. However, the increased focus on recycling of spent liner materials and matrix waste is not just driven by legislation. Technological and commercial drivers are gaining importance. Higher landfill disposal costs favour the development and implementation of commercially- viable recycling programmes, provided the logistical challenges are properly addressed. Raw material price inflation has increased the comparative value of recovered materials for recycling, but also favours the development and use of thinner materials. And, finally, pressure from customers, either ‘missionary’ (i.e. as part of their corporate social responsibility requirements) or ‘monetary’ (as part of their intention to cut costs from the system) is pushing the label industry to embrace programmes and processes that are more environmentally sustainable.
Andrea Vimercati
so what will the future bring for finat?
KW: As stated, we are currently expecting the results of the member survey, and this should offer us interesting leads and insights for our future strategy, for which we have set up separate meetings this summer and autumn. At our upcoming National Associations’ Board meeting at the end of May, we will also ask for feedback from that sector of the industry. For sure we will also continue our ongoing internal discussions on the scope of our FINAT: should we widen our remit, and embrace narrow-web converting as a full part of our territory as TLMI and VskEhave done? Or should we retain our focus on self-adhesive, with an open eye to alternative decoration and conversion methods relevant to our core members?
I know that, some time ago, we discussed whether we should embrace digital print − but the reality has overtaken the debate, and digital label printing is now fully part of our remit.
AV: Another thing that I would like to see is a continued effort to strengthen the corporate culture of the label industry by offering management education programmes that transcend national borders. Our recent L9 visit to Japan, and the opportunity we had to experience ‘Kaizen’, gave us new inspiration − and this should be back on our agenda next year.
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FINAT YEARBOOK 2012 |