> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.packagingeurope.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Why PET innovation also demands adhesive innovation - URL: https://www.packagingeurope.com/why-pet-innovation-also-demands-adhesive-innovation/ - Published: 2026-11-02T07:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-02T07:14:47.000Z - Author: H.B. Fuller - Tags: labels and labelling solutions, Sustainability, Rigid Packaging, Regulation & Compliance, Circular Economy, Recyclability, Design, Beverages, #homepage-partners **As PET bottles incorporate more recycled content, become lighter and adopt label constructions, the adhesive securing the label must perform against an increasingly demanding set of requirements.** **Elizabeth Staab, Health, Hygiene and Consumables Product Sustainability Director at** [**H.B. Fuller**](https://www.hbfuller.com/en?ref=packagingeurope.com)**, discusses why packaging changes must be evaluated as a complete system and how collaboration can help connect performance with circularity.** SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/61/60/61607b5b-1c0b-4249-a886-4bc4c284c107/content/images/2026/10/Staab-Profile-Picture-1.png)](https://www.hbfuller.com/en?ref=packagingeurope.com) Elizabeth Staab, Health, Hygiene and Consumables Product Sustainability Director, H.B. Fuller [Learn more ](https://www.hbfuller.com/en?ref=packagingeurope.com) --- ### **PET packaging is changing continuously. What is driving this transformation?** Several developments are happening at the same time. Beverage producers are increasing recycled PET content, bottles are becoming lighter, and labels are moving toward thinner and simpler constructions. In parallel, collection and recycling systems are being strengthened to improve the availability and quality of recycled PET. The regulatory direction is also clear. Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, single-use plastic beverage bottles are subject to minimum post-consumer recycled-plastic content of 30% by the applicable 2030 deadline and 65% by 2040\. The regulation also establishes a 90% separate-collection target for in-scope single-use plastic beverage bottles and metal beverage containers by 1 January 2029. These developments support circularity, but they also change the technical conditions under which the complete package must perform. ### **Why does increasing recycled content matter to an adhesive supplier?** Recycled PET originates from different collection and processing streams. As its use increases, characteristics relevant to adhesion, including surface energy and surface uniformity, may change. An adhesive optimized for one bottle specification may not necessarily deliver identical performance when the recycled-content level and other conditions are modified. This does not mean that higher recycled content automatically creates an adhesion problem. It means that performance must be evaluated using the actual bottle, label, adhesive and production conditions. Initial tack, bond development, cohesion, flexibility, and long-term ageing all remain important, regardless of how the bottle composition evolves. ### **Labels are becoming thinner. Does that make the adhesive application easier?** Not necessarily. Historically, many beverage labels used laminated structures that provided dimensional stability and predictable converting performance. Thinner, lighter or single-layer labels may use less material, but they can also have different surface characteristics, stiffness and mechanical behaviour. An adhesive developed for a laminated label may therefore not provide equivalent processing or long-term performance on a lighter single-layer construction. Moisture resistance, adhesive application, label positioning, bond strength and appearance can all be affected. A change that appears straightforward at material-specification level can require detailed testing under production and distribution conditions. ### **How does bottle lightweighting add to the challenge?** Lightweighting reduces material consumption and can lower the amount of packaging transported through the supply chain. However, a thinner bottle is generally more flexible and may move more during filling, transportation, storage and handling. Carbonated beverages are particularly demanding because the pressure can cause the bottle to expand and contract when the bottle is exposed to different temperatures. The adhesive must maintain enough initial tack and bond strength to keep the label correctly positioned, while remaining sufficiently flexible to accommodate movement of the bottle wall. If the adhesive is too rigid, the label may lift or wrinkle. If it is too soft, the label may shift or lose alignment. The challenge becomes greater when lightweighting is combined with more recycled material and a thinner label. At that point, the industry is not simply changing three individual components. It is creating a new packaging system. ### **What role does the adhesive play during recycling?** The adhesive has a dual function. It must maintain reliable label attachment throughout filling, distribution, retail display and consumer use, but it must also behave appropriately within the intended recycling process. In Europe, PET bottle-to-bottle recycling commonly uses hot caustic washing to separate the label system from the PET. The adhesive must therefore release under defined recycling conditions without compromising its performance during the useful life of the package. Various organizations in Europe offer testing and a certification for compatibility with the PET recycling process. With the implementation of PPWR this will be harmonized under the Design for Recycling Guidelines applicable from 2030. Adhesive performance should consequently not be judged only on the filling line or the retail shelf. The adhesive is a functional interface between the bottle, the label and the recycling process. ### **How can packaging companies manage so many interacting requirements?** Collaboration needs to begin early. Bottle manufacturers, resin producers, label suppliers, converters, brand owners, and adhesive suppliers, each influence how the final package performs. A change in recycled content can affect the bottle surface; lightweighting can increase movement and a new label construction can alter stiffness. When we formulate our PET recycling certified adhesives we ensure they have a very broad operating window to ensure performance throughout the life cycle. With ever more change and especially substantial changes it can be prudent for us to receive the actual materials and understand the proposed operating conditions early enough, then we can evaluate adhesive performance and adjust with the customer before commercial launch. That reduces the risk of discovering incompatibility only after a new bottle or label has entered production. ### **What should the industry prioritize as PET packaging continues to evolve?** The industry should avoid optimizing individual components in isolation. A lighter bottle, a higher recycled-content level or a simplified label can each offer potential environmental benefits, but their combined effect must be assessed across production, use and recycling. Adhesives represent only a small proportion of a labelled PET bottle, yet they make an important technical contribution. They help compensate for changing surfaces, accommodate bottle movement, work with evolving label materials, maintain production efficiency and support effective separation during recycling. When the label remains secure, the package performs as intended and high-quality PET recycling remains possible, the adhesive has done its job quietly, but critically. **Learn more about H.B. Fuller’s sustainable solutions for PET beverage labelling:** [**https://www.hbfuller.com/en/sustainability/sustainable-packaging-solutions/pet-beverage-labeling**](https://www.hbfuller.com/en/sustainability/sustainable-packaging-solutions/pet-beverage-labeling?ref=packagingeurope.com)