COVEME - The Value Of Innovation
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OUR GREEN SOLUTIONS FOR TRANSFER RELEASE FILM:

The polyester film used by our customers in the process of transferring printed images, once peeled, becomes a waste material. The indirect transfer printing market is constantly growing and therefore from an ecological point of view it is important to use environmentally sustainable materials and processes with the ultimate goal of implementing a circular economic system.

Coveme has studied and developed various sustainable solutions with suppliers and industrial partners:

  • KTR® Green product: film with a reduced environmental impact
  • KTR® ECO product: film with a recycled polyester component (rPET)
  • KTR® Circular Economy Project: films that can be recycled at the end of their life cycle (Closed Loop recycling).

Coveme's KTR® Green Product and KTR® ECO Product films are an eco-sustainable choice of respect for the environment and at the same time guarantee the same product performance in terms of handling, machinability and quality of the print result compared to traditional products.

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1. KTR® GREEN PRODUCT

A range of products based on polyester film with an innovative coating without formaldehyde, chromium and phthalates. The coating developed by Coveme is based on an innovative solvent-free technology that makes it environmentally friendly both in terms of production process and final product.

Certifications:

Thanks to the coatings free of formaldehyde, chromium and phthalates, Coveme has undertaken several certification process, mandatory and volontary, for its KTR® products:
- The Oeko Tex certification (100, Appendix IV, Class 1) which is awarded to materials, including babywear, that have passed the test for harmful substances. Coveme KTR® films have been found to comply with class 1 of the OEKO-TEX standards: this class includes products for babies and has very strict requirements and limit values.
- The CPSIA compliance: US legislation aimed at products potentially used by children that checks for the presence of certain chemical substances.

 

2. KTR® ECO PRODUCT

Coveme has developed a revolutionary range of products based on polyester film composed of 70% recycled polyester (rPET), with the aim of reaching 100% rPet. This rPET has the same mechanical and chemical, shrinkage and transparency properties of virgin PET, therefore the final product will have the same characteristics and performances guaranteed for by Coveme's standard products. 70% of rPET derives from a recycling process in which post-consumer waste (plastic bottles, food trays, etc.) is recycled for the production of a recycled PET that has mechanical and physical properties comparable to those of virgin PET.

2. KTR® ECO PRODUCT

In addition to giving plastic waste a second life, during the rPET production process the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), measured to assess the impact of the carbon footprint, are lower than the GHG emissions generated by the production of virgin PET.

According to an analysis by DTF (Dupont Teijin Film) based on market data collected on the carbon footprint generated by the production of PET and rPET, it becomes evident that the value of the rPET carbon footprint is lower than the PET carbon footprint .

3. CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Coveme, in collaboration with important international partners, has studied the feasibility of a circular process of recovery and recycling of the KTR® film:

Stages of the feasibility study:

  1. Coveme has recovered its own production waste and those of its customers once the polyester support had been peeled.
  2. Thanks to the collaboration of an industrial partner, specialized in the development of highly innovative technologies for the recycling of post-industrial plastic materials, it was possible to return the recovered PET to its initial monomer state (BHET), through the monomer recycling technique.
  3. From the monomer thus obtained it was then possible to produce PET film (rPET) with the same chemical and physical characteristics of a virgin PET. This rPET can be used again to produce KTR® film. It was also possible to obtain an up-cycling of the material reaching a food grade product.
  4. At the beginning of 2023 this pilot project will be launched on an industrial scale, first using internal waste and subsequently using those of our customers.

This circular economy recycling process for transfer release films used in the indirect transfer printing industry is the first of its kind.

From a sustainable perspective of protecting the environment that surrounds us Coveme believes that it is essential to implement the recycling of these large quantities of PET in the coming years, but this will only be possible with an open collaboration between the various players in the value chain.

Contact us if you would like to be part of our closed loop recycling Circular Economy project!
3. CIRCULAR ECONOMY