To drive home its Labelexpo theme of “Pioneering Change,” Avery Dennison (averydennison.com) decided showing was better than telling: The global label-maker will present at the industry-leading trade show with a booth made in part from recycled label waste – the first ever at Labelexpo.

Renae Kezar, Avery Dennison’s global senior director of sustainability, said the booth was a fun and visible way to visualise the urgent issue of label waste, the possibilities for the industry to do business more sustainably, and Avery Dennison’s love of any opportunity to innovate.

“The reliance on liners in the pressure-sensitive industry, and the related waste, is an issue we are keen to address,” Kezar says. “One of our 2025 sustainability goals involves a commitment to help our customers reduce the waste from our products. Another goal calls for us to create more products that have positive environmental impacts. Building our exhibition booth out of label waste is a real opportunity to learn more about creating uses for our waste material, as well as a chance to educate our customers and employees about how we can all become more adaptive and responsible.” 

Approximately half the materials in the booth were made from label waste collected from Avery Dennison customers. The waste material was recycled, reprocessed and combined with other recycled cellulosic materials into a product called ECOR® by Noble Environmental Technologies, a global company, providing circular economic solutions to corporate partners in Europe and North America. Noble converted the collected waste into panels that were then used in a number of elements of the booth, including meeting rooms, storage areas, technical areas, floors, walls and an activation zone called “Change The Future.” 

The ECOR material used in the booth is, of course, itself recyclable. “This ECOR material is fully recyclable into new product after serving its useful life as a tradeshow exhibition booth,” says Noble vice president Derek McSpadden. “We are very pleased to partner with Avery Dennison on this project that makes their sustainability commitment immediate, real and visible, and we look forward to further working with Avery Dennison on developing many innovative uses for their non-virgin materials and waste.”

“Liner waste is an industry issue, and we are committed to pioneering the best ways to drive its re-use,” added Kezar. “As our theme for Labelexpo is ‘Pioneering Change,’ this first-ever booth to be constructed partly from our own liner waste is another way we are supporting our sustainability goals and helping to push our industry forward, especially when concerned with the need for waste reduction.”