Avery Dennison marks 90 years with focus on circularity

At booth 3E61, the company is presenting solutions that help customers address recyclability, material reuse and compliance with tightening regulations. Demonstrations include AD CleanFlake for PET, AD CleanGlass for glass, AD CleanFiber for paper and cardboard, and film label technologies for HDPE. Each is designed to improve separation during recycling and enhance circularity.

Deon Stander, Avery Dennison’s president and chief executive officer, in a keynote appearance, said Avery Dennison’s role extends across the packaging value chain. “We use our technology, whether material science or identification, to provide branding and information solutions to our customers. That could be converters, consumer goods companies or retailers, helping them to drive growth, improve productivity or advance sustainability. Looking ahead, we believe every physical item is likely to have some form of digital identity. Avery Dennison is uniquely positioned to connect the physical and digital worlds, enabling traceability, efficiency and consumer engagement,” he explained.

Speaking to PrintWeek/WhatPackaging?, Pankaj Bhardwaj, vice-president and general manager of Avery Dennison Materials Group for Asia, Middle East and Africa, highlighted the importance of adhesives in enabling recyclability. “There are four magic moments we are showing: CleanGlass, CleanFiber, CleanFlake and HDPE solutions. Adhesive technology is at the heart of these, whether for clean separation or durability across multiple cycles. With 90 years of material science, we have the capability to balance performance with sustainability. Our call to the industry is to bring us more challenges, so we can solve them collaboratively,” he said. 

Bhardwaj added that Indian converters are also beginning to anticipate future compliance requirements. “Our effort is to ensure that when regulations such as PPWR in Europe are mirrored in India, the industry is prepared,” he noted.

The booth is divided into three zones: making possible since the beginning, making possible today, and making possible tomorrow. Legacy displays highlight founder Stan Avery’s early innovations, while current solutions demonstrate clean label removal and multi-cycle reusability. The “tomorrow” area features prototypes created with partners, including scent labels, freshness indicators and organic material batteries. An interactive AI activation allows visitors to imagine and share future label concepts.

Avery Dennison is also emphasising the role of digital identity. Presentations show how RFID can enable reuse and recycling systems by creating traceability of beverage containers, while demonstrations for pharmaceuticals and automotive highlight label materials that address safety, performance and supply chain efficiency. Sensorial materials and the Infinity Collection are being promoted as ways for brands to differentiate packaging in competitive retail environments.

Bhardwaj said India’s packaging market is entering a new phase. “Food is the segment with the largest opportunity to move from unpackaged to packaged, which will drive significant growth. Personal care is more about premiumisation, while home and beverages are expanding on volume. Decoration and functionality remain strong growth areas, and digitalisation, through RFID and smart labels, is opening fresh possibilities,” he explained.

With circularity, functionality and digital identity as central themes, Avery Dennison is marking its 90th year by demonstrating how material science and information technology can work together to shape the future of packaging.