A tour of ReCover Paper featuring its self-adhesive label delamination technology
Packaging manufacturer Coveris has strengthened its ReCover recycling division, originally launched with a focus on keeping plastic circular, by integrating ReCover Paper. Responsible for processing over 10,000 tonnes of waste annually, ReCover Paper plays a key role in delivering Coveris’ No Waste strategy and supporting customers improve their sustainability performance. Closing the loop, Coveris’ paper and plastic recycling capabilities and services are now unified as ReCover.
Coveris’ No Waste strategy aims to eliminate waste in all forms. Its ReCover division supports this goal by keeping paper and plastic circular through innovative sourcing, processing, recycling technologies, and partnerships.
ReCover Paper, formerly Environmental Services, manages waste from Coveris’ UK label and cartonboard manufacturing sites and oversees recycling partnerships across the supply chain, significantly contributing to the environmental performance of Coveris’ Paper operations.
Facilitated by ReCover Paper, Coveris is the UK’s only label manufacturer with a paper-to-paper recycling service for self-adhesive label release liner through its RafCycle™ partnership with UPM Adhesive Materials. Fostering a circular economy for waste materials in the labelling sector, the RafCycle™ programme has enabled the recycling of over 400 tonnes of paper release liner from Coveris and its customers since the launch of the paper-to-paper service in 2024.
Further maximising the recovery of materials for dedicated recycling streams including RafCycle™, the ReCover Paper facility houses patented delamination technology. This technology processes reels of redundant paper self-adhesive labels sourced from Coveris and its customers, separating label facestock from release liners for optimised recycling.
Other materials sorted and processed by ReCover Paper include over 500,000 label cores annually for re-use, redundant linerless label stock, cardboard and transit films, aligned with the ‘no operational waste’ pillar in Coveris’ sustainability strategy.
“Integrating ReCover Paper reflects our aim to create a unified, visible recycling platform across our business,” said Adam Robinson, Coveris’ Paper Business Unit Head of Sustainability. “ReCover Paper is vital to improving our own sustainability performance, while also delivering an industry-leading recycling service for our customers. Through our No Waste model and collaboration with the supply chain through partnerships like RafCycle™ and our membership with CELAB, we are reducing environmental impact and advancing circularity across the sector. Reflecting our commitment to sustainability, 64% of Coveris’ sites are covered by Platinum EcoVadis scores ranking amongst the top 1% globally.”
Representing industry leadership, Coveris recently won Packaging Company of the Year at the UK Packaging Awards and was the Gold Award winner for Sustainable Packaging Business of the Year at the Environmental Packaging Awards 2025. ReCover Paper is on the shortlist in Packaging Europe’s Sustainability Awards in the Best Practice category. The winners will be revealed at the Sustainable Packaging Summit, 10-12 November, in Utrecht, Netherlands.