The Liner Recycling Initiative (LRI) is a collaborative effort where TLMI and CELAB NA have merged efforts to create recycling solutions for paper release liner in North America. To advance this goal, the LRI will be working with an experienced recycling partner, Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), to develop regional pilots over the next 18 months. The goal is to identify recycling mills and establish best operational practices for both small and large end-users that generate release liner. 

LRI’s goals are to develop a robust national paper release liner recycling program that connects both small and large end-users to qualified recycling mills. The focus of the two pilots are: 

• Build upon the learnings and recycling experience of the label industry, to date.  

• Identify best practices for convenient collection and aggregation of release liner for truckload and less-than-truckload end-users that generate release liner. 

• Test the acceptance of paper release liner into corrugated cardboard recycling mills. 

• Elevate all existing liner recycling programs by developing an industry roadmap to scale a recycling strategy, nationally. 

For more than a decade, different stakeholders in the label industry have been working on establishing recycling for release liner. CELAB NA, TLMI, and individual companies have made important strides to identify end markets, confirm recyclability, and establish programs to collect paper release liner. To unify and increase the impact of these efforts, TLMI and CELAB NA are coming together, along with their members, to sponsor an industry-wide initiative.  

• TLMI members will be represented by the Release Liner Committee c-chairs and members of the Board of Directors that form the Steering Committee for the project and will learn more about the project at the upcoming annual meeting in September. Additionally, working with the Steering Committee, TLMI members will have an opportunity to provide input on participants for the pilot if they are within the region targeted for the pilots. 

• Currently, financial support for the project is being provided by dedicated funds from TLMI and CELAB NA. In the future, TLMI will be offering opportunities to sponsor the recycling program. 

All CELAB NA and TLMI members will be a part of the project through the end of the 2024 calendar year as Founding Sponsors. Moving forward, each can opt to maintain their Founding Sponsor level while receiving the full benefits of their TLMI membership. 

All CELAB NA members will be a part of the project through the end of the 2024 calendar year as  Founding Sponsors. Moving forward, TLMI is offering an Affiliate Membership, so that current CELAB members can continue to support the initiative. Alternatively, if the CELAB member company meets the requirements for full TLMI membership as a converter or supplier member, they can join TLMI and take full advantage of the member benefits.