Sustainable Logistics: Giving Backing Label Paper a Second Life

Striving to be a sustainable logistics business requires innovation, action, and collaboration. Our Whistl Group site teams have demonstrated all the above in finding a way to turn backing label paper into reusable waste.

Key Takeaways

• Backing label paper is a major contributor to general waste and difficult to recycle through traditional waste management practices.
• Whistl site teams co-ordinated with Zest Recycle and label supplier GBF to find a sustainable solution to a common problem. As featured by Packaging Europe. 
• This collaboration has seen new waste management systems introduced, which could see 25 tonnes of label waste being converted into new liner or paper products rather than sent to landfill.

Finding a Sustainable Solution to Site-Wide Issue

Backing label paper is the smooth, non-stick paper that labels come attached to. It’s commonly made from glassine paper, a material designed to be non-adhesive and moisture resistant.

On the plus side, they’re perfect for packaging.

However, this type of label paper is difficult to recycle through traditional waste systems.

This issue was highlighted by our partners at Zest Recycle. We’ve worked together since 2021, and it was their thorough review of waste management across all our warehouses and depots that highlighted the problem posed by backing label paper.

Ultimately, green logistics doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

We needed a collaborative solution designed to tackle this major contributor to waste and remove a large barrier to reaching our goal of ‘Zero Operational Waste to Landfill’.

As a result, Sam Urmston (Regional Estates Manager) and Carol Hopson (Depot Coordinator at Bolton) worked closely with Stewart Pitt (Account Manager at Zest Recycle) and our label supplier, GBF.

Together, they explored sustainable ways to address the issue and find a solution that would significantly reduce our waste footprint.

From Exploration to Implementation

As a business, we use a large volume of labels applied to parcels, letters, and various other items. The backing label paper typically ended up in the general waste stream, which complicated recycling and disposal efforts due to its non-recyclable characteristics and tendency to contaminate other waste streams.

But now we’ve implemented a more structured approach. At the end of each station, the waxy paper is placed into its own bag, kept separate from other waste streams.

This has had a positive knock-on effect. By removing backing label paper from general waste, bins fill slower and recyclable material is more easily separated or identified due to it being more visible.

Since implementing a solution at the beginning of 2025, everyone has played their part in driving this waste separation habit.

This initiative was first rolled out at our Bolton depot and has since expanded to Parcelhub sites in Nottingham. We’ve also extended it to our fulfilment sites in Wrangaton and Paignton. For our smaller sites, their waste is trunked to our Bristol depot for central processing and recycling.

Another key deliverable has been carbon reduction. Less waste being produced has meant fewer transport journeys being made. General waste is now collected fortnightly, rather than weekly. Meanwhile, the bales of backing label paper we store only need to be removed on a quarterly basis.

We’ve iterated our processes along the way, ensuring fewer collections and more efficient storage of waste on-site.

Measuring Our Impact on Sustainability

We track the success of this initiative on a quarterly basis. At our Bolton site, we typically handle 26 to 27 magnums of backing label paper, with two bales produced. Each bale weighs approximately 750 kilos, and we expect to generate around 13 to 15 magnums per bale.

These metrics help us gauge the volume of waste diverted from general waste streams and assess the efficiency of the recycling process.

Perhaps the most significant impact is seen in what happens following collection. The bales of backing label paper are repurposed into new liner or paper products, replacing the need for 325 trees worth of virgin pulp to make new paper products.

This gives an ubiquitous waste product a second life and is arguably the most satisfying result of the initiative.