Materials & Sustainability
Materials & Sustainability
What’s actually
in the box
We’d rather tell you exactly what our products are made of than call ourselves eco-friendly and leave it there. Here’s what’s in a Stickiply order, where it comes from, and what to do with it when you’re finished, including the parts we’re still working on.
The material
Almost everything we sell is PVC-free
Most printable vinyl sticker paper on the market is PVC. Ours isn’t. Our sticker paper range and nearly all of our laminating films use a polypropylene face with a water-based adhesive. We use no solvent-based adhesive systems anywhere in the range.
Release liners: most finishes sit on a paper release liner. Some metallic and holographic finishes, and the Matte Clear Backing sheet, currently use a polypropylene film liner. That liner is the same polymer as the face, so the sheet is single-polymer throughout. We’re working with our supply partners to move the remaining finishes onto paper liners, and we’ll update this page when that changes.
The one exception
Our Pro UV laminate is a PVC film. We keep it because nothing else we’ve tested matches it for outdoor durability and UV resistance. We say so plainly on the product page. If PVC-free matters to you, our Basics, Holographic, Glitter, Cat Eyes, Leather and Cross-Hatch laminates are all polypropylene.
The packaging
Six of seven components are paper
Everything that arrives with your order, and what it’s made from.
Shipping carton
Corrugated fibreboard, certified mixed-source, supplied in the UK. Marked 20 PAP.
Void fill & wrap
Kraft paper and expanding honeycomb paper. No bubble wrap, no loose fill.
Paper shred
100% recycled content, made and dust-extracted in the UK at a carbon-neutral facility.
Sealing tape
Kraft paper tape, so it recycles with the box instead of contaminating it.
Backing board
1500 micron greyboard, supplier-stated as 100% recycled fibre and acid free.
Protective bag
Polypropylene, made in the UK. The only plastic in the pack, and the same polymer as the sheets inside.
End of life
What to do with a sticker when you’re done
Most sticker brands skip this part, because the honest answer has conditions attached.
The short version
A polypropylene sticker on a polypropylene item is the same polymer family as the thing it’s stuck to. Recognised design-for-recycling guidance treats it as compatible with that item’s recycling stream. Stuck to a different material, a sticker is a contaminant. Peel it off first where you can.
- Paper release liner
- Silicone-coated liners aren’t accepted in most household paper collections. Dedicated liner recycling services operate in the UK and process it at volume. Worth looking into if you generate liner waste in quantity.
- Film release liner
- Polypropylene, the same polymer as the sticker face it carries. Not a paper stream material. Accepted where local facilities collect rigid or soft PP; otherwise general waste.
- Applied PP stickers
- Compatible with the recycling stream of a polypropylene item. On other materials, remove before recycling where practical.
- Pro UV laminate
- PVC isn’t compatible with PP or PE recycling streams. General waste, unless you have a local PVC-accepting route.
- Backing board
- Uncoated paper-based board, suitable for household and commercial paper and card collections.
- Sheets & off-cuts
- Face and liner can be separated by hand, then each follows the routes above.
We don’t claim any of our products are universally recyclable. Local collection criteria vary, and what your council or waste contractor accepts always takes precedence over anything we say here.
The honest bit
What we’re not claiming
Here is where we stand, including the gaps.
We don’t hold chain-of-custody certification ourselves
Our paper-based materials come from supply partners who hold valid third-party chain-of-custody certification for paper and pulp, and we verify that against the scheme’s public register. But Stickiply doesn’t hold certification in its own name, so no product is offered or labelled as certified and no certification mark appears on our packaging. If that changes, we’ll say so here.
Some claims are our suppliers’, not ours
Where a property is stated by the supplier rather than independently verified by us, we mark it that way. Our backing board is the current example. We’re getting written confirmation and will update this page when it lands.
Not every finish is on a paper liner yet
Some metallic and holographic finishes still ship on a polypropylene film liner rather than paper. It’s the same polymer as the face, so the sheet stays single-polymer, but we’d rather it were paper. We’re moving the remaining finishes across with our supply partners.
Our thank you card has no sourcing claim
It’s printed on standard matte stock by a commercial print provider who doesn’t offer a certification or recycled-content claim on it. We’d rather say that than imply otherwise. We’re looking at moving it to a recycled stock.
We haven’t eliminated plastic
The protective bag is polypropylene. It keeps sheets flat, clean and dry in transit. We haven’t found a paper alternative that does that and still lets you see the product. It’s on the list.
We’re registered for packaging EPR in the EU
We hold packaging Extended Producer Responsibility registrations in the EU markets we sell into, and we report our packaging volumes under each scheme. Restricted substances testing is summarised in the compliance statements below.
The paperwork
Everything above, with sources
Our materials are independently lab tested to EU RoHS substance limits for heavy metals and phthalates. Underlying test reports are retained and available to market surveillance authorities on request.
Quick answers
Materials & sustainability FAQs
Is Stickiply sticker paper PVC-free?
Yes. Our printable vinyl sticker paper range and nearly all of our laminating films use a polypropylene face with a water-based adhesive, not PVC. The one exception is our Pro UV laminate, which is a PVC film. We keep it because nothing else we’ve tested matches it for outdoor durability and UV resistance, and we say so plainly on the product page.
Are Stickiply stickers recyclable?
It depends where the sticker ends up. A polypropylene sticker applied to a polypropylene item is the same polymer family, and design-for-recycling guidance treats it as compatible with that item’s recycling stream. On any other material a sticker is a contaminant, so peel it off before recycling where you can. Your local collection rules always take precedence.
Is Stickiply packaging recyclable?
Six of the seven packaging components are paper or board: the carton, void fill, paper shred, kraft tape, backing board and thank you card. They go in normal paper and card collections. The exception is the polypropylene protective bag. It’s accepted where soft plastics are collected, and otherwise goes in general waste.
What adhesive does Stickiply sticker paper use?
A water-based pressure-sensitive adhesive. We use no solvent-based adhesive systems anywhere in the range.
Is Stickiply FSC certified?
Our paper-based materials come from supply partners holding valid third-party chain-of-custody certification, which we verify against the scheme’s public register. Stickiply doesn’t hold chain-of-custody certification in its own name, so no product is offered or labelled as certified.
What do I do with the release liner (backing paper)?
Paper liners are silicone-coated, so most household paper collections don’t accept them. Dedicated liner recycling services operate in the UK, and are worth looking into if you generate liner waste in quantity. Film liners on some metallic and holographic finishes are polypropylene: recycle them where PP is collected, otherwise general waste.
Spotted something we’ve got wrong?
If a claim on this page doesn’t stack up, tell us and we’ll fix it.
Email hello@stickiply.com