Companies purchasing printed labels may also be looking into the best ways to make the packaging they attach them to greener.

According to a new survey by Freedonia, demand for recycled plastic for this purpose will increase by ten per cent over the coming years to $162 billion (£98.1 billion).

The World Green Packaging report also stated that this will mean plastics account for 10.6 per cent of all recycled packaging by the year 2020, European Plastics News reports.

Demand will be fuelled by heightened desire among consumers to be green, as well as better facilities with which to make the material reusable.

"Robust gains for plastic will also be the result of upward momentum from a much smaller base compared to paper and metal packaging," the report added.

Bottles, thermoformed containers and protective packaging will account for the majority of recycled plastic output.

Earlier this month, Elizabeth Shoch from GreenBlue and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition told Chemical & Engineering News that many people are now questioning why they cannot recycle things they have bought.

She explained this is helping to drive change and suggested companies should ask questions themselves about the materials they attach printed labels to.

Denny Bros Ltd, 23 August 2011