More Sustainable Labeling

Organic food manufacturer Rapunzel manages without the usual silicone-based liner material when it comes to packaging. It uses linerless labels from the company Herma.

Around half of all products from the Rapunzel organic brand are produced and packaged at the company’s headquarters in Legau in the Allgäu region of Germany. In the fastest packaging line, a Herma InNo-Liner labeling system is in operation, the innovative feature and unique selling point of which is that it works entirely without the usual siliconized liner material. “2,000 to 3,000 applications come together here per shift in the chickpea overpack alone, and that quickly gives you an idea of how high the savings potential is,” explains Alexander Karst, Production Department Manager. “It’s already at 355 kilograms per year in this one test plant. We’ve been very careful about disposing of this so far, but if we can do without it completely, it’s clear which way is better.” The InNo-Liner labeling system is the first practical solution of its kind in the world that meets the high cycle speeds and requirements of modern packaging, shipping and logistics applications, in which direct printing of changing board material qualities is not possible due to the inadequate print image. After all, all codes in the downstream logistics chain must always be reliably and instantly legible.

More labels on a roll

The system is based on a special adhesive design and a specially developed micro-atomization unit that ensures precise, purely water-based adhesive activation only at the moment of dispensing. As a result, the label material, which is not adhesive until then, is wound onto a roll as normal. Another system-related plus, according to Karst, is that “only the label that is actually dispensed is variably printed. Mix-ups or incorrect use of labels that have already been printed are ruled out both at startup and during line interruptions, since no label hangs in the loop in advance or in progress – a huge advantage for product safety.” Due to the lack of liner, many more labels fit on a roll. In addition to complete disposal, this also saves handling, storage and transport costs. “And the solution with InNo-Liner is also more economical to use than a normal adhesive label,” says Karst. “In operation and function, however, what is decisive is the efficient labeling process, the clean print image and the reliable adhesion.” This is because the outer packaging label controls the entire path of the carton.

RSS
Empfehlung
Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
LinkedIn
Xing