Sustainability Sets Labeling Trends
The dynamics of the changes in the markets are also bringing movement to the label market. Diversified product ranges, massively shrinking order sizes, shorter life cycles of bulk goods and changes in the legally mandatory information printed on packaging are driving the label market.
Among the highlights at the Labels & More pavilion in Hall 9 is the “Eco-Funlabel” by Kilian Druck Grünstadt Dinges GmbH. The product consists half of grass paper and half of a mix of FSC-certified materials. Grass paper labels have been known on the market for some time, but not as multi-page booklet labels. “As far as we can see on the market, we are the first supplier of grass paper booklet labels in the world,” says Managing Director Silke Krajewski. “Our grass raw material comes from compensation areas that are not used for food or feed and requires less water in production. The label is recyclable, compostable and approved for food use”.
Faubel & Co. Nachf. GmbH also presents a world first at its stand. A smart label has been developed for the logistics sector, which can be rewritten over and over again. It is a battery-free display in a housing, which can be mounted on transport boxes. “Our label works like an e-book reader: The writing remains readable without a power source until new information is overwritten with an RFID reader. Such an e-paper display can be used in container management or, for example, for labelling clinical studies,” summarises Business Development Manager Petra Schäffner.
A solution without carrier material and thus without disposal costs was presented by Herma. After printing, the label is cut to the desired length. Only when the label is dispensed, do precise and purely water-based microspray nozzles activate the adhesive. This ensures that the label adheres immediately and with permanent final adhesion. Hermas system achieves 40 labels per minute with carrierless labels in size A5 or A6.
As different as these three products and applications may seem at first glance, they all follow the current megatrend – in the wake of the climate debate – for more sustainability also when it comes to in labelling. Ecology is even pushing the trends of recent years such as digital label production, increasing individualization and premium labels, better color consistency and a higher degree of automation in production into the background.
