All data at a glance: new Ceresana study on the European label market

KONSTANZ, Germany - Aug. 29, 2023 - PRLog -- Are mini shampoo bottles or stickers on bananas redundant? The EU Commission wants to ban "unnecessary packaging" with a new regulation. This would also affect label manufacturers. Other EU regulations, however, are increasing the demand for labels, for example, because the nutritional value of food, the energy consumption of electrical appliances, or the hazardousness of chemicals must be indicated. Consumption of paper and plastic labels in Europe is expected to increase by around 1.5% per year until 2032.

Biobased labels for biobased packaging

The total area of small labels and stickers adds up to millions of square meters. As environmentally friendly packaging is increasingly in demand, labels made from bioplastics can score particularly well in conjunction with biobased adhesives. Wine and beer drinkers usually do not have to worry in this regard: Labels for reusable bottles are traditionally made of paper and attached with washable starch or casein adhesives. However, market shares of glued labels are currently decreasing. Currently, the most dynamic development occurs in the "cosmetics and pharmaceuticals" sector, which consumes more and more plastic labels.

Labels are becoming smart and talkative

QR codes, RFID tags and near field communication (NFC labels): Labels are increasingly becoming as "smart" as digitalization and the Internet of Things demand. Smart labels can communicate with smartphones or other devices: Labels report the expiration products or other important information about the contents of the packaging; they make supply chains transparent and ensure anti-counterfeiting and traceability. However, the biggest growth occurs in in-mold labels (IML): A printed film is inserted into a mold, for example for ice cream cups, and then liquid plastic is injected - when cured, the label and packaging form a single unit. Ceresana expects demand for in-mold labels to grow by around 2.4% per year throughout Europe.

The current Ceresana market study "Labels – Europe":

Chapter 1 presents label consumption as well as revenues generated with labels. The data on label consumption is broken down by areas of application, by different label types, andby materials: Paper, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, PVC, PET, other plastics. Chapter 2 examines the respective total revenues and consumption of the various label types for 21 European countries, differentiated in each case for paper and plastic labels. A distinction is made between the different areas of application of labels: beverages, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other label consumers. In terms of label types, a distinction is made between self-adhesive labels, glued labels, shrink labels, in-mold labels and other labels. Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the most important producers of labels in Europe.
Further information: https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/labels-market-report-europe