Labeling Machines: Complex Technology Creates Eye-Catching Packaging
Today’s bottle labels offer much more than just information about product ingredients,from customized visually appealing representations of the brand to biodegradable packaging components. Labeling machine manufacturers need to consider both existing and future trends and requirements to meet the demands of the packaging solutions market. In this article, you’ll learn about potential innovative packaging solutions and labeling systems that can clearly represent brands and help companies retain customers.
When a consumer stands in front of store shelves to decide which drink or liquid food product to buy, the first things they look at are bottle labels. Creating beverage packaging that stands out is only achievable with modern labeling machines – they make profitable bottle labels possible.
When designing labels, manufacturers need to consider the legal requirements for labeling beverage packaging based on European Food Information Regulations (LMIV). Today’s consumers also demand a new kind of buying experience and sustainable labeling for effective recycling. This is reflected in global market developments and resulting trends in the beverage and liquid food industry, such as the production and market launch of vegan labels.
From eco-friendly labeling components to the latest adhesive solutions, there are exciting developments afoot in the packaging solutions industry. Using modern labeling technology, companies can use labeling machines for much more than simply providing information. You can see these diverse labeling systems for yourself, along with the latest trends, at drinktec 2022.
Legal Foundations: Labeling Machines Must Conform to Bottle Labeling Requirements
Bottle label production using labeling machines must comply with mandatory regulations. The LMIV, valid across the entire EU, sets minimum requirements for listing ingredients and indicating their origins to keep end consumers sufficiently informed about products. For example, consumer information on wine labels serves to ensure transparent communication with the consumer. Generally-applicable labeling rules specifically require the product designation, allergen labeling, net quantity, best-before date, company address, and much more, according to the consumer advice center. This makes the label one of the most important information channels for consumers, who now demand more and more transparency from companies. For example, the vegan label and the Nutri-score for liquid food are potential sales pitches deeply rooted in the thinking of today’s beverage manufacturers.
Labeling Machines 2.0: Solutions for Three Significant Challenges
The creative spirit of countless companies in the beverage and liquid food industry motivates them to offer consumers high-quality and visually appealing products. However, their creative innovations are repeatedly confronted with technical challenges. Along with creative innovations, labeling machine manufacturers and producers of new packaging solutions must also constantly demonstrate their technological expertise. Using this know-how, they can revolutionize three key areas to meet current market requirements:
- The Bottle Label as a Product Experience
Many beverage producers want to give customers a premium experience – one that attracts attention with new visual and haptic features. MCC is a labeling provider offering individual labeling solutions for manufacturers in various areas of beverage packaging. These include materials like wood and reactive printing inks. Photochromic labels are visually appealing to end consumers: the color of their surface changes when they come into contact with sunlight.
- Labeling Machines Implement Innovative Adhesive Solutions
Bottle labels need adhesive to stay in place, so adhesives experts are constantly developing new technologies. For example, dispersion adhesive, an innovative, water-based adhesive from printing specialist Garreis, prevents both fire and explosion hazards, along with the release of harmful solvents. Other premium innovations, such as hot-melt adhesives with synthetic polymers from the Swiss family company artimelt, are particularly suitable for long-term storage or heavy transport.
- Sustainable Labels
Recycling is one of today’s most essential requirements in the beverage sector. Packaging solutions that can be returned to the production cycle as easily as possible are in high demand. Because of this, Britvic, a big player in the soft drink packaging field, uses sustainable labels from CCL (world market leader in label production), which recycle particularly easily. Labels like this are applied by labeling machines so that they can be easily removed from bottles for problem-free recycling.
Trending Topic: Bottle Labels Are Constantly Evolving
Around the world, these innovative approaches to labeling confront today’s challenges. Additionally, there are new trends with the potential to become marketable packaging solutions in the future. Players in the beverage and liquid food industry should keep these new developments, among others, mind:
- Customized Bottle Labels
Personalized beverages meet consumer expectations when it comes to individuality and enjoying what they consume. Customers choose products that they associate with their own identities. As a result, there are more and more suppliers creating individualized bottle labels for bottling plants.
- Biodegradable Labels
Consumers want to be able to easily tell from a design whether a drink or food is an environmentally-friendly product. The demand for more sustainable consumer practices also affects labeling machines. As a result,labels are being made from biodegradable components. But it doesn’t end there. Sustainability starts with production and continues during consumption – for example, with paper drinking straws.
- Vegan Labels
The vegan community is growing, as is the demand for animal-free products – from the ingredients to outer packaging. As a result, beverage packaging manufacturers feel compelled to use label adhesives free of animal products. Out with casein, for example, a glue made from milk as a protein component. Vegan labels and designations reassure consumers that both the contents and the packaging of a beverage are of purely plant origins.
drinktec 2022: The Best in Labeling Solutions
From the 12 to 16 September, drinktec will showcase the best of modern labeling machines and labeling trends in Munich. Exhibitors at drinktec will present the widest range of approaches when it comes to quality, design, and functionality.
The days of old-fashioned, cumbersome labels embossed for eternity are over. Don’t miss the opportunity to get the latest industry insights from exciting talks and engaging discussions with experts.
Would you like to find out about current trends on the beverage market and exchange professional information? Then we invite you to take part in the next drinktec, which will be held in Munich from September 12 to 16, 2022.
