Post Labelexpo2023 article | Avery Dennison

Connecting. Together. at Labelexpo Europe 2023

Labelexpo, the world’s biggest label printing show, took place between September 11-14 at the Brussels Expo and the Avery Dennison Materials Group team was there to reconnect with customers and share our latest innovations. Our theme this year was Connecting. Together., celebrating our commitment to collaborating with partners across the packaging ecosystem so that we can all grow and achieve our shared sustainability goals.

Here are our key takeaways from the show:

Collaboration is key for a sustainable future

Converters and brand owners are facing increasing legislative pressure to demonstrate and advance the sustainability of the labels and packaging industry. Creating a circular economy for packaging is one of the key objectives of the European Commission and a cornerstone of this ambition is the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The PPWR aims to ensure that all packaging in the EU is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030, in line with the EU Green Deal and the EU Circular Economy Action Plan.

As such, we are seeing an acceleration in initiatives and innovations that consider the entire life cycle of products and involve the complete supply chain. This includes everything from how products are designed to how they enable circularity, encourage sustainable consumption, and ensure that waste is prevented and resources are kept in the economy for as long as possible.

In our discussions with partners, what has become clear is that we will not achieve large scale change by acting alone. The transition to the circular economy will be systemic, deep, and transformative, in the EU and beyond. It will also be disruptive at times and require alignment and collaboration throughout the packaging ecosystem.

Connecting. Together. at Labelexpo Europe 2023

Innovations must enable a seamless transition

Innovating to create more sustainable products is central to moving the sustainability agenda forward and protecting the planet. One key to progress, particularly in economically challenging periods, is ensuring that more sustainable alternatives are as simple as possible for partners to adopt and scale up.

With that in mind, at this year’s Labelexpo Europe we launched AD LinrSave™ and AD LinrConvert™, the first generation of decorative linerless solutions enabled by patented micro-perforation technology. Both products are easily integrated into existing equipment, and because they fit up to 80% more labels per roll, mean more efficient runs and fewer changeovers.

These more sustainable, linerless labels follow the April launch of AD XeroLinr DT™, a sustainable, linerless alternative for variable information (VI) labels. According to our Avery Dennison Carbon Footprinting Tool, which measures environmental impact, this range results in a reduction of 30% in CO2 emissions and 40% in water usage.

Another way we’re working to make reducing liner waste as painless as possible is through AD Circular, our program for recycling used paper and filmic label liners in countries across Europe. To participate, companies simply sign up, collect their used label liners for pickup, and then we work with our recycling partners to take care of the rest.

Both of these innovations are great examples of how we can work to ensure that the sustainable choice is always the simple and preferred choice.

The future of products is connected

Digitization was another hot topic at this year’s Labelexpo Europe. Specifically, brands turning their products into connected products by assigning them unique digital IDs using technology like QR codes and radio frequency identification (RFID) was a clear trend.

The growth in intelligent labels containing these technologies is being driven by a combination of changing consumer preferences and emerging regulations. Intelligent labels help brands meet these changing preferences and requirements by enabling more efficient processes and supply chain transparency, but brand owners told us that their benefits go beyond that. For example, digitizing products also empowers them to seamlessly deliver enhanced, personalized consumer experiences across multiple sales channels and geographies.

Avery Dennison is uniquely placed to help brands navigate this next frontier. We offer a holistic solution that includes the label, the digital trigger or “data carrier,” and our cloud-based atma.io connected product platform. This enables the tracking, storage, and management of every event associated with an individual product, from source to consumer and beyond, ensuring end-to-end transparency and offering benefits to brands and consumers alike.

Together we can overcome our challenges

The future of our industry holds both formidable challenges and boundless promise. No company can overcome the environmental and economic challenges we face alone, but if the entire ecosystem works together, we can collectively create substantial progress - and achieve our business goals. At Labelexpo Europe 2023, we were delighted to reconnect with many others who share this vision.

Learn more

To learn more about what we did at Labelexpo Europe 2023, visit our Labelexpo page.

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Connecting. Together. at Labelexpo Europe 2023