To build truly sustainable shrink sleeves, you must know your overall sustainability goals.
Want more information on recyclable shrink labels? Feel free to contact us.
Compared to pressure sensitive labels, sustainable shrink forces brand owners to navigate many more variables.
If you&#;re considering incorporating stronger sustainability measures into your shrink sleeve labels, start by asking yourself: What are my sustainable packaging goals?
Every brand is different. There are thousands of answers to that question, including common goals like:
If articulating your brand&#;s goals is difficult, you need an expert who understands the industry.
And there&#;s no better resource than your label provider.
By collaborating early in the process, you unlock every potential option for getting the exact sustainable shrink sleeve label you want &#; even ones you didn&#;t realize were possible.
When your label partner understands the &#;end game&#; for your sustainability initiative, they can weigh how different parts of the packaging and shrink sleeve labeling process will impact that outcome.
In sustainable shrink sleeves, there are more limiting factors than sustainable pressure-sensitive labels.
Biodegradable shrink sleeves are a great technology, but
accessible industrial composting centers are still playing catchup &#; and these labels can&#;t be composted at home. That&#;s why most brands aim for sustainable shrink sleeves with maximum recyclability instead.
Related reading: What&#;s the difference between recycled, recyclable and recycling in packaging and labeling?
When it comes to labeling your product, details like the manufacturing process or how your co-packer runs your items through the line can affect your outcomes. Even the pairing of label material and bottle material can critically impact recyclability. For example, PET labels can only be recycled when placed on PET containers.
A good partner understands these variables. And they can flag problems or factors for you to weigh before you&#;ve placed a label order and it&#;s too late.
Six factors that can derail your sustainable label goals
Brands have been trained over the years that it&#;s okay to wait until later in the production process to work with a label provider. That&#;s often true, especially with eco-friendly pressure sensitive labels.
But green shrink sleeves are a different story.
Why does eco-design matter? Approximately 80% of environmental impacts are determined during the product and packaging design phase.
Several factors in the process can affect your long-term sustainability goals, including:
Keeping all this in mind can feel overwhelming.
The last thing you want is to overcommit to the wrong solution and settle for anything less than the sustainability goals you set for your brand.
Are you interested in learning more about copolyester shrink label? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
Schedule a consultation as early as possible &#; By working with your label partner from the start, you can establish goals for informed shrink sleeve material selection, design and processing compatibility with co-packers.
Related Reading: Why (and how) to move toward more sustainable labels.
Let&#;s zoom out for a moment. In packaging and labeling, &#;sustainability&#; is a broad umbrella term that covers a range of options. And the sustainability of a shrink sleeve isn&#;t measured in absolutes, but on a spectrum.
That&#;s because if it&#;s easy for consumers to do, they&#;ll probably follow through. In packaging and labeling, we call this &#;recyclability success.&#;
Basically: How likely is it that a consumer properly recycles a recyclable container?
There are thousands of ways to do this. This is by no means an exhaustive list of options, but designing a shrink sleeve for sustainability includes common solutions like:
When your label material differs from the bottle material, they cannot be recycled together &#; even if both are made from recyclable materials. That&#;s why you&#;ll need zippers for easy label removal.
But bottle shape can interfere with zippers by causing them to &#;pop up&#; or even burst under heat during the shrinking process. Even miscalculating the location of the zipper can negatively impact your end goal. When you include a zipper, you must design for it.
Few US-based consumers have experience with zippered label removal, so you should include instructions for disposal. Omitting clear instructions lowers the odds of recyclability success.
Downgauging doesn&#;t just refer to smaller height and width dimensions for your label, though that&#;s one option. You can decrease the thickness of your label, too.
By using less material, you&#;ve inherently built a more sustainable label. This reduces your label&#;s overall size and thickness &#; and your material consumption.
As a bonus, thinner materials weigh less, which increases density. And higher shipping density means your packaging will be less expensive to transport.
Facilities must wash packaging and labeling before they can process them into newly recycled materials. Washing isn&#;t just intended to just remove product residue &#; it&#;s also to strip inks from the label to fully &#;clean&#; it.
When you design a shrink sleeve with sustainability in mind, washable inks are crucial because they enable the overall recovery of the label that makes recycling possible.
Weighing factors like container and label material compatibility, the capabilities of your co-packers, bottle shape and design intricacies is no easy task.
Exploring the appropriateness of these options for your brand&#;s sustainability goals is easiest with the help of a partner to guide you through the process step by step.
Resource Label Group has helped countless brands achieve their shrink sleeve vision. From complimentary consultations to pre-press guidance, distortion-proofing to quality standard checks, our team is committed to helping your brand take your idea from concept to reality.
When you partner with Resource Label Group, you&#;ll find a team of experts who can point your focus to the most impactful aspects of sustainable shrink sleeve design and manufacturing. By looping in an expert label provider, you can be sure that no opportunity will be missed.
There&#;s no perfect way to design sustainable shrink sleeve labels. But with the right label partner, you&#;ll get sustainable shrink sleeves that are perfect for your brand.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of light-blocking shrink sleeve. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.