Sustainability reshaping future of printed labels

  • Articles
  • Oct 30,21
Pressure sensitive labels - accounting for 44.6% in volume and 55.3% in value of the printed labels market- will have the largest market share in 2021 with consumption of 538.6 billion A4 equivalents valued at $24.9 billion
Sustainability reshaping future of printed labels

The drive towards greater sustainability is a trend that cuts across all end use markets. Consumers are increasingly expecting packaging, particularly plastic packaging, to be recyclable and there is a drive from all players in the packaging supply chain to ensure that materials are optimised to facilitate the recycling process. According to a new report from Smithers, “The Future of Printed Labels to 2026”, the use of pressure sensitive labels and sleeves is increasing, with the traditional wet glue label falling out of favour in most regions. Pressure sensitive labels are easy to apply and are adaptable to a wide range of packaging shapes and types.


The printed label market in 2021 is valued at $41.75 million with a volume of 1.21 billion A4 equivalents. The market grew by 4.3% CAGR in volume and by 3.7% in value between 2016 and 2019, however, the market contracted in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic that had a recessionary effect across all world economies. This led to the market falling in 2020 by 1.1% in volume and 0.8% in value compared to the previous year. The printed labels market is expected to recover swiftly, with a return to pre-pandemic levels of activity projected to take place during 2021, leading to 6.6% growth by volume and 5.8% by value compared to 2020. Ongoing growth is expected from 2020 onwards at a slightly subdued rate compared to the early days of the review period with 4.0% CAGR by volume and 2.9% CAGR in value terms forecast for the five years to 2026.

Impact of COVID-19
Any part of the print industry associated with graphic arts, advertising and event marketing has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, whereas package printing has been affected to a lesser degree. In the case of those parts of the packaging business involved in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical markets, print volume has seen a boost of volume, particularly in the early days of the pandemic when food retailers were faced with unprecedented demand.

During the pandemic, demand for printed labels in many countries went through a cycle of strong demand from consumers, de-stocking, and subsequent re-establishment of the retail pipeline with this cycle repeated with decreasing magnitude for each successive wave of infection.

Leading types of labels
Pressure sensitive labels have the largest market share in 2021 with consumption of 538.6 billion A4 equivalents valued at $24.9 billion. Pressure sensitive labels accounts for 44.6% of the volume and 55.3% of the value and use of this label type is increasing throughout the review period and growth is forecast at 5.2% CAGR by volume and 4.0% by value between 2021 and 2026. The second most used label type are wet glue labels which represent 37.5% of the volume and 19.0% of the value in 2021 with demand of 452.9 billion A4 equivalents worth $7.9 billion. Wet glue labels are forecast to grow by 2.3% in volume and 0.8% in value between 2021 and 2026, but are being slowly substituted by pressure sensitive labels.

Market dominance by Asia
The demand for printed labels in Asia has grown consistently, largely due to high growth in demand from China, India, and Japan. As a result, the market share for this region has grown from 2016 to 2021 and is projected to continue to increase up to 2026.

Asia is the largest geographic region for printed labels throughout the review period and in 2021 had a share of 45.4% of global volume and 36.0% of the value, worth $15.0 billion against a volume of 549.2 billion A4 equivalents. The market in Asia is growing throughout the review period, and continued to do so albeit at a modest rate through the crisis of 2020. The market is forecast to grow at 4.5% CAGR in value and 5.7% in volume between 2021 and 2026. North America and Western Europe are the next two largest markets for printed labels and these three regions combined account for 86.0% of the value and 81.1% of the volume in 2021.

Label proliferation and regulation
There is an increasingly complex legislative framework with mandatory inclusion of a range of information including, for example, ingredients of food stuffs, and traceability/authentication elements for many tobacco products. These factors have placed a strain on existing label supply chains that had been set up to cater for economic production of long runs of labels with infrequent design changes. Digital printing technologies form part of the answer to dealing with the increase in demand for short to medium run labels, and digital technology has evolved to the point where it is becoming a viable technology for all print run lengths. Courtesy: Smithers’ new report “The Future of Printed Labels to 2026”

Related Stories

Chemicals, Lubricants & Raw Material
Ahlstrom to build production line for molecular filtration media

Ahlstrom to build production line for molecular filtration media

Ahlstrom - one of the leading players in the global filtration industry - is investing in a new production line for molecular filtration media in Turin, Italy, to expand further its offering for ind..

Read more
Automation & Robotics
Gujarat's IT/ITeS sector gears up for transformative growth and global collaboration

Gujarat's IT/ITeS sector gears up for transformative growth and global collaboration

In the fiscal year 2021-22, Gujarat achieved a remarkable 14% annual growth in IT/ITeS exports. As part of its strategic plan, the state aims to boost these exports to Rs 25,000 crore over the next ..

Read more
Electrical & Electronics
Tata Group explores Land for Semiconductor ATMP Unit

Tata Group explores Land for Semiconductor ATMP Unit

Instead of immediately setting up a full-fledged fabrication plant, the Tata Group plans to concentrate on the ATMP unit for the near term.

Read more

Related Products

Carbide Burrs

ABRASIVES & FINISHING EQUIPMENT

SRT Industrial Tools & Equipments offers a wide range of carbide burrs.


Read more

Request a Quote

Jamshedji Soil Compactor

ABRASIVES & FINISHING EQUIPMENT

Jamshedji Constro Equip Pvt Ltd offers a wide range of jamshedji soil compactor.


Read more

Request a Quote

Ground Pins

ABRASIVES & FINISHING EQUIPMENT

Hans Machineries Private Limited offers a wide range of pins, hardened & ground. Read more

Request a Quote

Hi There!

Now get regular updates from IPF Magazine on WhatsApp!

Click on link below, message us with a simple hi, and SAVE our number

You will have subscribed to our Industrial News on Whatsapp! Enjoy

+91 84228 74016

Reach out to us

Call us at +91 8108603000 or

Schedule a Call Back