LINERLESS LABELLING
Labelling is more crucial than ever for businesses in a range of industries with increasing legislation and demands from customers at all parts of the supply chain for greater transparency fuelling this. Sustainability is also a consideration, and all these factors are driving growth in linerless labelling. “Whether it’s high‑volume manufacturing, retail fulfilment, hospitality, QSR or parcel delivery, companies are realising that traditional labelling creates avoidable waste and slows down workflows, where speed, waste reduction and operational efficiency matter,” says Deyon Antoine from Toshiba Tec UK Imaging Systems Ltd. “Organisations are under pressure to simplify processes, reduce material usage and meet sustainability expectations. Linerless labelling achieves this by removing unnecessary waste, cutting handling effort and improving throughput. “This shift is especially evident in logistics, where major operators have already deployed linerless solutions to cut waste and increase efficiency. E-commerce and parcel carriers have also turned to linerless to streamline fulfilment and lower material costs. “Retail, food production, warehousing and parcel delivery are accelerating adoption because linerless dramatically reduces waste and increases throughput
is being recognised. “The retail and hospitality sectors, in particular, are increasingly adopting removable linerless labels for applications such as order management in coffee shops and fast-food chains, as well as for click-and-collect services in retail,” he says. “The use of these labels in retail click-and-collect applications is a significant advantage during any peak seasons, helping to reduce queues and improve customer shopping experiences. “Alongside this, professional desktop linerless printers are also gaining traction in sectors like transport and logistics, where permanent linerless labels are being used for efficient package labelling and to help with product traceability.” Benoit Charnallet, TSC Auto ID product manager for the EMEA, notes that improving sustainability remains an important business goal, to either meet regulatory obligations or to incorporate more eco-friendly practices, and this trend is expected to continue. “We’re looking to expand our sustainable labelling solutions – including linerless technologies – to better enable sectors like retail to align operational efficiency with environmental goals,” he says. “The linerless label market is forecast to grow to $6.5 billion by 2036. Food and drink accounts for 41% of the linerless label market, and it’s an area where we’ve seen growth, from applications like delicatessen weighing and pricing to fast food operators where the moisture-resistant labels are widely used for quick service.” Advantages of linerless labelling There are various advantages to using linerless labelling. For instance, as these labels are not pre-cut, businesses benefit from the flexibility of variable length- printing, allowing them to customise label sizes based on their specific needs and to convey any specific information they require, Stuart says. “Additional benefits include the
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Retail, food production, warehousing and parcel delivery are accelerating adoption because linerless dramatically reduces waste and increases throughput in automated and semi-automated labelling environments.
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in automated and semi-automated labelling environments. Logistics
operators are also exploring linerless as a future standard for shipping and inventory labelling thanks to its environmental benefits and lower operational burden.” Stuart Colverd, head of POS sales Northern Europe at BIXOLON Europe GmbH, agrees that demand has continued to grow. “There has been a growing focus on sustainability across several industries,” he says. “As a result, linerless label printing innovation has grown in popularity as its ability to support environmental goals and improve operational efficiency
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