Pressure-sensitive label growth faces competition from other labeling and packaging options, but it still commands 40% of the overall label market share and grew 3.9% in 2016 over the previous year.
Those figures come from AWA Alexander Watson Associates’ new market analysis, “AWA Global Pressure-sensitive Label Market Study 2017.”
As of 2016 volumes, Asia now represents the leading region for pressure-sensitive label demand at 27%, says the report. That eclipses the developed markets of Europe and North America.
AWA Alexander Watson Associates President and CEO Corey M Reardon, says, “Variable information print (VIP) labels are a strong growth area for the versatile pressure-sensitive label, in line with the increasing requirements of today’s transportation and logistics activities, in terms not only of track-and-trace and stock and inventory management, but also for product authentication—for example, RFID-enabled labels.
“What is more, online consumer purchasing activities are continuing to drive VIP label developments and usage. Pressure-sensitive labels are also extremely adaptable in terms of their available application technologies, which can vary from hand-held label printers for individual packs to mass serialization on the label press,” says Reardon.
The report examines end-use markets for p-s labels, setting them in the context of the overall product decoration technology platform. “While glue-applied labels still enjoy substantial usage globally, the new sleeving technologies now enjoy a significant market share and continue to grow, while in-mold labeling remains a niche, but growing market,” Reardon explains. “Direct-to-container digital print is an area to watch, and flexible packaging has the capability to revolutionize the whole product packaging market.”
![“Another key [UDI] benefit, because we're calling that product by the same name across the healthcare supply chain… rich and robust data that we can access around supply consumption and utilization rates. One of the buzz terms we've heard during the COVID-19 crisis was what's my burn rate? How fast am I going through gowns, masks, gloves?” – Mike Schiller, Senior Director at AHRMM](https://img.healthcarepackaging.com/files/base/pmmi/all/image/2020/08/UDI.5f4d326e41d53.png?auto=format&fit=crop&h=146&w=340)
