Innovative Solution Solves Space-Restricted Labeling Challenge
With the dramatic increase in the amount of information required on today’s packaging, brand owners struggle to meet the requirements within the limited space available on their products.
The recent development of Roll-Fed Extended Content Labels (ECLs), also called booklet labels, provides brand owners with a sustainable solution that increases the available content area by up to 200 percent, utilizes existing materials and labeling equipment, and maintains current production line speeds.
New labeling requirements
Brand owners face new challenges to comply with labeling requirements from state and federal governments as well as export countries, while at the same time meeting their needs to provide multi-language information and marketing messages.
Limitations of current solutions
While some manufacturers’ labels instruct users to check their websites for the material safety data sheets, that is not an acceptable solution because it jeopardizes the user’s ability to find emergency treatment information in time-critical situations, creating both safety and liability issues. To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, key information must remain with the product; thus merely putting information as a secondary label on a product’s cap is not a viable solution since it is usually removed and disposed.
Innovative solution
Quality Assured Label recently introduced BackPack® Roll-Fed ECL, an innovative, patented labeling solution that is engineered to increase the content area on roll-fed labeled consumer products. BackPack® Roll-Fed ECL is a multi-page booklet construction that can be opened from 10 to 350 degrees, offering up to 200 percent more content area. Roll-Fed ECL labels are available as full page or partial height window constructions. For increased usability, easy open tabs and under bite may be added.
BackPack® Roll-Fed ECL, which features single-pass, in-line printing and finishing, eliminates the risk of mismatched components. It performs well with the three major brands of roll-fed labeling equipment and runs on existing label equipment using existing specifications and unsupported film materials with no reduction in line speed. Since no equipment modifications are needed, changing over to this state-of-the-art labeling solution is seamless.
Unlike typical pressure sensitive booklet labels, which are bulky, BackPack® Roll-Fed ECL layers of material are thinner and weigh less. Roll-Fed ECLs are delivered without adhesive. The adhesive is applied at the point of application. This contrasts to pressure sensitive labels, which are delivered on a roll, and have adhesive on the entire back and a liner, requiring disposal. With Roll-Fed labels, the machine puts adhesive on the leading edge, wraps it around, and then puts a bit of adhesive on the trailing edge, creating the roll-fed overlap.
To ensure consistent application and reliable performance regardless of environmental temperature, BackPack® Roll-Fed ECLs have been tested in humidity chambers, dry ovens, hot ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, and freezers. Adhesives can be formulized and pattern application can be customized so the desired degrees of adhesion (booklet closure) aggressiveness can be achieved, allowing booklet labels to be opened and closed hundreds of times. This ensures that the product will retain its original shelf appearance even if a potential buyer opens and reads it and then returns the product to the store shelf.
Economic and efficiency benefits
With their ability to increase available content space, using BackPack® Roll-Fed ECLs enable manufacturers to provide multi-lingual information on one SKU, thus eliminating the need to inventory a separate SKU for each language offering. With one SKU, multiple runs and multiple graphics are not required.
Roll-Fed film is less expensive than pressure sensitive material, which is typically used for booklet constructions. Switching from pressure-sensitive booklets to Roll-Fed ECLs can noticeably reduce the cost of packaging.
Brand owners also have the opportunity to use the increased label space to include marketing messages about related products, while at the same time maintaining the product’s shelf appeal. In addition to regulatory information, brand owners can differentiate their products by including information about the product’s uses and benefits, which is valuable to consumers who are trying to educate themselves before making their buying decisions.
Sustainability
Studies have shown that switching from pressure sensitive ECLs to Roll-Fed ECLs offers significant savings in material. In addition, the cost and complications of disposing of non-recyclable liners containing silicone is eliminated. Not only do Roll-Fed ECLs use fewer natural resources, but their lighter weight also means manufacturing and shipping costs are reduced.
Manufacturers producing multiple SKUs can benefit by using Roll-Fed ECLs because the roll-fed method enables them to easily change graphics. Rather than having pre-printed cans brought in, they can just inventory blank cans and produce the needed SKU.
Optimal solution
Before the development of BackPack® Roll-Fed ECLs, brand owners did not have an effective method for providing necessary regulatory compliance and product information or marketing messages in a cost effective, easy to implement, and environmentally friendly way.
This technologically advanced solution provides manufacturers dramatically more content area and ensures that the information is easy to read. Since BackPack® Roll-Fed ECLs require no capital investment, reduce the need for multiple SKUs for multi-language content, and enable manufacturers to maintain current production line speed, they offer the optimal way to meet today’s labeling challenges.