Linerless labels and their benefits

Linerless labels have been around for several years. For a long time, they were considered a niche product in the food industry and were more expensive than conventional labels. However, they are now becoming increasingly popular in other sectors as the cost of producing these sustainable labels drops.

Linerless labels are ideal for making processes and labelling tasks more sustainable and efficient overall. This is because these sustainable labels use no backing paper, which means there is no waste. Labelling from the roll without liner makes handling easier as users can remove and apply labels directly from the printer without any intermediate step. It is also safer, as the backing paper lying around can be a tripping hazard.

How linerless label technology works

But what are linerless labels? They essentially consist of thermal paper with a protective silicone layer on the front and adhesive on the back. There is no additional liner. Linerless labels are therefore adhesive on one side.

How do linerless labels work? And how are they applied to products or packaging? Manufacturers supply linerless labels only as continuous rolls. Therefore, they are not designed for batch printing. The protective layer on the label surface makes it easy to remove the label from the roll. A mobile or  desktop printer prints the label, with only direct thermal printing currently available. Next, the printed label is cut and ejected. These waste-free labelling machines and mobile label printers ensure that the linerless label roll passes through them easily, without sticking.

A wide range of desktop and mobile printers are now available for linerless labels. These can be printed and cut to variable lengths. In addition, linerless labels can now be coated with a wide range of adhesives to suit specific requirements. The range and applications of these sustainable labels are expanding from year to year.

Linerless labels: The benefits

The deployment of linerless across businesses is beneficial for many reasons, from environmental savings to possible cost reductions. Here are few reasons why you might want to consider linerless technology for your business.

The sustainable labels reduce waste and minimise the carbon footprint

By eliminating the liner, only the roll becomes waste during the labelling process. The label remains on the labelled product or package. With conventional labels, on the other hand, the liner paper coated with glassine and silicone must be disposed of and cannot yet be easily recycled. For large warehouses and high paced retail environments in particular, this can significantly worsen the environmental impact and increase the cost of waste disposal.

The EU's Waste Framework Directive stipulates that the proportion of municipal waste recycled must be steadily increased to at least 65% of the total weight by 2035. A key measure to achieve this target is a dramatic increase in the cost of disposing of residual waste. According to the European Environment Agency, taxes in the EU still average between €39 and €46 per ton of waste sent to landfill, with a clear upward trend. In the UK, for example, it is already £100 (around €118).

With linerless labels, large warehouses, retail stores and mail order companies can make significant cost savings and more easily achieve their own environmental goals. This is because the significantly reduced amount of waste and the more environmentally friendly production without matrix waste and mesh removal minimise the carbon footprint of these sustainable labels.

Linerless labels need less space and achieve a higher yield

The same applies to the space required to store the rolls, where savings of up to 50% can be made for the same number of labels. This also means that linerless label rolls equal in size to traditional rolls, can print more labels..

Linerless labels can save costs

With linerless label rolls, the yield per roll increases and there are reduced waste disposal costs in the labelling process. This results in cost savings compared to conventional solutions. Many companies are currently testing linerless labels to take advantage of these cost benefits. The potential savings can be huge, especially for business processing large quantities of labels.

Linerless labels reduce the risk of falls

In addition, warehouse operators and transport & logistics companies can improve safety by using linerless labels, as poorly discarded backing paper can be a tripping hazard. This allows the logistics staff to concentrate on the labelling process and not have to worry about whether they are standing on the liner paper and might slip on or trip over it.

Linerless labels are easy and efficient to handle

Because users can print and apply labels directly from the printer, there is no intermediate step of removing the label from the liner. There is also no liner to dispose of. It saves a lot of time if staff do not have to plan any time or actions for the removal of the liner paper. 

Linerless labels require less frequent change of rolls

Because the paper rolls are more longer lasting, they need to be changed less often. This reduces printer downtime and staff changeover times.

Implementing linerless labels: The key challenges

If a business wants to use linerless labels in the future, there is more to it than just buying different labels: the labelling machines, for example, must be designed for it.

Are existing printing systems also suitable for linerless labels?   

Firstly, it must be clarified whether the existing printing systems can also be used for linerless labels. They probably need to be replaced. This is because only specially designed printers can handle the sticky linerless labels. A cutter is also required to cut the labels from the continuous roll. The paper path must be adapted to ensure that the roller, sensors and guides do not cause paper jams. The supplier of the label printer will be able to advise whether the existing printer is compatible or whether a new printer is required.

How to maintain linerless label printers

The next step is to estimate the maintenance costs for the linerless label printers. Like all label printers, they need to be cleaned regularly to prolong their life and achieve optimum results. The stickiness of the labels has a particular effect on the integrated cutter, which can become saturated with adhesive. It is therefore essential to clean devices regularly.

What steps will ensure a smooth transition?

The introduction of linerless labels requires careful planning to minimise efficiency losses during the transition phase. Some measures are necessary for this: For example, working with mobile printers and linerless labels requires a certain amount of dexterity when tearing off labels. Without training for the warehouse team, there is an increased risk that some of the printed labels will initially be unusable. It is therefore beneficial for the workflow management system to allow reprinting of labels, at least during the introductory phase.

Linerless technology will also involve some investment to implement successfully. However, this investment is quickly recouped through, for example, through savings in waste disposal costs so businesses should not be put off by the initial outlay for new hardware and training.

Linerless labels for your business

Linerless labels make labelling products and parcels easy and can help to mitigate some existing sustainability challenges for logistics. There is reduced waste to dispose of and the label rolls are more economical than the standard labels. It is not for nothing that market researchers are predicting growth of more than 5% in this area.

 

Market researchers at Mordor Intelligence e.g. estimate that the global linerless label market is currently worth $1.94 billion and is expected to grow to $2.51 billion by 2029. This efficient method is particularly suitable for the many labelling tasks in warehouses and goods transport. The same applies to the healthcare, food and beverage or retail sector or the electronics industry (can we verify the electronics industry) . 

Learn more about our range of linerless label printing solutions.