Label waste can quietly add up across your packaging line, driving up both environmental impact and operational costs. Fortunately, there are effective strategies to minimise waste without sacrificing label durability, clarity, or compliance. Here are three practical ways to make your labelling process leaner and greener.
1. Switch to Linerless Labels
Traditional pressure-sensitive labels come with a release liner that is discarded after application. Linerless labels eliminate this backing entirely, which immediately cuts down on waste volume.
Benefits include:
- Less waste per roll: No liner means fewer materials end up in the trash.
- More labels per roll: Without liners, rolls can hold more labels, reducing the frequency of roll changes and transport emissions.
- Lower disposal costs: Reducing waste weight helps minimise landfill fees or recycling costs.
Linerless labels are especially effective for logistics, food service, and retail settings where standard label shapes and sizes are used. Just make sure your applicators are compatible with linerless media or can be upgraded to handle them.
2. Optimise Label Sizing and Layout
Using a label larger than necessary leads to more raw material usage, higher printing costs, and more waste. Trimming down label dimensions, even slightly, can add up across production runs.
To optimise:
- Review your content layout: Take inventory of what actually needs to appear on the label. Consider moving extended information, such as ingredients, multilingual text, or promotional content, to the inner layers of peel-and-reveal or booklet labels. This lets you reduce front-facing label space without losing essential messaging.
- Use tighter margins and smaller font sizes that still meet legal and accessibility requirements. A well-organised label can fit more in less space without appearing cluttered.
- Avoid unnecessary embellishments like foil, textured varnishes, or heavy coatings unless they directly support your branding goals. These extras often increase both material waste and difficulty in recycling.
- Work closely with your label supplier or designer to reformat for efficiency. They can suggest custom shapes, material substitutions, or multi-panel layouts that preserve visual impact while cutting waste and cost.
Work closely with your label supplier or designer to reformat for efficiency without losing impact or required information.
3. Choose Recyclable or Compostable Materials Wisely
Switching to recyclable or compostable label stock sounds appealing, but only works if the materials are suited to your product and performance needs. Select materials that break down properly in your supply chain and consumer disposal environments.
For best results:
- Match adhesives to surfaces to avoid label lift-off or sticky residue.
- Test in real-world conditions for moisture, friction, and temperature exposure.
- Avoid mixing recyclable labels with non-recyclable packaging unless both can be processed together.
Some label materials like FSC-certified papers or PLA-based films strike a balance between sustainability and strength. The key is to pilot changes in smaller batches before rolling them out across product lines.
A Smarter Path Forward
Reducing label waste is less about cutting corners and more about making thoughtful choices. With the right approach—linerless rolls, streamlined sizing, and material upgrades—you can lower environmental impact without affecting performance. Each step helps move your brand toward a more efficient and responsible packaging process.