Impact of COVID-19: Labels

Since the arrival of COVID-19, packaging has never been more important. It can act as a protective barrier to a product, extend a product’s shelf life, offer security to brands and customers that the product has not been tampered with, and build a connection with customers.

One packaging product that's been heavily impacted by COVID-19 are labels:

More Growth

Labels have seen huge growth since the pandemic for a multitude of reasons:

• Increased demand from the food, beverage, hygiene, and pharmaceutical markets.
• New need for social distancing labels for public spaces, such as malls and supermarkets.
• Demand for add-on labels to act as a tamper-evident seal to existing packaging. Although labels have been used as an additional security measure for years, the pandemic has created a demand for seals on a broader range of products, hotel rooms, rental cars, and so much more.

Innovation

The growth of e-commerce brought additional touchpoints in a product’s shipping journey, which brands must consider when designing their packaging. This has created a demand for scuff-resistant labels and specialty finishes, inks, and embellishments to ensure a product stands out online amongst the competition.

Demand for Technology

The pandemic has spurred the growth of intelligent packaging in the form of QR codes, traceability software, and anti-counterfeiting solutions. Although not every product may require this level of authentication or customer connection, we see many more brands integrate technology into their packaging, whether needed or not.

Sustainable Solutions

Although the pandemic slowed down the sustainable packaging movement in some respects, with hygiene concerns sustaining the need for single-serve packaging, consumers are still looking for packaging with lower environmental impact. For labels, this could mean using materials made from post-consumer waste, FSC-certified materials, stone paper, and other more sustainable alternatives.

For more information about labels and our capabilities, reach out to our team here or request a quote online.