The Self-Adhesive Label Market Is Continuously Growing

According to Research, the Trend Is Clear: The Self-Adhesive Label Market Has Never Been Growing So Much

According to a global study conducted last year by AWA, the self-adhesive label market is experiencing strong growth. In fact, it has never grown so rapidly. The study reports that the total demand for label materials reached just under 65 million square meters. This trend is confirmed by several other market analyses, which forecast a significant increase in self-adhesive label production and sales over the next five years.

Why We Label

A more global market and the continuous growth of digital shopping make product image a decisive factor in influencing customer choices. The label is one of the first things a consumer notices when approaching a store display—whether physical or digital. That is why today, whether industrial or artisanal, mainstream or niche, luxury or low-budget, products are labeled and packaged to be immediately identifiable. In this context, graphic design and visual identity are fundamental to a product’s success.

The Success of Self-Adhesive Labels

Self-adhesive labels are the best-selling product in the labeling sector worldwide, accounting for 40% of total sales. Following them, according to AWA, are traditional wet-glue labels, covering 35% of global demand. The success of self-adhesive labels lies in their versatility, making them suitable for commercial, textile, and food sectors. Thanks to continuously updated innovative technologies, self-adhesive labels are extremely easy to apply, versatile, and increasingly visually appealing, while always meeting standards of safety, durability, quality, and environmental sustainability.

Flexibility and Durability

One of the future challenges is to make labels even more flexible, capable of enduring over time and in varied environmental conditions, and able to adhere perfectly to surfaces and materials of different kinds. Future developments will focus on printing technologies such as digital, laser, flexography, and rotogravure. Sleeve labels, in particular, are experiencing great success for their adaptability. They are heat-shrinkable: printed first, then applied to the package in a special oven at controlled temperatures, allowing the sleeve to conform perfectly even to irregular surfaces.

Individual Label Customization

Another key aspect is the ability to create unique and highly personalized labels quickly and cost-effectively. Identifying a line or collection of products with common elements while keeping each label unique is a trend that continues to grow. ILMA Etichette, using HP Indigo digital printing technology, has already experimented with variable data printing, allowing the creation of countless unique graphics, each differing in details or combinations of elements. Yet, the design maintains a consistent style across all labels, playing with dominant colors and recurring motifs to distinguish products within the same range. Despite infinite graphic variations, each label retains its distinct identity. Some of these solutions were presented at the Fedrigoni Top Award 2021.

Green Labels

The future will also be increasingly eco-friendly—not a matter of color trends, but of environmental awareness. Packaging, production processes, and handling must become more environmentally conscious. Future processes will minimize waste, use recycled and sustainable materials, and carefully consider inks and adhesives. Linerless labels, which come on rolls without silicon backing, are an example of this trend, reducing material, waste, and volume while lowering transport impact.

Sectors Driving Innovation

Certain sectors are particularly sensitive to self-adhesive labels, driving future technological development. For example, the automotive industry requires labels capable of withstanding high temperatures and severe conditions, such as engine vibrations. These labels need flexible, durable materials, high-performance adhesives, and sometimes luminescent inks for visibility in the dark. Manufacturing will continue to demand innovative labeling for product tracking and identification at every stage. In the luxury sector, labels and packaging are receiving increasing attention: they are the “attire” of the product and must be refined, distinctive, and technically precise. A similar trend is seen in self-production and artisanal economies, which are growing steadily. While manufacturers previously focused almost exclusively on product quality and raw materials, today visual appeal is equally important, requiring simple yet high-performing labels suitable for non-automated printing and application. The craft beer sector provides a clear example of this trend.