Self-adhesive labels: slow growth in the EU

According to a report by Finat, the demand for self-adhesive label materials in Europe stands at 5.78 billion sqm, up 1.7% compared to 2011.

With a market share of around 45%, however the self-adhesive segment strengthens its dominant position among the labeling technologies in Europe, followed by glue (40%), sleeve (7%), in-mold (3%) and other technologies. The annual average linear growth trend of 5% that featured up to the middle of the last decade appears at any rate to be over. Evidently the label industry has not escaped the global financial and economic crisis. But not only that, with the stabilization of the levels of consumption in Western Europe demand for self-adhesive labels has become more sensitive to the volatility of consumer behavior. However there are two balancing factors: the innovation regarding roll-fed labels and the growth potential offered by the markets of Eastern Europe.