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At a time when FMCG manufacturers face unprecedented pressure from retailers and regulators to reduce packaging waste, linerless labels appear to be nothing short of a godsend. There's the obvious advantage that they reduce waste - backing paper usually contains silicone, which is seen as a contaminant in normal paper recycling. Then there are the cost savings that result from storing, transporting and running linerless labels.

It's not surprising, therefore, that suppliers of labelling machinery have been scrambling to bring to market linerless-capable equipment; this year's Interpack saw several companies parading new linerless labellers and it was the same story at Label Expo in Chicago last month.

But is linerless all it's cracked up to be? Has it lived up to expectations or are packaged goods manufacturers better off focusing their waste reduction efforts elsewhere? The proof of the pudding is in the tasting – or in the case of linerless – in the number of companies willing to part with cash in the short term in return for the promise of improved labelling economics in the longer term.

Paul Beamish is managing director of Bury St Edmunds-based Ravenwood Packaging, whose linerless-capable equipment includes applicators for top labels, C-wraps, wraparound labels, vertical labels and bottle labels. He says he is seeing massive growth in demand for linerless. "We've been offering linerless solutions for four years and have more than 500 applicators installed in the UK and Ireland," he says. "Benefits include faster line speeds, quicker changes and more labels per reel, as well as cost savings and environmental advantages."

Continuous cutting
Cheshire-based Cobalt IS, meanwhile, launched a linerless print and apply system at last year's Total. It is said to be different to the competition in that it uses a cutting mechanism that enables the use of a continuous reel of media, cut to the required length after printing. This means variable label lengths can be created from the same media without the need for changeover. Director Janet Thorpe says she is very pleased with the way the market has taken to the products.

"Linerless has made system justification so much clearer, particularly where you are not replacing a manual system," she says. "The longer uptime and reduced attention, along with the waste savings, really add to the case."

Richard Scott, UK marketing and product manager at labelling equipment manufacturer Sato, isn't quite as ebullient about the market's response. "Most of our machines have been capable of linerless for some years and demand is growing gradually. It's steady, but it's not huge because it generally means persuading users to make changes to their systems."

Besides capital cost, which is always going to be a barrier to the adoption of new technology, the limited variety of label shapes that can be produced or run on a linerless system could impede future take-up."With linerless you can really only do a straight cut across the label, so it becomes a rectangle," says Scott. "In logistics that's not a problem, but where the label is used to enhance the appearance of an item it is a shortcoming."

In order that linerless labels can be used instead of conventional pressure sensitive labels for decorative labelling applications, systems need to be developed that can die-cut linerless labels. Although no such system is commercially available yet, several equipment manufacturers are working towards this goal.
Ravenwood Packaging makes no secret of its intention to develop a linerless applicator for every self-adhesive application. Beamish explains: "In the past there have been linerless systems that use die-cut labels – so it is possible to do. They weren't particularly reliable, but then we are talking 10-15 years ago. The biggest challenge with die-cutting the labels on the applicator is making the machine operator-friendly enough."
Harland Machine Systems, which has its UK base in Salford, looks likely to be the first to cross the finish line, with an applicator that is in the demonstration stage. At the heart of the system is a laser die-cutter which enables it to cut the profile of the label while it is on the web, in contrast to conventional systems that require die-cutting to be undertaken on-press. After die-cutting, the adhesive on the back of the label is activated and because the system maintains full control of the label, there is no need for it to be supported by a liner. "Nobody else uses laser to cut labels in this way," says the company's technical manager, Alan Nuttall.

Nuttall suggests the system is most likely to be used on high volume lines in the home and personal care product industries, owing to the initially lofty price of the equipment. But potential buyers shouldn't be put off by the fact the system costs more than a conventional pressure-sensitive applicator – Harland reckons it will pay for itself within 12 months.

Slow start
However, not everyone is convinced that the future's linerless. Weyfringe, for example, says it has sourced and approved print engines for linerless labels which it can incorporate into its RTL Label print and apply machines, but that demand is virtually nil.

The Cleveland, Tyneside-based firm's Andrew Gleghorn believes there are several reasons for this. "There are fewer converters of linerless labels, so pricing is not particularly competitive," he says. "The investment required for a linerless system is greater than for a conventional system and the amount of silicon needed to coat the linerless media to prevent them sticking to themselves on the roll dramatically reduces the 'green' benefits."

BBK Labelling in Wigan, Lancashire, does not offer a linerless machine and says it is yet to be convinced that there is a market opportunity to justify investment in the amount of development required to make it a viable option. Instead, it has been busy working on a new rotary system with seam detection for aerosol labelling. This system is said to double the throughput of a conventional three-roller wrap system.

Wilson Clark, general manager UK with German kit manufacturer Logopak, takes the view that linerless systems, and their need for guillotines or other cutting devices, add to print-apply labeller complexity and the potential for breakdown. "Since an entire line may depend on the correct functioning of one or two print-apply labelling machines, the cost of downtime as a result of labelling machine failure can be extremely high and will inevitably outweigh the limited material savings from linerless systems," he says.

Logopak has put reliability at the top of its development programme, the fruits of which can already be seen in the form of the software used in its new Power Leap III control system.

Should a barcode fail to read correctly when scanned after label application, the image is shifted to a new area on the print imaging plate before the code is reprinted using a different set of individual heating elements and applied. The process is then repeated should the barcode fail to read at the second attempt. In this way the effects of dirt or other contamination, as well as any fault with individual heating elements, can be avoided and the machine is able to continue in production.

The new Power Leap III controls also include an additional microchip to regulate the heating elements in such a way that life is extended by up to five times compared with the industry standard of about 500,000 labels 100mm long, or 50km.

Linerless labelling might have met with a mixed reception so far, but if the promised innovations in systems which can die-cut linerless labels deliver, it won't be long before linerless is the rule rather than the exception.