Consumers Raise a Toast to Sustainable Labelling
Labels for wines, spirits and beers must meet high performance stands, and now sustainability demands add a new layer of complexity. Stefano Pistoni, Senior Manager, Business Growth, Wine & Spirits, EMEIA at UPM Adhesive Materials explores how producers can marry technical and aesthetic needs with sustainability.
The sustainability shift
The European alcoholic beverages market is expected to grow by 4.61 % between 2025 and 2030, driven by demand for premium, craft and functional alcoholic beverages. But producers must also navigate regulatory pressures, shifting
26 FDPP- www. fdpp. co. uk consumer expectations, supply chain disruptions and economic instability.
An area that is seeing a growing push from government agendas and pull from consumers across the board is sustainability. A recent survey found that‘ the most common environmental factors alienating customers from brands’ for over four out of five respondents were poor compliance, human rights and environmental track records, unsustainable packaging and the irresponsible sourcing of materials.
Therefore, unsurprisingly, 57 % of global brand owners now rank“ recyclable or recycled content” among their top three packaging priorities. As a result, the sustainability of alcoholic beverages is under the microscope like never before. With growing environmental concerns, producers are having to adopt more sustainable practices, not just in ingredient sourcing and production, but in packaging and distribution as well.
More than just a label
Labels play an increasingly pivotal role in the beverages category. As companies are required to decrease the number of materials they use, secondary packaging is being removed, concentrating even more product messaging onto the label. Also, label choice can have a big impact on the overall recyclability of the beverage packaging, impacting the quality of recyclate and downcycling of valuable raw materials.
When it comes to beverage labelling, material performance is critical throughout the entire