This past year has affected brand owners and manufacturers in multiple ways, forcing businesses to look for alternative, cost-effective measures. Often neglecting sustainability efforts. So, our focus has been to offer you a place to explore possibilities that can give your brand the best of both worlds.
Throughout 2022, Skanem Africa has covered multiple areas of the labelling world - highlighting issues and providing solutions in each article. We have stitched together four key points that you, as a brand owner, can take with you into the new year.
1. Sustainability within labelling and packaging
Being at the forefront of managing innovative and sustainable solutions for the future is a core aspect of what we do here at Skanem Africa. That is why we commit to engineering labels with materials and components that we know work well together and can be recycled together. We urge all brand owners to stay ahead of emerging eco-friendly and sustainability trends for labels and packaging – and to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Making educational decisions about sustainability
Making a conscious choice to become more sustainable is a great thing, but it’s not the same as putting thought into action. And to do that, we need to have a foundation of knowledge. For instance, it is crucial to know that there is a difference between environmental materials and environmentally friendly materials:
- Environmental materials are fully recyclable and renewable, usually consisting of the right combination of materials for both label and packaging called monomaterials
- Eco-friendly materials require fewer resources and less energy consumption to manufacture, but the materials are not necessarily recyclable
With this information in mind, a full audit of the product portfolio will help you determine your action plan for increasing sustainability levels. That includes reducing and improving label and packaging sizes, exploring greener material types, and looking into the different checkpoints throughout the supply chain.
Balancing sustainability and price
Adding the element of sustainability further evokes cost-related uncertainty, in a time where prices are highly affected by numerous external factors. At Skanem Africa, we are here to guide you in making sustainable choices for your labels, cutting costs, and maintaining quality.
Some of the largest industries should highly consider sustainable alternatives for their product labels. These include Food, Automotive, Beverages, Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care products.
Common for labels within nearly all industries is that reducing the label size can make a world of difference for sustainability. It is also one of the most cost-effective measures you can take when giving back to nature.
2. Supply chain challenges and remedies
In 2022, markets across Africa suffered in various sectors, significantly impacting supply chains. The labelling and printing industry were no exception, experiencing everything from material supply disruption to record-high inflation and bottlenecks.
Building supply chain resiliency has become more important for brand owners and label suppliers alike. Brand owners were urged to share forecasts with suppliers and to consider alternative materials, to name a few. Here at Skanem Africa, one of our top priorities became supply availability and allocation of materials.
We have also looked at what’s next for supply chains in 2023. And it all points to making some major changes. Depending on Europe for goods and raw materials is no longer feasible nor cost-efficient.
Turning towards other markets and using alternative routes, in Asia and the U.S., can help stabilize the supply chain. We already have options in place at Skanem Africa and do not rely on Europe alone. A global recession caused by high-interest rates should also help drive prices down.
3. Customer experience, marketing, and label design
As a label manufacturer, it’s no surprise that we always have the end customer in mind when designing labels. We have covered topics concerning different labelling elements, from visual features to smart functionalities, that are put in place to attract consumers to your specific brand.
Store shelves and first impressions
How you choose to decorate your products can be a deciding purchasing factor for a potential customer. Get creative and use different elements to stand out amongst competitors. Here are a couple of our suggestions to draw in customers:
- Visual first impressions are crucial. For instance, why not use metallic, matte, or gloss varnishes that attract attention? There are countless variations to choose from.
- Sensory design elements create an out-of-the-ordinary experience. Using different label textures or adding scents makes your product more memorable.
- Customers can interact with your brand through Smart Labels, where you can add QR codes, AR elements, and games.
Designing labels and packaging with a purpose
How your product looks and what message it conveys through your label and packaging should not be left to chance. Before the design phase, consider how certain colours or shapes could affect a customer’s experience - positively and negatively. And what kind of materials, adhesives, and applications are best suitable for your product?
Cognitive processes are also in play when selling products; your packaging and labelling are powerful influencers. Use them wisely to meet your customer’s expectations of your brand.
Last but not least, your label design should be optimized for your specific product or packaging materials and designed to handle exposure to various environments. Think about weather conditions, product transportation, storage, and how customers will use it.
Remember! Legislations and requirements state what specific labels should look like and what information must be on them. The latter should be easily accessible throughout a product's life cycle. Therefore, making sure that your labels are durable is essential.
4. Improving operations with Variable Information Printing (VIP)
Variable Information Printing is all about enhancing and speeding up processes throughout the supply chain. You can easily customize the information you want to print. It can be used on various materials and improves label quality. Most importantly, it plays a crucial part in meeting legal requirements for your labels.
Various functions of VIP include Track and Trace, authentication codes, promotional codes, and logistics facilitation. The printer, ribbon, and substrate must correlate to ensure that VIP is used correctly.
While all businesses could benefit from a VIP system in-house, some industries would struggle to function without it. Among them are delivery, logistics, freight companies, warehouse management, and fresh produce.
Moving forward into 2023
At Skanem Africa, we can advise you on printing-related questions, ensuring your brand can enter 2023 with new perspectives.
In our Checklist for Better Labels, you can learn more about how you can take your labels to the next level:
