How much should your labels be able to endure?

After application and throughout their life cycle, labels will often encounter various external aggressors, which they will have to withstand. Which ones they encounter depends on the environment they'll be exposed to. Let's look at some critical aspects within production, use, legislation and sustainability that might affect your labels.

A label is more than just a piece of paper with a creative design. The label also conveys essential information about barcodes, serial numbers, and the product itself. To ensure that your product preserves its information, labelling decor, and embellishments throughout its complete life cycle, you should be especially aware of the following three elements:

1. Your labels must be designed and constructed for all intended purposes

Have you thought about how the end consumer will use your product? Or considered what kind of wear and tear the label might be exposed to? Let's take a look at some examples:

• Bathroom steam can cause the label of a shampoo bottle to peel off if it is not designed to withstand this kind of environment.
• The label on a jar of jam fades if exposed to strong sunlight, which would be highly unfortunate for the customer experience. 
• Remember that the legal requirements for providing food information to consumers are strict. If the label on prepacked food cannot withstand cold or humid environments and falls off, the item can't be sold at all. 

Here are a couple of questions to help you consider what your label should be able to endure:

• Will the label be exposed to an outdoor environment with a multitude of weather conditions?
• Should it be permanently applied or easily removed?
• What kind of surface will the label be attached to, and what's the temperature of this surface?

Labelling materials also play a massive part in achieving your intended results. Considering that there are hundreds of different front materials, adhesives, liners, functions and colours, the compositional options are practically endless. That's why choosing a label manufacturer with the expertise and experience to assess this for you is crucial.

2. Your labels must endure various transport and storage conditions

Each time your products are transported, they are at risk of exposure to water, grease, or extreme temperatures. For instance, if they are contained for several hours in a hot or ice-cold truck or outside in the rain during container loading, this may affect the adhesive and colouring of the labels.

If your products are stored in a warehouse, you should also be aware of the surrounding products. For example, if they are stored alongside oil-based products, they might be exposed to chemicals, which your labels might not withstand.

Durable labels require materials that can survive various environmental challenges. Improperly labelled materials can cause the label to:

• Dissolve
• Shrink
• Melt
• Burn
• Discolour
• Fall off

Using the wrong label materials can lead to non-compliance with labelling regulations, loss of product traceability, product failure, and other related issues.

Read more: Packaging and labelling: Avoiding tension and blame-shifting after product launch

3. Your labels must comply with rules and regulations

In Africa and across the world, generally, there are clear requirements for how product labels should look like. As a manufacturer or importer, it’s ultimately your responsibility to ensure that your products are labelled with adequate and accurate information. 

Proper packaging and product information is especially important for pharmaceutical products. The pharmaceutical industry performs strict quality control to ensure that your product meets the necessary requirements.

Whatever label needs you have, you should choose a manufacturer who is familiar with the rules that apply to your products.

Read more: 5 things you should know before designing your new labels

Optimal labels for your products

Succeeding with packaging and labels is more complex than you might think. You must meet several requirements from both authorities and consumers. To do so, you also have to choose the right materials so that the embellishment and decor, labelling, and product information all stay with your product - throughout its life cycle.

"Packaging and labelling no longer have a 'one size fits all' solution."

Here at Skanem Africa, we know this well. To find the optimal solutions for your particular labels, we have experts who understand your specific needs and are available to solve your problems.

If you find that your current labels are not of satisfactory quality, we will be happy to help you.