Sustainability is a question of etiquette

Labels are starting to speak not only the language of marketing - with its claims - or safety - with its ingredients, nutritional values and production and expiry dates. They are now having information added to them about recycled raw materials, processing waste and renewable sources because only with this level of communication can consumers make informed and not just emotional choices.

by Lorenzo Capitani

Words often reveal more than we think. Etichetta in Italian, and étiquette in French or Etikette in German, come from the Spanish etiqueta, which means 'written protocol' or 'court ceremonial': hence the prescriptive and informative character of the label. On the other hand, English prefers the formal aspect, and so label means a narrow strip of paper, like the French riband of the 16th century from which it is descended.

Today, in the label, understood as the small piece of paper applied to various objects to indicate their content, origin, price or other characteristics, the two aspects coexist and combine to summarise the critical function of this indispensable part of packaging. The history of the printed label goes back at least 400 years when it was made with embossed stamps, in metal or wood, on paper made by hand using a wooden press and a twisting mechanism. But the need to identify the contents of containers is as old as commerce, if not as old as humans: Egyptian amphorae already had scrolls identifying their contents. The advent of offset opened the door to the printed label; in 1935, in Los Angeles, Stan Avery, at the age of 22, invented the adhesive label by applying a layer of water-sensitive glue to paper discs that were then cut to different shapes. Just two years later, in 1937, the self-adhesive label originated. Simply removing a corner of the protective paper and applying the label to the product, the product was transformed from an anonymous good into one with a defined identity. The history of wine labels is a case in point. Until the spread of glass bottles, the seal on the cork of the barrel was sufficient to identify the wine, but afterwards, a clear indication became indispensable. The oldest is still considered to be that written by the monk Pierre Pérignon, the famous 'Don', who, in order not to confuse vintages and vineyards of origin and quality of the wine to be aged, labelled the bottles with a parchment that was tied around the neck of the bottle with a piece of string. However, the inventor of the label as we understand it today seems to be the Swiss Henri-Marc, owner of the Maison De Venoge, who in 1840 proposed his own champagne bottles with illustrated labels similar to those of today.

And so, labels have become an important marketing tool. The increasingly global market and the continuous growth of online shopping make the product's image a decisive aspect in orienting and influencing the customer. The label is the first thing the consumer looks at. That is why today, whether industrial or artisanal, niche, luxury or low-cost, every product is labelled and equipped with packaging that identifies it immediately and unequivocally. Before the energy shock and the start of the conflict in Ukraine with the introduction of sanctions against Russia, the label sector alone saw an increase in production of 16% and turnover of 10%. On 9 March 2022, Assografici issued a communiqué reporting that the publishing and commercial printing and packaging sectors are now at significant risk concerning production continuity. As Philippe Voet, president of FINAT (the European self-adhesive label industry association), commented: "Since last summer (2021, ed.), the world economy has had to cope with a shortage of elements that contribute to production: energy, chemicals, pulp, waste paper, plastics, inks, transport, laminates and, last but not least, human resources." Apart from the economic downturn, let's try to analyse the labelling market to see where it is going.

Sustainability and environmental labelling

As with the entire packaging sector, the drive for sustainability is also strongly influencing labelling. And, perhaps, we are going beyond the vague concept of 'green', which has seemed more like a trend than a substantial change, to involve the product's entire life and its elements coherently and pragmatically. It is pointless saying that the box is 'zero km' if it cannot be recycled because it is made up of different materials that are difficult to separate. The words of Chiara Faenza, Head of Sustainability and Innovation Values at Coop, which has been working on a project inspired by the Kyoto Protocol since 2006, are illuminating: "The choice of any packaging must be driven by a reflection that combines several aspects: respect for the environment, functionality, marketing, food safety, recycling, end-of-life. A virtuous example in this sense are the labels of loose fruit and vegetables that Coop has made compostable, and therefore easily disposable with the wet residue." The journey toward essential packaging and refills was abruptly interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic when the packaged product came back into the limelight. "Although it's contradictory," continues Faenza, "this dynamic shows that the consumer is aware and simply needs to be guided, with dedicated communication." And the label is the right tool: the so-called 'environmental label(1)', which explains how to recycle, has become a standard(2) since September 2020 and will be compulsory from January 2023, although existing packaging without the European label can still be used while stocks last. For very small or special products, where there is no space on the label for an extended description, it will be possible to use a QR code or point to a website.

In short, the two-year period 2022-23 is a turning point for packaging because producers must indicate the alpha-numeric coding that indicates the type of material on all packaging (primary, secondary and tertiary); packaging intended for consumers must also contain the appropriate wording to support them in sorted waste collection. And so labels are starting to speak not only the language of marketing - made up of claims - or safety - relating to ingredients, nutritional values, production, and expiry dates. Information is now being added about recycled raw materials, processing waste and renewable sources: only with this level of communication can the consumer be helped to make informed and not just emotional choices. And so, staying in the world of wine, which has always been attentive to the label, we will find a table that, in the case of a sparkling wine, will also report for each component the initials of the material and the disposal instructions, as has already been done in 2021 by the winery Tenimenti Civa di Bellazoia di Povoletto (UD). They have used for their bottles a coordinated image that reminds us of the bins to which the individual pieces should be assigned: turquoise for the capsule, brown for the cork and green for the glass. The guidelines drawn up by CONAI are available on the web on the page:
 

Safer processes and materials

Another virtuous aspect in the journey toward sustainable labelling is the optimisation of the migration of chemicals contained in the packaging and labels of food products. In the past, there have been striking cases of mineral oil inks found in pasta, rice and chocolate, photoinitiators in UV inks identified in some foods or fluorine found by the Danish Technical University in paper and cardboard. These were accidents rather than misbehaviour, partly because clear legislation exists. Among the MOCAs, (i.e. all materials and objects in contact with foodstuffs during the various stages of production, processing, storage, preparation and serving), the inks for digital printing, which is increasingly gaining market share, are now under special surveillance. European legislation sets the overall migration limit (OML) at 10 mg/dm2 for surfaces in contact with food, irrespective of the size of the package: this means that in a box where 1 kg of food is packed in a 10x10x10 cm cube, the migration value corresponds to 60 mg per kg of food. The food-packaging ecosystem is not stable; it changes over time and is affected by substances that are intentionally added to food (additives, colourings, antioxidants, etc.), residues (solvents, adhesives, catalysts) and neoformation products, i.e. those substances that are produced by the spontaneous decomposition of packaging material. In addition, some substances can migrate from the food to the container, such as lipids and pigments. Migration is a subtle phenomenon and can occur by penetration, i.e. through the materials of which the label or packaging is composed, or by contact with the back of the packaging or label when it is rolled or stacked. In this case, the contaminated back will be the one closest to the food. Finally, there is migration due to substances rendered gaseous by physical changes due to cooking or storage of the food, such as freezing. Some manufacturers have improved the formulation of their inks to contain these phenomena. This is the case with Xeikon, which uses high-strength polyester resins to act as barriers in its dry and liquid inks. Much depends on production conditions, such as the correct drying time - especially for liquid inks - storage conditions (high temperature increases the risk of migration) and the type of food (large, smooth food surfaces absorb more). The use of barrier layers, such as plastic films, obviously minimises the risks.

When sustainability meets creativity

If the multi-faceted world of labelling is growing, the first reflection is also evident in the aesthetic choices, from materials to enhancements, from lettering to graphics. As the amount of information increases, the available space decreases, and creatives have to deal with a brand communication that must be attractive, clear, readable, and - most of all - essential. Main SqueezeJuice&Co(3) has left out the superfluous and created labels where all the information stands out clearly in white against the natural colour of its juices. Evian(4) has gone one step further by removing the label altogether and embossing the brand directly onto 400cl bottles. And because sustainability goes with wholesomeness, the brand's return to its origins is an increasingly topical choice with the first logo, the first slogan and the founding values. In this way, the consumer is made to feel at home, pampered and emotionally attached. This is the choice made by Barilla(5). For its 145th anniversary, it has redesigned its logo, which has become a more intense solid red, and has ended the period of light blue packages to return to the traditional blue. In addition, all packages will have a transparent window, saving 126 thousand tonnes of plastic per year. Latteria Soresina, one of the most important companies in the Italian dairy sector and the world's leading producer of Grana Padano cheese, is also returning to its roots. Nature and the environment certainly do not get along well with artificial colours. So white is the preferred background colour on which soft shades and pastel tints are used, as in Sephora brand products, which has set itself the objective of 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025, or Alama(6), which produces natural handmade soaps. Even when foils or metallic colours are used on cans, they are de-powered. The La Luna Brewed brewery(7) has chosen to do this by using an opaque blue with negative lettering for its Kombucha, which brings out the aluminium of the can. This applies to wine labels and cosmetics, the leading trendsetters in the sector. When the background is white, one choice that is becoming more popular is to use gradients, i.e. colours that fade from solid to give depth and freshness; another choice is for a retro-futuristic look, as in the case of Raw Earth shampoo or the Bio Salts(8) bath salts created by graphic designer Anton Proskuryakov, or the Kukus Gin bottle created by 99design, a creative collective from Oakland, California. The colours, when not pastel, remain solid without shading. Sometimes they are not printed but dyed in the paste, so the label becomes the packaging, as for the vegan cosmetics brand Thrive Causemetics.

The Canadian winery Backyard(9) chose extremely sophisticated yet minimal lettering, drawing floral motifs as if they were a tattoo on an all-white label. A minimal black and white has also been selected for the Natural Dishwashing Liquid line launched by Queen Elizabeth with the brand of Royal Sandringham Estate, her country residence in Norfolk.

The Logroño-based Portuguese winery FincaDe La Rica has all its labels on copper-coloured hot stamped paper, printed in black; the label is also a game: El Buscador a word search, El Guìa a join-the-dots and El Nòmada a maze. Recycled paper is used for the labels of Gordon & MacPhail's Benromach Single Malt Scotch Whisky(10), designed by D8 of Glasgow. The organic trend is still powerful, unmistakably conveying an eco-friendly message, as in the case of Raw Next juices(11), or on the verge of the edible, even for products we don't eat, such as liquid soap that winks at honey. In short, there is no lack of inspiration, and creative people do not seem to be struggling to adapt to the new rules. In fact, they are the most enthusiastic.


(2) Legislative Decree No 116 of 3 September 2020, which transposes EU Directive 2018/851 on waste, and Directive (EU) 2018/852 on packaging and packaging waste.