Sappi and Jungdruck develop multi-layer beverage label

Sustainable materials manufacturer Sappi has partnered with German converter Jungdruck to develop innovative multi-layer wet-glue labels for beverage bottles offering a new range of options in terms of product information and marketing.

Multi-layer wet-glue labels are part of the Jungdruck printing company's core business, but they have so far been used mainly in the chemical and feed industries. At BrauBeviale 2024, Sappi and Jungdruck presented a jointly developed multi-layer label for beverage bottles for the first time, which was demonstrated using beer bottles.

The first layer of the label can be folded up. The second layer contains more information, in this case, a recipe for beer barbecue sauce. The new multi-layer label offers beverage manufacturers a range of options in terms of product information and marketing. For this innovation, Jungdruck used the Parade Label WS Gloss label paper from Sappi, a leading manufacturer of packaging and specialty papers.

As a full-service print shop, Jungdruck combines all production levels – from prepress to printing and finishing – under one roof and offers its customers a diverse and high-quality portfolio. However, the company, which is based in the city of Radevormwald in North Rhine-Westphalia, has been specializing in multi-layer labels for the wet-glue sector for about ten years. These are mainly used in the chemical and feed industry, for example on spray paints, aerosol packs or animal feed cans.

Gernot Jung, managing director and sales manager of Jungdruck, said: ‘Legal labeling is mandatory for chemical products. In addition, sales benefit from information published in several languages. For such cases, we can provide our customers with labels that contain up to five layers. In the pet food sector, multi-layer labels are more likely to be used for promotional campaigns, for example to publish a competition or a QR code with further information for animal lovers. The additional space offers a wide range of possibilities for marketing.’

Jungdruck has long used Sappi papers for its labels and has always had excellent experiences with them.

‘Depending on the industry, we use both the wet-strength Parade Label WS and the non-wet-resistant Parade Label Pro from Sappi. You could say that these flagship papers are our standard papers, which we also recommend to new customers again and again.’ Added Jung. ‘In addition, however, we attach great importance to other aspects. High quality and good processability are relevant points for the paper. However, the decisive factor is that the material can be guaranteed by the provider. At Sappi, we know that we can rely one hundred per cent on our ability to deliver and reliability. This is extremely important for our customers. When they are producing, the required material, such as the labels, must be available at exactly the time planned.’

For the premiere of the joint project, BrauBeviale stood out as the leading industry meeting place for the beverage industry. The multi-layer label can be used on all returnable bottles but was presented by Sappi and Jungdruck at the trade fair as an example on a beer bottle. The first page of the multi-layer label is in dark green, yellow, turquoise and white, and shows a graphic representation of a hop plant.

Stefan Raabe, sales manager at Sappi, added: ‘The design as well as the recipe are exemplary applications. The additional space opens up a wide range of opportunities for breweries and beverage manufacturers for creative advertising campaigns and targeted customer loyalty measures. They also benefit from the surprise effect at the POS, because multi-layer labels on beverage bottles have never existed in this form before.’