At the end of 2021 there was a great deal of optimism in the European label sector. The industry had grown by 7 percent, up from 4.5 percent in 2020. The worst impacts of the pandemic looked to be over, and any problems in the supply chain were considered temporary as the labels industry underwent a rapid post-pandemic recovery. No inflationary pressures were on the horizon.
Latest Finat research report has found that labelstock demand in Europe dropped sharply in the fourth quarter, after a poor first half of the year caused by strike related paper shortages from Finland, and a rebound in Q3. For the year as a whole, European self-adhesive labelstock demand decreased by 4.7 percent compared to 2021.
There are several factors underlying this reversal of the trend, says Finat Firstly, the numbers for 2022 follow the two disruptive and volatile years 2020 and 2021, when peaking label demand was heavily influenced by excess demand for essential goods and services after the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, and by rapid economic recovery in 2021. Supply chain distortions
Industrial labels might lack the glamour and design efforts that go into customer-focused, attention-grabbing primary labels. However, they are an essential ingredient in keeping the wheels of global industry turning. In most cases, industrial labels must be machine-readable and be adapted to industrial processes. Industrial labels are also a vital component of a