Keeping with the theme of the sixth edition of the conference, all brands during their presentations focused on the aspects of sustainability, and how label manufacturers can integrate sustainability into their production processes. 

Opening the conferences, Rajesh Nema, president, LMAI, said, “Labels have the power to embrace creativity, which further spurs innovation. In line with sustainability, the label printing landscape has changed.”

Sourabh Agarwal, vice-president and general manager, Avery Dennison, in his keynote address, stated, “Sustainability is at the centre stage. This forefront is driven by consumer preferences and government regulations.”

To this, Priyanka Sangla of Avery Denisson added, “Sustainable packaging is the key to circularity. ESG guidelines will change the sustainable landscape. By 2030, Avery will reduce scope-3 GHG emissions by 30% since 2018 and vote for circularity.”

Alexander Uwe, global product manager, Heidelberg Gallus, spoke about sustainability from a different angle. He mentioned Gallus One as a reliable solution, which is again important for the total cost of ownership (TCO).

Flint Group shed light on its two new products in its sustainable portfolio. Deinking primer, adaptable to shrink and caustic-resistant varnish, for PSL applications. “These solutions help ink manufacturers reduce carbon footprint,” said Marc Heylen, global R&D and technical director, Flint Group.

Vinod Vazhapulli, CEO and Sanchit Vartak, R&D lead, Jindal SMI, together revealed the names of Jindal SMI’s three new products, to be launched at the Label Expo Brussels. These are JSMI PolyFlex , JSMI ReGen-PP and JSMI WashOff.

“Material science is the key to disruption and leadership and the key consideration in the sustainability of print packaging,” said Pawandeep Sahini, managing director, Omet India. “What internet is to mobile, sustainability is to packs. And thereby, sustainability sets the platform for brands.”

A requisite of food packaging, sustainability is the key. On this, Umesh Kagade, HP Indigo said that the HP inks are compliant with the industrial guidelines and are suitable for food packaging. And, the entire Amazon store of Cavin Kare’s 25 SKUs are printed on HP Indigo press.

On the third day or the conference, a panel discussion was held to address the challenges in sustainable innovations in the label industry. Sustainability is the need of the hour. And, the drivers who can accelerate this are brand owners who bring in the ESG norms, converters, label stock manufacturers, and stakeholders.