What is an environmentally friendly roll label?

How can roll labels help reduce your CO ₂ emissions?

We introduce the advantages of roll labels—such as reduced CO₂ emissions during labeling and the ability to use thinner labels—along with our LABELMELT Series hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesives designed for roll label applications.

What is a roll label?
Advantages of roll labels
CO ₂ emissions/performance comparison
Product introduction

What is a roll label?

A roll label is coated with hot-melt adhesive on both ends and wrapped around a container.
The adhesive is melted in a dedicated labeling machine and applied inline during the labeling process.

Roll label products (PET bottles)

Roll label products (Glass bottles)

Other common labels

adhesive labels	The most common label. There are two types: solvent-based and water-based. Paste while peeling off the release paper. It can be easily applied to substrates, and the labeler is inexpensive and easy to use.
shrink labels	Used in perforated PET bottle drinks, etc. After a cylindrical label is placed on a bottle, it is heated with water vapor to shrink the label and wrap it around the container. Can be used with irregularly shaped containers and has excellent design.
glue labels	Used on beer bottle labels, etc. A label that is attached to a paper label by applying glue dissolved in water. There is less waste and the glue is relatively inexpensive.

Advantages of roll labels

Conventionally, labels have prioritized design and visibility as the face of the product, requiring them to be large, easy to read, and securely adhered to containers.

In recent years, however, environmental considerations have begun to reshape these requirements, and roll labels provide benefits in terms of reducing environmental impact..

New functions required for labels

Sustainability

Lower CO₂ emissions during production

Recyclability

Easy label removal for improved recyclability
Reduced label size
Linerless solutions (no release liner required)

Cost Efficiency

Thinner label design to reduce material usage

_CO2 emissions and performance comparison by label

CO2 emissions for each label type were calculated using CFP (Carbon Footprint of Products). The results indicate that roll labels have a lower CFP than other label types. This is because roll labels enable thinner constructions and eliminate the need for release liners, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions..

_CO2 emissions by label (_CO2 emissions per unit area)

Comparison by label method, graph of CO2 emissions per unit area

Comparison by Labeling Method - CO2 Emissions per Unit Area

CFP calculation conditions
	Label	Adhesives	Others
pressure sensitive adhesives (water-based) label	Paper label (basis weight 85g/㎡) release paper Paper (basis weight 50g/㎡) + PE (30μm)	Dry: 20g/㎡ Acrylic (NV: 60%)	Process paper (basis weight 300/m2, used 10 times)
shrink labels	PS40μm (shrinkage 20%)	none	Steam 470kg/hour, tunnel 5m
glue labels	Paper label (basis weight 85g/㎡)	Dry: 20g/㎡ water-based vinyl acetate (NV: 50%)
roll label	PET label (20μm)	Application amount: 4.8g/㎡	hot melts biomass content: 40%

* TOYOCHEM Co., Ltd. Estimate. Assuming a label area of 20 cm × 5 cm and a production speed of 720 bpm.

Performance comparison by label

		adhesive labels	shrink labels	glue labels	roll label
Environment	CFP	×	×	△	◎
	Label	lots of paper labels Base material: 85g/m2	Dedicated OPP/PET label Approximately 40~60μm	paper label Base material: 85g/m2	Many PET/OPP labels (about 12-30μm) Paper labels also available
	release paper	Yes (about 100μm)	none	none	none
recycling	Alkali	×	◎	×	◎
recycling	Hand removability	△	◎	×	◎
cost		×	△	△	◎
Production capacity		△	〇	◎	〇
Workability		◎	〇	×	〇

hot melts product introduction for roll labels

Our company has a lot of experience in the hot melts pressure sensitive adhesives" LABELMELT ™ BL series" for roll labels.

Our unique formulation technology and new evaluation technology have achieved both adhesive strength and ease of peeling.

Click here for the introduction of the hot melts for roll labels "LABELMELT ™ BL Series"

LABELMELT™ BL Series

Alkali-soluble LABELMELT™ BL Series

Our "LABELMELT® Series" is a label adhesive that ensures reliable bonding performance on PET bottles through our proprietary compounding technology and innovative evaluation methods, while simultaneously achieving alkali-based peelability. Beyond the manufacturing cost reduction and CO₂ emission reduction benefits offered by roll labels, our product's alkali-based peeling capability enables easy separation of containers and labels, facilitating the bottle recycling process without obstruction and contributing to a circular economy. Furthermore, we offer an extensive product lineup, enabling us to propose optimal solutions tailored to specific performance requirements and existing equipment configurations.

Separation test of PET (container material) and OPP (label material)