The cost savings and increased decorative possibilities available with in-mold labeling (IML) are making it an increasingly popular option for packaging decoration around the world. 

With IML, a pre-printed label is placed in the mold so that package shaping and decoration—in the form of a permanently adhered label—are performed in a single production step. By eliminating a separate decorating step, this approach offers shorter production time and lower production costs.

With IML, it’s not necessary to store or transport blank, unlabeled products, and thick-walled containers can be replaced with thinner-walled ones, cutting down on material use. Because in-mold labels are typically made of the same material as the container, the entire unit is fully recyclable.

In-mold labels are very durable. They resist scratching, cannot crack, and don’t wrinkle, while also resisting humidity and large swings in temperature—properties that are particularly advantageous for frozen or refrigerated products.

A Growing Market

The variety of surface finishes and photo-quality printing is attracting more and more brand owners to IML as a way to stand out from their competitors. The worldwide market for in-mold labels is projected to grow from $2.58 billion in 2015 to $3.23 billion by 2020, according to a recent market report from MarketsandMarkets.¹

The report cites other drivers for this growth, such as rising demand for eco-friendly and high-performing labels, and increasing technological advancements that are making IML manufacturing processes more efficient. Application of IML in the food and beverage sector is expected to grow at a higher rate because of this sector’s increasing demand for packaged and branded products.

For 2014, Europe held the largest share of the IML market, primarily because of increasing demand in France and Germany. The report projects North America to grow at the highest rate from 2015 to 2020 because of key players in the market and changing government policies about sustainable labels. In terms of IML materials, polypropylene currently holds the largest market share due to its effective moisture-resistant properties.

Bringing More IML to the USA

Greiner Packaging International GmbH, a leading plastic packaging manufacturer in Europe, recently added IML capability to its new manufacturing site in Pittston, Pennsylvania. The company provides development, design, production, and decoration solutions for plastic packaging.

“Our decision to build a manufacturing site in the United States comes from both an internal push to grow as well as an external demand from multinational brand owners to have supplier operations outside of Europe,” says Dietmar Sulzbacher, sales director, overseas, for Greiner Packaging.

Sulzbacher points out that food producers want better ways to promote their brand through packaging, and an increased variety of paper and plastic labels with different surfaces offers them on-the-shelf differentiation. IML offers numerous design possibilities, from cups with a conical shape to those with a foot. And the same plastic packaging can be decorated with a wide range of different materials, inks, and lacquers. Another benefit of IML for food producers is that the one-step production process ensures hygienically ideal conditions. 

Greiner Packaging worked with WhiteWave Foods to develop an IML-decorated cup for its Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative product for the U.S. market. Although production on these cups began in Europe, the injection molding units with IML handling are being transferred to the USA in stages, with some already up and running. This collaboration shows how the company can work with large international customers to start projects in Europe and then roll them out worldwide.

Innovations: Quality, Efficiency, Aesthetics

Greiner Packaging has made several technology innovations to improve its IML capabilities. For example, the company developed a new camera system that reduces the tolerances used to recognize errors and rejects in the IML process. (The new detection setup replaces five cameras with two high-resolution cameras.)

Greiner has also developed ways to increase shelf life through IML labels that incorporate oxygen barriers and PP/EVOH/PP-based solutions.

“We are continually trying to further reduce material use and improve machine productivity to create cost savings for our customers,” says Sulzbacher. “At the same time we want to support packaging developers to create more advanced designs.”

Sulzbacher adds that the improved aesthetics of IML—together with the savings IML offers through the use of less material, better “runability” on filling lines, and higher production efficiency—will lead many brand owners to replace printing or labels on traditionally shaped containers with IML decoration. He adds that IML has the potential to play an even more important role in many food categories such as yogurt, ice cream, prepared foods, and candy.

Expanding Options for IML 

Verstraete IML, one of the leading providers of IML labels in the world, has developed many new label options that are giving brand owners expanded look and feel options for IML. 

Dieter Maes, business development and marketing manager at Verstraete, says that for many years, most IML labels featured a satin finish, but now high gloss, matte, and even metallic finishes are available. Developing metallic IML that could be used in standard IML-capable equipment was quite challenging because it required the company to develop metallic labels that could maintain the static charge required to hold the label in the injection mold. Plastic paint containers have been among the first products to feature metallic IML because it helps the containers preserve a metallic look.

Verstraete recently developed metallic IML labels for Omega Paints of Lebanon, which sought a premium look for its new plastic paint cans. The resulting packaging is said to be 100% recyclable while providing a high-end, metallic look that emphasizes the decorative aspects of the product. Maes says that metallic IML packaging is now starting to be used on margarine and ice cream tubs to help products stand out on the grocery store shelf. 

The IML specialist also worked with Hershey’s to develop IML packaging for its Chocotubs product, a snack pack with cookies and a chocolate dip marketed in Brazil. The packaging features two cavities and a contoured package, making it a technically challenging project. After months of research, Hershey’s chose IML labeling because of its ability to catch the eyes of consumers and showcase that Chocotubs was a premium on-the-go product. The new Hershey’s Chocotubs packaging won the Brazilian packaging association (ABRE) sweets and desserts packaging award category for 2015. 

Today’s product labels are increasingly including more information, but many front labels are not large enough to accommodate this information. “We created an IML label that can be printed on both sides so that when placed on a clear lid, for example, the consumer can read a recipe on the bottom of the lid,” Maes says. “We also have peelable IML that allows additional information to be included inside of a peel-off label.”

IML Breaks the Mold… with Thermoforming

In terms of trends, Maes says that IML is beginning to move beyond injection molding and is starting to find use in thermoforming too. Verstraete developed labels that work with the lower fusing temperatures and faster speeds necessary for use with thermoforming processes. “The technology is ready for IML to be used for thermoforming decoration, and companies have invested in the equipment,” he says (see also the “Process Wars” article in this issue of PE).

IML is also beginning to provide functional qualities in packaging, in addition to having a decorative role. Verstraete offers IML labels that act as oxygen and light barriers (which can increase the shelf life of food), while working with barrier materials that might be incorporated into the plastic container itself.

“Converters are looking for new applications for IML, beyond the standard market,” says Maes. “This includes healthcare products, cosmetics, confectionary, and gardening products.”

The continuing development of smarter and more cost-effective IML technology is helping to lower the total investment required to implement IML, as well as the cost of labels themselves. Maes points out that lowering IML project costs is one of the key requirements for IML decoration to expand into new applications and markets.

Reference

1. www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/in-mold-labels.asp, accessed April 21, 2016.