Wash-off labels market is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period. The market growth is attributed to factors such as the growing demand for food safety, innovations in wash-off labels and adhesives, and growing demand for sustainable packaging among several end-user industries. Wash-off labels provide convenience and functionality in various consumer products such as food and beverages, cosmetics, personal care, and medical and pharmaceuticals by allowing consumers to recycle the packaging or container and reduce waste. It also helps businesses to achieve sustainable goals, improve brand image, and reduce overall production costs by reusing bottles/containers and cutting down costs in waste management. Thus, the industries are increasingly opting for wash-off labels in packaging of goods, which in turn is bolstering the R&D activities by the market players. For instance, in April 2023, Bostik , the adhesive division of Arkema launched Flexcryl ClearCycle 1,000 adhesive, which industry’s 1st all-temperature, wash-off label adhesive.

Segmental Outlook 

The global wash-off labels market is segmented based on the material, printing technology, and end-user industry. Based on material, the market is bifurcated into water soluble films and paper. Based on printing technology, the market is sub-segmented into flexographic printing, offset printing, and digital printing. Based on the end-user industry, the market is sub-segmented into medical and pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, cosmetics and personal care, and other industries such as chemical, and automotive electronics. Among these, the food and beverages industry is expected to hold a prominent share of the global wash-off labels market, owing to the rising consumption of frozen and packaged foods around the globe.

The Cosmetics and Personal Care Industry is Anticipated to Hold a Considerable Share in the Global Wash-Off Labels Market

Globally, the cosmetics industry is continuously growing owing to several including the growing disposable income and urbanization, increasing awareness of skincare among the population, and rising influence of social media. With growing demand in the cosmetics industry, the amount of plastic waste is also growing. For instance, according to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, the personal care and beauty industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging every year globally. To overcome these issues governments and private companies globally are now transitioning to sustainable manufacturing. Using wash-off labels in cosmetics improves recyclability while reducing production costs.  Considering the demand for sustainable labels from end-user industries, the market leaders in label and packaging solutions such as UPM Raflatac, and Avery Dennison are offering sustainable packaging solutions. For instance, in August 2023, Avery Dimension revamped its already launched Fasson wash-off labels in 2012. Through this Fasson, the company aims to help brand owners in lowering the environmental impact of their products by maximizing opportunities for material recycling.

Regional Outlook

Global wash off labels market is further segmented based on geography including North America (the US, and Canada), Europe (Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and Others), Asia-Pacific (India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Others), and the Rest of the World (the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America). Among these, North America holds a prominent share in the global wash-off labeling market owing to factors such as growing demand for convenience packaging, changing government regulations, growth of domestic fast-moving consumer goods and pharmaceutical industry, and advancements in labeling technology.  According to the 2022 report of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, in 2021 North America accounted for 49.1% of world pharmaceutical sales. According to the International Trade Administration, in 2021, Canada’s food and alcoholic beverage retail sales reached $112 billion and is the second largest sector in the country.

Apart from the growing end-user industry, the stringent environmental regulations of regional governments are also pushing organizations to look for sustainable solutions. For instance, the National recycling strategy of the US government is focused on achieving a recycling goal of 50% by 2030 from the current rate which is approximately 33%. One of the objectives of this strategy includes improving policies to support recycling. 

Global wash-off labels market growth by region 2023-2030

Asia Pacific is Expected to Hold a Prominent Share of the Wash-Off Labels Market

The Asia Pacific region is expected to hold a prominent share in the global wash-off labels market. The Asia Pacific region holds approximately 60% of the total global population. according to the Asian Development Bank, regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is also expected to grow by 4.3% by 2024. With growing disposable income and population and increasing government support for domestic manufacturing in the region, the end-user industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and personal care, food, and beverages are also growing significantly. For instance, in India, Foreign direct investment (FDI) is allowed up to 100% through an automatic route for new pharmaceutical projects (greenfield). For existing pharmaceutical projects (brownfield), FDI is allowed up to 74% through an automatic route and above that through government approval. With the growing manufacturing market, governments are also introducing environmental regulations for organizations to reduce waste and achieve sustainable goals. The Indian government introduced the guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging on 16 February 2022, which stipulated mandatory targets on EPR, recycling of plastic packaging waste, reuse of rigid plastic packaging, and use of recycled plastic content.

Market Players Outlook

The major companies serving the global wash-off labels market include Avery Dennison Corp., UPM Global, CCL Industries Inc., and Multi-color Corp., and All4Labels Group GmbH. among others. The market players are considerably contributing to the market growth by the adoption of various strategies, including mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, and new product launches, to stay competitive in the market. For instance, in August 2023, INVISU™ 7007 wash-off pressure sensitive adhesive from Dow has received recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) as meeting or exceeding its most strict Critical Guidance Protocol for the recycling of clear PET articles with filmic labels and closures.

The Report Covers

• Market value data analysis of 2022 and forecast to 2030.
• Annualized market revenues ($ million) for each market segment.
• Country-wise analysis of major geographical regions.
• Key companies operating in the global wash-off labels market. Based on the availability of data, information related to new product launches, and relevant news is also available in the report.
• Analysis of business strategies by identifying the key market segments positioned for solid growth in the future.
• Analysis of market-entry and market expansion strategies.
• Competitive strategies by identifying ‘who-stands-where’ in the market.