Global Labels Report

Report Overview

Sustainability Goals Transforming Labeling and Packaging

Key Themes Covered in this Report:

• The impact of packaging design trends in the labels market
• Sustainability-driven product development trends
• Growth opportunities in industrializing Asian nations

Featuring 133 Tables & 97 Figures!

Global demand for labels was 60.9 million square meters in 2024 and is forecast to rise 2.9% per year to 70.4 billion square meters in 2029. Growth will be driven by an increase in manufacturing activity worldwide, which will fuel increased demand for labels in a wide variety of packaging applications.

Sustainability Focus Driving Product Development

The rising emphasis on sustainability is impacting all areas of the broader packaging industry, and labels are no exception. Sustainability concerns increasingly represent a key variable in purchasing decisions by labels buyers, while suppliers in many segments are facing direct pressure from government regulations addressing environmental impact. Labels suppliers are pursuing multiple strategies to improve sustainability, including:

• increasing use of sustainable materials
• reducing waste and emissions in manufacturing processes
• increasing active involvement with the full life-cycle usage of their products
• developing new products with stronger sustainability profiles, such as linerless labels and labels with wash-off adhesives

Packaging Trends Favoring Value-Added Label Products

Heat shrink and stretch labels are projected to be the fastest growing major product segment through 2029, while in-mold labels represent a similarly fast-growing lower-volume segment. Demand for both product types is being boosted by trends in packaging design, with customers increasingly valuing the unique aesthetic benefits that these products offer:

• Growth in demand for heat shrink and stretch labels is being supported by the rising prevalence of short production runs, as the attractive aesthetics of these products make them highly suitable for products with eye-catching, limited time packaging.
• In-mold labels are increasingly valued by packaging designers looking to adopt a “no-labels” look.

Demand for heat shrink and stretch labels is also being supported by their ability to contribute to tamper-evident packaging, which is becoming increasingly important as e-commerce expands and services like grocery delivery become more common. Heat shrink and stretch labels also offer sustainability benefits, reducing adhesives use while supporting recyclability by being well-suited to mono-material packaging designs.

Rapid Economic Development Creating Sales Opportunities in South & Southeast Asia

India has already become the world’s third largest national market for labels and is projected to be the fastest growing market globally through 2029. Indonesia is forecast to be the second fastest growing market, while a variety of smaller markets in Southeast Asia are also expected to post rapid gains. Growth in this subregion is being fueled by rapid economic development and quickly expanding packaging demand. Gains may be further aided by global trade conflicts, with rising tensions between China and high-income Western nations fueling investment in South and Southeast Asian manufacturing.

Global Labels Report Details

Global Packaging Label Companies

Global Labels Report Scope

This report analyzes the global market for labels by application method, stock material, and market. Historical data (2014, 2019, and 2024) and forecasts for 2029 and 2034 are presented for label demand in square meters. In addition, annual data is presented for 2021 through 2028 for  markets and product types in square meters at the global level.

Labels are evaluated by application method:

• pressure sensitive
• glue-applied
• heat-shrink and stretch sleeve
• niche and lower volume methods, including:
  • in-mold
  • heat transfer
  • wraparound
  • foam
  • gummed

Demand is also segmented by stock material:

• paper
• plastic
  • polyethylene
  • polypropylene
  • PVC
  • polyester
  • polystyrene
  • PLA
• other materials, such as aluminum foil and ceramic

Furthermore, demand is analyzed by market:

• primary packaging
  • food
  • beverages
  • chemical
  • pharmaceuticals
  • other primary packaging, encompassing a wide variety of durable and nondurable goods
• secondary packaging
• industrial markets
• mailing and shipping
• consumer, commercial, and institutional

Excluded from the study are:

• adhesive notes (e.g., 3M’s Post-it notes)
• adhesive-backed envelopes
• cloth and woven labels (e.g., garment labels)
• decorative pressure sensitive tapes
• graphic films
• electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags (although the labels used in conjunction with EAS tags are covered)
• label/form combinations
• labels printed directly onto containers without the use of an intervening substrate
• postage stamps (however, blank labels for postage meters and online purchases of postage are included)
• rigid metal labels
• tags
• unprinted shrink neckbands

What Drives Global Label Usage?

The global labels market is primarily driven by trends in packaging demand, as labels are used in conjunction with packaging for a wide variety of goods. Packaging demand is in turn driven by manufacturing activity, and demand for labels is thus influenced by trends in manufacturing industries globally. Labels are also often used directly in manufactured goods in order to provide crucial product information. Key manufacturing segments driving demand for packaging labels include:

• food
• beverages
• chemicals
• pharmaceuticals
• durable goods

Label demand is also influenced by broader trends in economic activity, as labels are used for decorative and organizational purposes in a variety of consumer, commercial, and institutional settings.

Other factors impacting label demand include:

• e-commerce and related shipping activity
• development of retail markets, which influences the use of labels in secondary packaging applications
• raw materials costs and availability
• regulatory factors
• sustainability initiatives

Global Label Demand 2014-2024

The global labels market was relatively stable during the 2010s, rising at between 3.0% and 5.0% in volume terms in most years of this decade. However, the market has been considerably more volatile during the 2020s:

• Demand fell in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, before posting a strong rebound in the following year.
• The global market again posted year-over-year decline in 2023, influenced by post-pandemic destocking as supply chains began to normalize after a period of high uncertainty.
• Label sales in dollar terms were particularly volatile over this span, as high levels of inflation led to atypical spikes in market value in 2021 and 2022 especially.