Category: News
We are thrilled to announce that Masterpress SA is a proud sponsor of the upcoming AWA International Sleeve Label Conference & Exhibition 2023. Our commitment to supporting cutting-edge technology initiatives and environmentally sustainable solutions within the shrink sleeve industry has driven us to join hands with this prestigious event.
The AWA International Sleeve Label Conference & Exhibition has always been a significant milestone in the sleeve label industry calendar, and this 17th edition is poised to be truly exceptional. The theme, “Connecting the Shrink Sleeve Labeling Industry,” resonates deeply with our mission to foster innovation, growth, and sustainability through collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Here’s a sneak peek at what you can expect from this event:
Market & Industry Insights: Explore the latest trends, market developments, and best practices that are shaping the sleeve label industry. Prepare to be inspired by informative presentations and a thought-provoking keynote speech.
Technology & Developments: Dive into the cutting-edge solutions, innovations, and industry developments that are revolutionizing the sleeve labeling landscape. Engage in discussions with experts who will share their insights, challenges, and success stories.
Sustainability & The Future: At AWA, sustainability is at the forefront of our agenda. Join us in exploring eco-friendly materials, recycling initiatives, and circular economy solutions, and discover the latest strategies for minimizing environmental impact.
Connecting with Brand Owners: Gain invaluable insights from brand owners themselves as they share their perspectives, challenges, and expectations. This unique opportunity to hear directly from brand owners will provide a fresh perspective for all participants.
AWA Sleeve Awards: Celebrate excellence as we honor exceptional achievements, groundbreaking innovations, and remarkable contributions within the sleeve label sector. Be inspired by the remarkable work shaping our industry.
Don’t miss this unparalleled opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and establish lasting connections with industry leaders. Secure your spot today and be part of the future of sleeve labeling!
Join us in connecting professionals from across the sleeve label value chain. Sign up today and be a part of this exciting journey!
We are glad to announce that Masterpress received the RecyClasss Letter of Compatibility “design for recycling” when using our shrink sleeve solution on dairy cups. Our sleeve label applied onto a PP cup, has been awarded a positive recyclability assessment from the RecyClass association.
We submitted our packaging solution for assessment by Suez.circpack®. The tests were conducted according to RecyClass methodology.
Following the performed tests, Masterpress was granted a “Letter of Conformity”, confirming that the assessed product met the requirements of compatibility with readily available sorting and recycling technologies commonly used at industrial scale in the recycling sector in Europe. It means that during the recycling process the cup will be directed straight to the rigid polypropylene fraction recovery stream, without the need of prior removal of the sleeve.
The solution developed by Masterpress is environmentally friendly and fits well with the principles of circular economy.
We are proud to announce that as of June, 2021, Masterpress has had its own apiary of 6 hives. The bee houses have been located on an undeveloped, grassy piece of the company’s grounds, several dozen meters from Masterpress’ production facility. The location of the hives ensures the safety of employees on the one hand and on the other hand will guarantee that insects will not be disturbed. Additionally, a board with information on the apiary, bees and safety rules will be placed in the vicinity. The hives have been provided by local beekeeper, who will also take care of the bee families.
Urban beekeeping has been undergoing a dynamic development in recent years. And that is very good, as bees are a crucial element of our whole ecosystem. The accumulated experience and scientific research have proven that urban environment excellently suits honey bees. Through an intensive pollination of flowers the bees contribute to improving the urban flora, trees in particular. Insects that live in urban areas are not threatened by the harmful effects of pesticides and other chemical sprays, which is often the case in rural areas. They also benefit from the air temperature, which is usually slightly higher in cities. The city bees do not have to fiercely compete with other insects for access to flower nectar, which translates into relatively high honey production and other apiculture products.
Masterpress’ local beekeeping initiative is an expression of our employees’ concern for the natural environment and, at the same time, an effect of the company’s wide perspective on the sustainable development strategy, which perfectly fits into the company’s value system. This way we also show that even such localized, small-scale positive initiatives can have a greater effect on the society at large.
We are very pleased to announce that Masterpress has received the FSC® Chain of Custody certificate. The certificate applies to the purchase of unprinted self-adhesive paper labels which have been certified in the „FSC Mix” or „FSC Recycled” category and the sale of already printed certified labels.
Masterpress has been consistently carrying out a sustainable development strategy for many years based on the principles of corporate social and environmental responsibility. We are implementing such principles in our day-to-day work, e.g., by rationally managing the use of natural resources, applying modern technological solutions which facilitate more efficient consumption of water and energy, or reducing harmful emissions to the environment. Masterpress’ decision to undergo the demanding FSC® certification procedure is another step within our sustainable development strategy.
Our FSC® certificate translates to practical benefits for Masterpress, our business partners, as well as the natural environment. Above all, it ensures that FSC®-certified self-adhesive labels are made of raw materials legally sourced and processed in a supply chain that complies with FSC standards. This means that the paper in our labels has been made either from wood that comes from responsibly managed forests or from recycled material. This is our way of taking care of woodland ecosystems and protecting the vitality and biological resources of forested areas. In doing so, we contribute to preventing adverse climate change on our planet.
About FSC®
FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) is an international non-profit organization that promotes responsible management for the world’s forests. It has also established a system for the certification of forests and wood and paper products. The FSC® system is one of the most reliable global forest certification systems, officially recognized by world’s leading environmental organizations.
Masterpress is a printed packaging solution provider to many international and regional brands, and we are committed to helping our customers solve their sustainability in packaging challenges.
In 2019, Masterpress developed a decorated PP cup solution designed for recycling and validated the development externally last year with TOMRA Germany. The test was conducted to verify that cups with Masterpress shrink sleeves would be identified as a mono-material rigid PP solution, a critical step to properly sort the plastic containers into the appropriate recycling stream. The test was performed on the TOMRA AUTOSORT machine with a belt operating speed 3 m / s. According to the TOMRA report, Masterpress shrink sleeves on a PP cup is detected as mono-material rigid PP.
Pic. TOMRA tests result (source TR_20200127_TOMRA_Masterpress)
Contact us to request the full report or to learn about our complete range of sustainable packaging solutions!
About Moskovskaya Osobaya shrink sleeve
A Chinese dragon is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and the Chinese culture at large. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but most are commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. They traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly with control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods.
The cultural importance and intrigue for dragons was design inspiration for the sleeve label of the Moskovskaya Osobaya bottle dedicated for the Asian market. In the daylight, the bottle presents a powerful dragon highlighted with metallic gold details, but the magic begins when the label is exposed to UV light. Various shades of bright fluorescent green and pink awakens the bottle dragon with a spectacular luminous effect, grabbing attention throughout the night.
Moskovskaya Osobaya is a premium vodka brand produced by Amber Beverage Group.
Moskovskoya Osoboya UV sleeve presentation video
Masterpress was presented the AWA International Sleeve Label Awards 2020 certificate for the label of the limited edition Stock Prestige Grand Prix.
About Stock Grand Prix shrink sleeve
The inspiration for the black bottle was the Grand Prix races, events often associated with luxury and exclusiveness. Checkered Flags and sport tires are elements representative of racing events, and these were focal elements to integrate in the graphic design of the sleeve label. Masterpress’ hybrid print technology was employed to produce the rubber-like effect of tires onto the shrink sleeve labels. Through experience and modified print techniques, our expert R&D team succeeded in obtaining the deep black color and improved scratch resistance for the soft-touch matte texture of the label’s surface, which imitate the look and feel of smooth rubber.
AWA Sleeve Label Awards 2020 presentation video
AWA Sleeve Label Awards 2020 from AWA Alexander Watson Associates on Vimeo.
Under the auspices of AIM, the European Brands Association, over 85 companies and organizations from the complete packaging value chain have joined forces with the ambitious goal to assess whether a pioneering digital technology can enable better sorting and higher-quality recycling rates for packaging in the EU, to drive a truly circular economy. Masterpress is proud to be a member of this consortium.
One of the biggest challenges in achieving a truly circular economy in packaging is to better recover and sort post-consumer waste by accurately identifying the packaging by type, resulting in higher quality and increased quantities of recycled materials. Digital watermarks may have the potential to revolutionize how packaging is sorted in waste management systems, as it opens new possibilities which are currently not possible with other existing technologies. Under Ellen MacArther Foundation’s the New Plastics Economy program, digital watermarks were found to be the most promising technology, gathering support among the majority of stakeholders by passing a basic proof of concept on a test sorting line. The “HolyGrail 2.0” project is the next phase in as a cross-value chain initiative under which this development will take place on a much greater scale and scope. This will include the launch of an industrial pilot in order to prove the viability of digital watermarks technologies for more accurate sorting of packaging and higher-quality recycling, as well as the business case at large scale.
Digital watermarks are imperceptible codes, about the size of a postage stamp, covering the surface of a consumer goods packaging. They can carry a wide range of attributes such as manufacturer such as SKU, type of plastics used and composition for multilayer objects, food vs. non-food usage, etc. The goal is that once the packaging has entered into a waste sorting facility, the digital watermark would be detected and decoded by a standard high resolution camera on the sorting line, which then – based on the transferred attributes – is able to sort the packaging into corresponding streams. The result would be better and more accurate sorting streams therefore providing higher quality recyclates, adding benefit to the entire packaging value chain. Digital watermarks also have the potential to be used in other areas such as consumer engagement, supply chain visibility, and retail operations.
Global challenge
Nearly three years ago the amount of packaging waste in Europe reached a record level of 173 kg per capita – the highest in the history. Consequently, the European Commission declared tightening of the directive concerning packaging which is to be allowed to enter into the market. Ultimately, the plan assumes that by 2030 all the packaging in the UE market must be suitable for viable reuse or recycling.
Fortunately, modern consumers are aware of the problem of ever-growing amounts of garbage which pollute natural environment. The report drawn up by Unilever discloses the fact that over 33% of consumers prefer brands which, in their opinion, act in a pro-social and pro-ecological manner. This shows a significant change in their shopping habits. Contemporary consumers want to pay for ecological products in more sustainable packaging in order to fight for the protection of the environment, with a relatively little effort on their part.
This is a strong message to manufacturers to be socially responsible. Therefore, new packaging solutions need to be balanced by meeting consumer expectations while being better for the environment.
Closed loop benefits
One way to minimize the amount of plastic packaging waste produced in an era of the continuous economic growth is to recycle and reuse it (downcycling).
Downcycling PET plastics, commonly used in single-use plastic packaging, may contribute to the reduction of growing amounts of plastic waste which threaten the soil, water, and air. It needs to be emphasised that reuse plastic material generates substantial decrease of the use of oil but, most of all, it significantly reduces the CO² emissions.
According to the report announced by Denkstatt, an Austrian consulting firm, it is more justifiable to use PET for bottles which originates from recycled PET rather than new “virgin” PET.
Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) PET
Labels comprised of PCR PET, also termed rPET, combined with an rPET bottle makes it possible to obtain a fully balanced product. In the case of rPET bottles according to the study, the carbon footprint is equivalent to 0.45 kg of CO² whereas the carbon footprint fora virgin PET bottle would have the equivalence of 2.15 kg of CO².
In other words, the amount of carbon dioxide emissions during an rPET bottle’s life cycle is approximately 79% lower than in the case of a “virgin”l PET bottle.
Find a solution for your business
Here at Masterpress we offer post-consumer recycled PET solutions for both shrink sleeve labels and self-adhesive labels to help our customers achieve their targets of using recycled materials in their packaging.
Contact us for advice on integrating recycled content into your packaging labels!
Receiving the Silver Medal demonstrates our ongoing commitment towards improving sustainability and corporate responsibility.
EcoVadis is a ratings agency which evaluates the actions and business practices of suppliers concerning their corporate social responsibility. Companies are assessed on a scale from 0 to 100 points which are awarded in four different themes: the environment, social measures, ethics and supply chain.
The evaluation is formed by employing a complex methodology which is based on internationally applicable standards, such as Global Reporting Index (GRI), ISO 26000 and Global Compact guidelines. Suppliers are assessed in terms of corporate social responsibility, taking into account their business sector, size and location.
