In less than 10 years, the number of electrical vehicles on the road has increased from under 500,000 to nearly 6.5 million. Plus, in that same time period, power from wind nearly doubled and solar panel installations at residential and commercial properties have tripled. Consumers and businesses value sustainability. In fact, according to a recent survey by McKinsey & Co, 66% of respondents consider sustainability when they make a purchase. Unfortunately, a cost differential is often a reason they don’t. When an environmentally beneficial option is more expensive than an alternative, fewer people choose to purchase the sustainable option. Yet when a product delivers the needed reliability and combines both economic and environmental benefits, the choice becomes much clearer. And for organizations that use labels, there’s a product that fits this description. Here are 7 reasons your labels should be linerless.

What Are Linerless Labels?

A standard label contains three components, a face stock, the front side of the label where ink or toner is typically applied, an adhesive, and a liner that keeps your labels from sticking together. A linerless label functions in the exact same way as a standard label except it only contains the face stock and adhesive. A special release coating allows linerless labels to be wound over each other without sticking.

Benefits of Linerless Labels

Direct thermal linerless labels deliver a number of benefits, and as a result, many businesses are implementing them in their operation. For example,

• An increased demand for freshly packaged foods requires labeling at the point of purchase. Grocery stores, delis and other food providers print out a linerless label that contains the price, barcode for scanning at checkout, nutritional information, expiration dates and more, that then gets applied to the package.
• For both fast casual and sit-down restaurants, COVID accelerated the online and carry-out ordering trend. Linerless labels applied to the outside of food containers or sacks containing multiple items make it easy for the customer to know it’s their order and that it’s been packed correctly.
• In healthcare organizations, some processes which have typically been handled from a central location are now conducted at the bedside. Unit dosing is one of those tasks. Linerless labels printed from Omnicell devices and applied to medications simplify the labeling process and elevate medication safety.
• The consumers' reliance on e-commerce has increased exponentially and the volume of shipments has gone up along with it. The efficiency that linerless labels provide helps manufacturing and distribution companies increase efficiencies and keep up with this demand.

In addition, regardless of the industry, it’s environmentally beneficial to implement linerless label applications. It reduces the need for wood-derived materials, the frequency of shipments which can impact fuel consumption and more.

7 Reasons to Use Linerless Labels

Combining both economic and environmental benefits, these are 7 reasons to use linerless labels.

1) Reduced Shipping Costs

A roll of a linerless label product contains up to 60% more labels than a roll of conventional labels and that means they cost as much as 40% less to ship.

2) Increased Productivity

Operations that use large quantities of labels increase productivity by using linerless labels. Once a linerless roll is set up in production, it lasts longer, which means fewer roll changes and less downtime.

3) Enhanced Flexibility

Linerless labels come in a continuous roll allowing for on-demand sizing. This makes it easy to print different-sized labels for different jobs without changing the roll or needing to divert the job to another printer. This saves time and reduces waste.

4) Reduced Warehouse Space

Because the same quantity of linerless labels requires approximately 40% fewer rolls, they require less warehouse space. This is especially important for operations with limited storage space.

5) Fewer Wood-Derived Components

The components needed to produce any label include a core, that a roll of labels is wound on, cartons for packaging and pallets for shipping. Each component is a wood-derived product. Producing the same quantity of linerless labels requires fewer cores, cartons and pallets.

6) Eliminate a Safety Hazard

As items are labeled, the liner from a standard label can easily accumulate on the shop floor, and if they aren’t collected, create a slipping hazard. Linerless products eliminate this problem.

7) Reduce Landfill Waste

Liners from standard labels are challenging to recycle, and more often than not, get sent to the landfill. A linerless label by definition doesn’t have a liner which eliminates the need to recycle or the challenges that come from recycling liner materials.

Linerless Labels from United Ad Label

Add United Ad Label to the list of 7 reasons your labels should be linerless. We’re a label manufacturing company that brings a deep understanding of materials, printing technologies and business processes that aid in our development of products like these. If you have preprinted labels or direct thermal labels that may benefit from linerless labels, we can help. Contact us to learn more.