Label Release Liner: Looking to the Future

Opening the proceedings, Corey M. Reardon, president and CEO of AWA Alexander Watson Associates, reviewed the current market for release liner on pressure-sensitive labelstock—a market which, he said, continues to dominate global release liner demand, with a 51 percent share of total usage.

“Growth is slowing worldwide, however, to about 4 percent,” says Reardon, “with only China and India showing high CAGR prospects (9.24 percent and 11.53 percent, respectively) in the medium term. Competition to pressure-sensitive technology from other labeling formats and flexible packaging, as well as the overall challenges regarding environmental/sustainability issues, together represent tangible threats.” Despite these challenges, AWA’s research projects consistent growth for release liner pressure-sensitive labeling in the medium term.