PLA Shrink Labels Meet Packagers’ Environmental and Economic Challenges

CROYDON, Pa.—With a commitment to meeting both environmental and economic challenges for sustainable packaging, Gilbreth Packaging, the first company to offer shrink labels made from polylactic acid (PLA), offers a renewable and economically stable plant-based technology that replaces traditional petroleum-based shrink labels.

Brand managers, marketers, packagers and retailers select bio-based Gilbreth shrink labels and tamper-evident bands made from PLA as a natural choice to reinforce the “purity,” “natural,” and “close to nature” commitment and positioning of natural product and nutritional supplement brands.

“Brand marketers are responding to retailer and consumer requests for products that use sustainable packaging,” explained Theresa Sykes, product development manager at Gilbreth Packaging, a pioneer in the use of PLA shrink labels. “PLA shrink labels, made from a biodegradable corn-based resin, are preferred by industry leaders that are in the forefront of the sustainable packaging movement.”

In addition to its compostability, Gilbreth PLA labels and T-E bands present an attractive lower-cost benefit. The PLA resin-producing process requires 66 percent less fossil fuel to produce than its petroleum-based counterpart. PLA shrink film requires less heat, less dwell time (and therefore less energy) to shrink the label onto the package. Use of PLA can increase line efficiencies and save valuable energy and resources.