A Long and Winding Road

With sustainability concerns providing both challenges and opportunities over a changing landscape, McDowell simplifies the potential impact on tag and label printers. “Sustainability will be positive for those who respond [to it] and negative to those who don’t.”

Another area providing a clear challenge to the tag and label category (while also providing an opportunity for printers in the business of product decoration) is flexible packaging. “Flexible packaging—direct-printed so there is no need for an additional ‘label’ on the pack—is an obvious major competitor,” says Reardon. “Pouches and sachets will unquestionably and increasingly take business from traditional tags and labels, and converters in these areas should be looking to take a share in this new market for package printing.”