Sustainability is the ability to sustain, carry on or endure for longer periods of time. The definition of sustainability has undergone a sea change over the years. Gradually it conveyed the message referring to environmental protection, in real terms it means using natural resources such that their benefits are available to future generations. Moving on, it is the thought process evolved to give back to mother earth, whatever we draw from it. We need to replenish the depleting resources. There was a time when depending on forests for wood to be used in various applications was a way of life, whether it was for construction, furniture, firewood for cooking or heating, or then producing paper. It soon became evident that increasing deforestation was adversely impacting the environment. Reducing forest cover was impacting on animals’ natural habitat leading to human-animal conflict, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, disruption of water cycles, greenhouse gas emissions, changes in the climatic conditions. There arose an urgent and imperative need to curtail the depleting forest cover. In India, the government enacted various laws; the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, and the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act of 2016, along with initiatives like the National Afforestation Program and the Green India Mission. The paper industry rose to the need and started setting up and managing plantations, growing more wood than they consumed. They are now taking more steps using alternate materials like wood chips and veneer waste from the wood industry, agricultural byproducts like sugarcane bagasse, wheat or paddy straw for pulp production and increasing use of recycled paper fibers instead of virgin pulp.

The first half of the 20^th century was witnessing the invention of the wonder material, “Plastics”, the evolution of which is a magical story. It largely replaced glass as packaging material by virtue of which packages became lighter, breakages reduced, aesthetics of packages improved and the “use and throw” or disposable packaging became evident everywhere. Toward the early second half of 20^th century, plastics raw materials had started being manufactured and used in India, the usage spread fast across the country. By the 1970s plastic films gave rise to another rapidly evolving growing industry, “flexible packaging”! Households found it convenient and affordable to buy refill packs. Self-adhesive labels, which were predominantly made of paper until the 1990s, began transitioning to filmic materials. With the transparent films being adopted as face materials, started catching the fancy of the FMCG brands as they also provided the “No-Label Look” which aesthetically appealed to the consumers. While a large part of glass bottles transformed into usage of plastic bottles, the labels evolved from paper to filmic. With the evolution and  growing use, polyethylene as a versatile material, stretchable labels were produced to adorn squeezable shampoo and sauce bottles.

It was also until the early 1970s that the primary packaging was labelled glass bottles, the secondary packaging was folding cartons and tertiary packaging was wooden cases. Thereafter kraft paper based corrugated cartons started replacing the heavy wooden cases. The steel strapping used to secure wooden cases was done away with. Glued flaps and remoistenable paper tapes were used to secure the corrugated board cartons, reinforced with plastic strapping. When plastic films evolved in the 1970s, self-adhesive BOPP tapes started being manufactured in India. These BOPP tapes replaced the paper tapes, and their usage grew rapidly across the country. It was a century of plastics! Plastics became a gigantic industry impacting all segments of industry from packaging, to automotive, electronics, sanitary hardware, engineering, hand tools and almost all segments of industry and society. By the 1980s, plastic was recognized as a potential environmental hazard, due to its non-biodegradability. Over the years this problem has escalated with several tons of plastic scrap dumped in oceans, landfills and elsewhere. They break down into microscopic particles that affect the health of humans, marine environments, and wildlife. Governments around the world started to enact laws to reduce the usage of plastics in day-to-day applications. In 2002, Bangladesh was the first country to ban single-use plastic bags and promote the use of jute or cloth bags in an effort protect the environment that was getting polluted due to rampant dumping of plastic bags and packaging. In July 2022 Government of India under their Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of identified single-use plastic items.

Non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas are used to make plastics, contributing to CO2 emissions and climate change. To reduce the impact and aid sustainability, Indian government started to promote the renewable energy sources like solar power, replacing fuel run passenger vehicle with electric vehicles, encourage and drive in programs leading to afforestation, preservation of water resources like rivers and water bodies, etc. These endeavors have led to the adoption of the principal of  four Rs of sustainability which are Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover leading to minimizing waste and resource consumption, promoting environmental responsibility, and fostering a circular economy. 

Reduce: It is making efforts to minimize waste and using less materials to arrive at the final product. Examples of industry’s efforts include; In 2022 liquor major Pernod-Ricard decided to do away with the secondary packs, the monocartons. This resulted in reduction of  7310 tons of carbon emissions every year while saving 2.5 lakh trees and reducing the waste going to landfills by 18745 tons. Diageo, another leading beverage brand, followed suit.

Reuse: We remember that in old times we used to have soft drink and beer bottles that were reused, though that concept has not re-emerged to the complexities involved in collection and cleaning, but several companies promote containers that find use after consumption of contents, reusable shopping bags are being preferred, and clothes also find usage after repurposing.

Recycle: This is a very important part of sustainability. It involves sorting to separate used material going waste and reprocessing to create usable material. Materials such as paper, plastic, glass and metal can be reprocessed or recycled to produce usable products.

Recover: This involves generating new products or energy from waste.

For self-adhesive labels industry it is a complex exercise as the label laminate is a multilayered multiple product construction. The label laminate consists of face material, PS adhesive, silicone and release base liner material. 50% of the laminate goes as waste before its application on the end product. The trimming from the slitting of laminate jumbo rolls, the waste matrix after die-cutting with pressure sensitive adhesive on it and the total release liner is waste that is either incinerated or goes to landfills. The label industry recognizes this and realizes that it is time that they make efforts towards  sustainable manufacturing. The author has requested many label printers on their endeavors toward this cause. Some who in numbers are a minor part of the total industry have responded about their efforts. A much larger effort is needed for the sake of this noble cause of sustainability, environmental protection and saving the depleting of natural resources for future generations. The responses are listed below.

Kuldip Goel of ANY Graphics NOIDA is the past President of Label manufacturers association of India and his initiative on sustainability are an inspiration for others in the industry. While building their new factory they have followed IGBC(Indian Green Building Council) Guidelines to create a certified green factory. Their application for Platinum Green Lead Rating which signifies a commitment to achieving the highest level of sustainability and environmental responsibility in building design and construction, is under process. Kuldip adds, “We have unwavering dedication to Innovations, and Sustainability. We have invested in impeccable infrastructure, cutting-edge technology, and a team of skilled professionals to create an environmentally friendly green infrastructure. For using renewable energy, we installed solar panels to generate 700KVA power for our captive use. 50 KL STP (Sewerage treatment plant) and 5KL ETP (Effluent treatment plant) are in place. All lights in the building are LED – to save energy. Our generators are run with PNG (Piped Natural Gas) fuel. The factory rooftop and all sides are insulated to minimize heat transfer between outside and inside. In areas within factory that have higher levels of fumes while in production, TFA AIRCONDITIONING is installed, which means the system has sensor based “Treated Fresh Air” option. There is a centrally located courtyard that has forest inside and the oxygen generated therein is being used in production areas. More than 1000 oxygen emitting trees and plants have been planted. These are special plants and not fancy decorative ones. For facilitating movement of handicapped and physically disabled easy access is provided within the factory premises.”

Krish Chhatwal, Kwality offset New Delhi; We are investing in ecofriendly technologies such as digital printing and waterless printing, to reduce waste, energy consumption, emissions and optimizing our production processes to increase efficiency.

Anuj Bhargav, Kumar Labels Noida; We are now 100% on LED UV with more than 100 units installed under one roof, reducing our energy consumption substantially. We have invested in renewable energy resources; Solar Panel installation is underway. Adopting recyclability, rPET(Recycled PET) liner is commercialized and its usage is growing. rPET labels were commercialized past year and rPET labels on rPET liner have been recently launched. We are committed to remaining sustainable and keep adopting alternatives and available options. 

Rajesh Chadha Update Prints Gurgaon: We are continuously putting  emphasis on energy and waste reduction by investing in right equipment using efficient processes, taking up regular maintenance of machines for optimal performance, training staff toward sustainability. 

Priyank Vasa Unick Fix-a-form Ahmedabad:

We participate in the matrix recycling program run by Avery Dennison for matrix waste and release liner materials saving it from going to landfills, impacting environment. We are getting FSC certification leading to usage of sustainably manufactured paper. We are planning to install rooftop solar panels for captive generation of renewable energy. We offer our customers sustainable products to select from with the help of our label stock suppliers.

Manish Hansoti S.Kumar Multi Products Pvt.Ltd.: 

We reduced energy consumption by implementing energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems. A 300 KVA solar plant covers 30% of our electricity needs. We implement water-saving measures, including recycling water and using a reverse borewell. We partnered with Avery Dennison to recycle label stock waste and run recycling programs for paper, plastic, and other materials. Most of our mercury UV systems have been converted to LED UV to save energy. For packaging, we use paper-based gum tape instead of BOPP. We regularly apply lean manufacturing principles to reduce waste and improve efficiency.

Manoj Kochar Holoflex Kolkata: We conducted an audit of our electrical efficiency and brought about changes. As a result of this we saved about 15% energy consumption. We have invested in new energy efficient and automated machines to produce finished labels with highly reduced wastages.

Mahendra Shah Renault Paper Palghar: Our Investments in fully servo auto register press have enabled us to produce with less wastage and improved efficiency. We invested in a semi rotary press for short runs, new job proofing , base coats  and overprint varnishes for complex short runs without much wastage of material and energy. Having color matching systems offline to save press time and electricity as well. We try to use more recycled material or green material. Investment in an ink kitchen is in the process of cutting down on ink wastages. We send our waste matrix and trim waste etc. to certified recyclers.

Himanshu Kapur, JK Fine Print Mumbai: We have tied up with an NGO for recycling trims, waste matrix and other production label waste. All other waste material goes to a cement plant for generation of energy via a catalytic converter. Wastewater is treated completely before discharge. We promote wash off labels. We are in the process of converting UV drying to LED to conserve electricity.

All UV lamps are ethically disposed with mercury separated. We are planning to promote rPet as a liner to replace glassine liners.

B K Manjunath Global Printing and Packaging Bengaluru: One of our key sustainability initiatives is the installation of solar panels on our rooftop to harness renewable energy meeting 40% of our energy consumption. We invested in advanced waste management systems, including a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) with a combined capacity of 10 KLD (Kilo Liters per Day). This facility ensures that all wastewater generated during operations is treated and disposed in an environmentally responsible manner. We have a rainwater harvesting system with a capacity of 1 lakh liters, supporting water conservation. We are FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) Certified, enabling us to supply cartons, labels, and leaflets made from responsibly sourced materials. 

Rajeev Nair Stallion Systems, Kochi: In our endeavor to be a sustainable producer, we have switched over to LED to reduce power consumption. Investment is made in new faster converting equipment with increased width to produce bigger volumes efficiently with reduced wastages. We have initiated the usage of thinner liners to reduce material usage. We now source our requirement of thermal transfer ribbons from manufacturers who are fully compliant to European Standards despite the products being priced higher. We are in the process of getting our EPR registration completed. 

It is a good sign that our label converters have understood the imperative need for sustainability are taking measures to implement. Though these are initial endeavors and much more needs to be done . It is hoped that industry at large will recognize the need to leave behind a safer planet for the generations that follow. 

Written by Harveer Sahni, Chairman Weldon Celloplast Limited New Delhi April 2025