Home Care & Laundry Label Talk Issue 1

EN

LabelTalk The home care & laundry label magazine - Issue 1

CLICK HERE to request your hard copy with real life samples

Dear reader, We are very excited to share with you the inaugural edition of our home care & laundry LabelTalk magazine! This publication will cover all things in the home care & laundry labeling realm and inspire you with creative ideas and insights.

In this edition we show several case studies following current label trends, as well as product spotlights from real-life customers both locally and around the globe. We also had the opportunity to sit down with MCC’s Global R&D and Quality Control Teams, learning more about their process to bring you innovative labeling developments and high-quality finished product. This magazine will tap into some helpful product resources in the overview of our rapid prototyping technology, our efforts regarding sustainable label options, and our ability to execute your projects in multiple plants around the world.

We are excited to share our knowledge and experience with you, and hope it spurs creativity, drive, and the quest to let your label tell the story.

Enjoy!

The MCC Home Care & Laundry Team

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In this issue 4

How MCC Can Help During COVID-19

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Functional Packaging: More Than Just a Pretty Label

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Sustainability: How You Can Contribute to a Green Future

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Premiumization: Ways to Stand Out on a Crowded Shelf

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Shifting the Boundaries of Remote Support

16 Project HolyGrail

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P&G’s “Wobbler” Label

18 Plastic Sorting Made Easy with Digital Watermarks

10 Shrink Sleeve Decorated Caps

22 Dawn Dish Soap Celebrates 40th Anniversary

13 Sustainable Label Solutions

24 FoilCure Makes Your Label SHINE

14 NBD Brand Deploys the Zipper Perforation

25 Meet Resin, Our “Stamp of Luxury” Label

The LabelTalk magazine is a yearly MCC publication, focused on a specific market segment. It is a compilation of what we accomplish for and together with our customers on a daily basis. It covers international success stories as well as the latest and greatest news about innovative label solutions, market trends and unique services we offer.

We love to share our knowledge and experiences to help meeting our customers’ needs and supporting their business growth ! Share yours? Mail marketing@mcclabel.com Copyright © by MCC. All rights reserved. The content of this document, including all copy, images, and attachment(s) are property of MCC and should be treated as confidential. It cannot be shared with or forwarded to third parties and cannot be published without MCC’s prior permission. If you have any questions regarding the use of this document, please email marketing@mcclabel.com.

COVID-19

How MCC Can Help During COVID-19 Rapid Prototyping Allows you to Make Quick, Educated Packaging Decisions

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COVID-19 is causing brand owners to make quick decisions, as demand has been rising for certain home care & laundry products.

To assist in making fast packaging decisions, MCC offers rapid prototyping to our customers. This allows the brand owner to see what their finished product would look like before launching a product. Rapid prototyping allows you to adjust your package design in a timely manner, so you won’t miss your deadlines!

What is rapid prototyping?

Technical capabilities

Rapid prototyping is an imaging and converting technology that produces high-quality art proofs on a variety of substrates, incorporating decorative foils, embossing and debossing, as well as simulated textures. The proofs mimic actual print production, providing the customer a good indication of how the design elements of a concept will appear prior to actual production. Using rapid prototyping is the perfect way to bring your ideas to life before they go into production.

Ink Reproduction • Rapid prototyping ink is compatible with most all common paper, film, and wood substrates. The ink is absorbed by uncoated stocks, causing minor distortion in the printed image, and specifically fine type.

• All images are produced out of 4C process, limiting color matching to 80-90% accuracy.

This solution is best for customers who want to see a physical rendition of their label design or multiple label designs prior to committing to an actual production run and the purchase of dies and tooling.

Foil Decoration • Foil may be applied pre or post-ink application in a secondary or tertiary process without the need of dies. All common foil materials are compatible and multiple foils may be incorporated with proofs.

• Foil laydown is best on coated and smooth substrates. Textured papers may show signs of

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COVID-19

understand all your custom label printing needs to provide you with a premium product in a short time.

The process is simple and will be guided by one of MCC’s technical experts.

• First, we need to know which elements you want to test. At this phase you can select the real raw materials (substrates, foils, etc.) that will be used also for the industrial production, our expert have the know how to manage the technology in order to closely match the results that will be achieved on your finished label. You may also select finishes /embellishments: reliefs (emboss and deboss effects), varnish effects, screen and high build tactile effects, reverse printing, etc.

• Customer to provide artwork.

• With artwork and the above selections made, the MCC team will make a proof. Our advanced printing capabilities allow us to incorporate all these custom features into your label design so that you can visualize it as the final product. The variation between the rapid proof and the final label is impressive, you will not find much difference when comparing side-by-side.

foil “picking”. Foil laydown inconsistency is to be expected on these textured materials, particularly with fine foil detail call-outs.

• Foil appearance may be different versus production foil, due to the absence of overall varnish with the rapid prototyping process.

Emboss/De-boss Emboss and deboss elements can be applied without the need for tooling. The operator manages the emboss and deboss height(s) to keep in-line with actual production capabilities.

Die-Cut Die cutting occurs in the final step of the rapid prototyping production process and does not require tooling. There are few-to-no limits on the complexity of the die-cut.

The process MCC will work closely with your marketing and/or design team to develop the best prototype so you can make an informed design decision. We seek to

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The benefits We bring your design to life early in the design process, enabling peace of mind in design decisions and execution.

• A rapid prototyping proof can be utilized to measure design concept acceptance when conducting focus groups studies or making product pre-sale presentation packaging ‘dummies’.

• Test multiple versions to compare rendering in different media and embellishment techniques.

• Confirm whether envisioned embellishments add value. Compare shelf design variations to further refine your design early in the product development process.

• Conduct consumer testing and get feedback • Take photo sessions to test your marketing materials.

• Present at trade shows and wine industry events, where you only need a small series of custom labels to preview a new product for clients or investors.

Lead times Once approved, the standard lead time for a rapid prototyping proof is just 3-5 days.

Augmented Reality:

Shifting the Boundaries of Remote Support In the home care & laundry industries, companies are now under even more pressure to meet their delivery times during COVID-19. To meet these deadlines, each step in the labeling process must run smoothly. If not, MCC’s Application Engineering Team is always available to help, even remotely. Get to know our TeamViewer Project!

“We wanted to see and listen to what our customers are experiencing and that’s why our team started with the TeamViewer Pilot project in Cwmbran (UK) to help customers remotely. This way we are using livestreaming video to solve problems and prevent downtime costs”, says Chris Cotter, Application Engineering Manager at MCC. By simply using your smartphone, you can film the machine, allowing MCC’s Engineering Team to quickly see what the problem is by freezing the video. A big advantage is that MCC can guide the customer by giving visual instructions such as arrows or circles on the video to indicate what should be changed.

You’re probably thinking that it is not easy to work on a labeling machine and film at the same time.

We combat that challenge by using smart glasses.

This makes it easier to live-stream and execute simultaneously. The customer can easily adjust their settings while using the Teamviewer Livestream.

Benefits of application engineering via augmented reality: • Save time and money by solving problems remotely • Faster QA • Guidance via 3D markers onto real-world objects • Recording and freezing livestreams to send instructions or translations afterwards After rolling this out for food & beverage clients, we are convinced this project is an added value for clients in home care & laundry, as faster time to market is key.

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Since the pandemic limits our travel and we still receive a lot of urgent questions about label application support, we wanted to search for an effective solution.”

Chris Cotter, Application Engineering Manager at MCC

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Functional Packaging

Functional Packaging: More Than Just a Pretty Label 8

P&G’s “Wobbler” Label Solves Consumers’ Dosing Needs The challenge In early 2019, P&G’s fabric care business wanted to design a unique insert for their renowned Tide Pods tubs after learning that consumers were “under dosing” their loads. The concept of the Wobbler was born, with the sole purpose of reminding the consumer how to dose their loads at each point of use.

Creating the solution MCC York’s Product Leadership team helped design a 7 mil PET insert which you would reach through while getting a pod out of the tub. It would be affixed to one side of the collar of the tub and loose on the other. Based on that design it would “wobble” when you put your hand through it. The design of the Wobbler served two primary roles: It would cause direct consumer interaction by touching it, but it would be functional in that it gives dosing instructions. During the trial process, Product Leadership worked diligently with P&G on fit, form, and function as many materials and designs were tested.

Since the Wobbler is a new solution, MCC needed to manually create the Wobbler in the meantime while the new automated machine was identified and delivered.

The results While awaiting delivery of the new automated machine, the York Operations team utilized creativity and perseverance to design and execute on a manual production process to meet P&G’s immediate need. After more than 6 months of manually producing products, the new machine is running full-steam and sending Tide Pods tubs with Wobblers across America! MCC is proud to bring a new label into market from start to finish, that also truly solves P&G’s consumer need.

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Functional Packaging

Shrink Sleeve Decorated Caps Don’t stop at your primary label. Adding a cap sleeve gives you additional space to market your product!

Attract shoppers’ attention and open a new area for graphics on a container. Multi-Color developed the world’s first shrink sleeve decorated cap for Tide with Febreze and received numerous shrink sleeve label awards for innovation as well as excellence in graphic reproduction. Not only can these cap sleeves help with design appeal, they can provide exceptional functional features as well. When shrunk onto the cap, high torque adhesive provides robust performance in functional closure. Grip features, via tactile coatings on the shrink sleeve, can help the elderly open bottles, etc. MCC’s proprietary adhesive and process ensures that the cap label will stay in place, rather than spin around the cap as you twist.

Key features • More space for marketing (promotions, sales, education) • Grip features, via tactile coatings on the shrink sleeve, can help the elderly open bottles, etc

See more of our Functional Labels by scanning the QR code here!

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Sustainability

Sustainability: How You Can Contribute to a Green Future

Request a copy of our Sustainability Roadmap to learn how MCC is developing sustainable labels and advancing sustainable initiatives at facilities around the globe.

This magazine also includes physical samples and their inspiring success stories.

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Sustainable Label Solutions Our Research & Development team is constantly searching for label upgrades that meet today’s sustainability needs. Dr. Craig Bushman, VP for Global Research and Development, will guide you through the development process and our solutions regarding sustainability.

Development culture “Each label upgrade starts with a dialogue with the customer, to fully understand which goal they try to reach.

We continue by listening to the reclaimers. Our main question is always: what is the optimum label solution for our customers, that is also going to provide the most sustainable solution?”, explains Bushman. “We continue to innovate, to develop sustainable solutions across all packaging categories. We have made it a priority and a focus for our development to work on the next generation materials for each category.”

Recycling compatibility for shrink sleeve: RecycLABEL® “Multi-Color has been very committed to delivering sustainable solutions that allow for improved recycling compatibility,” Bushman asserts. “For several years we have been working with organizations including the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) to develop sustainability solutions for both shrink-sleeve and pressure sensitive labels. For shrink-sleeves there isn’t a single ‘silver bullet’, ‘one size fits all’ solution, so MCC offers three recycLABEL® Shrink technologies. Each individual customer’s requirements are evaluated and specifically addressed.” The options are: 1. Crystallizable PET: This is the newest approach to address the recycling problem and uses a shrink sleeve film material that is compatible with the PET container Resin. In addition, the artwork ink is designed to remove completely in a caustic bath; the ink does not dissolve but, rather, remains as solid particles which can be filtered off. As a result, clean PET film can then be incorporated by the reclaimer, thereby increasing their yield. The product meets the APR Critical Guidance requirements for reclaimers in a circular process and has been confirmed with an APR Recognition Letter.

This MCC innovation offers a distinct advantage in the market and is being commercially introduced in the U.S.

2. Floatable film shrink sleeve: A more fitting approach for recycling in Europe is the use of polyolefin films that float in the sink-float separation process. Very high interest has been shown in this market.

3. De-seaming technology: The seam of the shrink sleeve ‘unzips’ during the wholebottle wash process in the reclaiming environment. This is implemented for customers in North America where the wet recycling process is common.

Pressure sensitive label sustainability solutions: RecycLABEL® Multi-Color has been commercial for several years in the beverage market with recycling compatible pressure sensitive labels for PET containers. Bushman explains: “It has been a very high priority for us. In addition, we have observed that brand owners in the home and personal care market are also interested in sustainability solutions.

We support them by supplying label materials that are fully compatible with recycling.”

IML: interactive labels Another great innovation by MCC, has been the partnership we build with Digimarc and others, to improve the post-consumer recycling stream of PP packaging.

The project ‘HolyGrail’ makes use of invisible tracers and digital watermarks, the aim of moving closer to a circular economy. Nico Van de Walle, Product and Circular Economy Manager at MCC Verstraete (Belgium), participated actively in this project. It took 3 years of innovations, involving 29 partners. Read more details on HolyGrail on page 16 of this magazine.

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Our main question is always: what is the optimum label solution for our customers that is also going to provide the most sustainable solution?”

Craig Bushman, VP Global Research & Development at MCC

Sustainable label solutions per label type Pressure Sensitive

Pressure sensitive recycLABEL® (for PET), wash-off ThermoWash™ (for glass)

Shrink Sleeve

Crystallizable PET shrink sleeve, deseaming shrink sleeve, floatable shrink sleeve

IML

Interactive IML

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Sustainability

NBD Brand Deploys the Zipper Perforation:

A Win-Win Solution for Both Aesthetics and the Environment As sustainability is becoming a more and more prevalent topic in today’s world, many brand owners are seeking solutions to make their packaging eco-friendly. P&G’s new plant-powered ingredient brand, NDB is no exception.

Capturing the millennial consumer This new cleaning brand chose to utilize a shrink sleeve label for their product. They chose a shrink sleeve label because it offers 360-degree graphics, capturing the millennial consumer when they are at the store shelf.

However, millennial consumers are putting a significantly higher priority on sustainability than generations before them. Shrink sleeve labels aren’t always the most sustainable option if left unmodified, so P&G was faced with a challenge: How to stand out on the store shelf with appealing graphics, while also staying eco-friendly to draw in the millennial buyer.

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P&G is on a journey to find the right solutions to make it easy for consumers to recycle and this zipper technology is a great step, especially when combined with How2Recycle instructions.”

Jennifer Beck, Brand Manager, Wellness Brands at P&G

MCC’s solution MCC and P&G showed great collaboration on this project to come up with a solution to have the best of both worlds. MCC suggested incorporating a zipper perforation along the side of the shrink sleeve so consumers could remove or ‘zip’ off the label. This allows the bottle to be recycled after use. It is stated twice on the label that the product is not recyclable unless the label is removed. This added knowledge is something NBD’s target audience really appreciates. According to the 2019 EcoFocus Trend Survey, 75% of millennials agree that manufacturers need to do a better job at telling shoppers how to recycle or dispose of their packaging.

Sustainability goals met!

MCC’s Research & Development team has tested this product many times before launching to make sure the product zips off as intended. The Zipper Perforation passed all testing and is now in the market on NBD cleaning products today. MCC is proud to work with a partner like P&G who takes the necessary steps for a more sustainable future. This solution is just one example of how MCC can help brands meet their sustainability goals, while appealing to their target market!

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Sustainability

Project HolyGrail 2.0 Pioneering Sorting Technology Moves Towards a Circular Economy MCC has joined forces together with over 85 companies and organizations from the complete packaging value chain to assess whether a pioneering digital technology can enable better sorting and higher-quality recycling rates. The goal is to drive a truly circular economy. This initiative is facilitated by AIM, the European Brands Association.

One of the most pressing challenges in achieving a circular economy for packaging is to better sort postconsumer waste by accurately identifying packaging, resulting in more efficient and higher-quality recycling.

Digital watermarks may have the potential to revolutionize the way packaging is sorted in the waste management system, as it opens new possibilities that are currently not feasible with existing technologies.

The pioneering project, HolyGrail was facilitated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and concluded on May 23rd, 2020. This project has proven that the digital watermark technology can be the next step in how industries approaches sorting. The branded goods industry has now stepped in to facilitate the next phase as a crossvalue chain initiative under the name “HolyGrail 2.0”.

HolyGrail 2.0 will launch an industrial pilot in order to prove the viability of digital watermarks technologies for more accurate sorting of packaging and higher-quality recycling, as well as the business case at large scale.

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We’re honored to be in the Leadership Team and to be chosen by the participating brand owners to actively pave HolyGrail 2.0’s future. We are trusted with a valuable voice in the further development of this groundbreaking project, and we will apply our knowledge and experience on sustainable packaging solutions to make this a success.”

Nico Van de Walle, Product and Circular Economy Manager at MCC Verstraete

.75”

Looks like this

Performs like this

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Sustainability

Plastic Sorting Made Easy with Digital Watermarks The invisible solution that saves time, money and our planet

Digital watermarks are imperceptible codes, the size of a postage stamp, covering the surface of a consumer goods packaging. They can carry a wide range of attributes such as manufacturer, SKU, type of plastics used and composition for multilayer objects, food vs. non-food usage, etc.

Sorting revolution The aim is that once the packaging has entered into a waste sorting facility, the digital watermark can be detected and decoded by a high resolution camera on the sorting line, which then – based on the transferred attributes – is able to sort the packaging into corresponding streams. This would result in better and more accurate sorting streams, and thus consequently in higher-quality recyclates, benefiting the complete packaging value chain.

Intelligent packaging Through this, the packaging becomes intelligent, a feature which can then be used across the full value chain: quality assurance and inventory management at fillers; anticounterfeit checks at stores; fast check-

outs at retailers (making 2D barcodes and QR codes redundant); consumer engagement; and finally, to close the circle, improved sorting and recovery.

Consumer engagement The consumer engagement aspects are particularly interesting. The invisible codes can be easily read by mobile phones. This brings new features directly to the consumer’s fingertips. Features include coupons/ loyalty, information on product use/dosage, ingredient transparency and how to deal with the packaging at the end of life. Another example is to create appealing and surprising messages through augmented reality, for instance by telling consumers how to recycle their packaging.

Interested in discovering possibilities of the digital watermark technology?

1. Contact your local MCC representative.

2. MCC enhances the original artwork file with digital watermarks.

3. Files that contain the imperceptible watermarks are shared to perform a quality check.

4. Labels are printed without addition of extra/special colors regardless of the preferred printing technique.

5. You and your customers can start enjoying your intelligent packaging.

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Smart packaging sorting for a circular economy 3.

Packaging waste is sorted into different streams for recycling (e.g. food vs non-food)

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Standard high resolution camera detects the digital watermarks & decodes their infomation

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Packaging waste coded with digital watermarks arrives at the sorting plant

Do you want to see how it would look on your packaging?

Contact our sustainability experts by emailing sustainability@mcclabel.com

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Premiumization

Premiumization: Ways to Stand Out on a Crowded Shelf 20

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Premiumization

Dawn’s Dish Soap

40th Anniversary Partnership with Limited-Edition Labels

Dawn and IBR celebrate 40 years together For 40 years, the International Bird Rescue (IBR) has been using Dawn to clean/rescue birds and other animals from oil pollution. In order to commemorate such a great milestone, P&G came to Multi-Color to make a specialized label showcasing their partnership with the IBR. A special label for a special occasion The Dawn brand wanted to make sure their new limited-edition labels would stand out on shelf. To do this, Multi-Color added several embellishments to their label. To bring extra attention and make sure the consumers’ eyes were drawn to the “Celebrating 40 Years” part of the label, MCC incorporated increased cold foil and matte varnish. Dawn also added a gloss varnish to make the bubbles and ducks pop against

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the matte background. To take it a step further, high luster silver ink and cold foil was also added to the neck label. Secondary labels don’t usually have a lot of embellishments, so this really helped bring more stopping power to the product.

Teamwork makes the dream work Adding many embellishments and varnishes often create challenges with tight registration. MCC tackled this challenge by collaborating with P&G and their artwork separation partner. The result was a visually stunning label that didn’t require any sacrifices to the design intent. P&G was pleased with the FMOT (first moment of truth) the label provided to a consumer and believes the label is an excellent representation of the notable partnership they have with the IBR.

Adding embellishments to this label was a great way to bring more attention to the notable partnership between P&G and the IBR.” Shayne Kitts, P&G National Account Manager at MCC

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Premiumization

FoilCure Makes Your Label SHINE Many home care & laundry products utilize in-mold labels to decorate their packaging.

Multi-Color has recently introduced an innovation that is sure to catch consumers’ eyes, FoilCure!

FoilCure is more advanced than the traditional sheetfed-offset cold foil. FoilCure combines mechanical precision and the right ink chemistry to produce the smoothest lay of foil on both film and paper without deforming the sheet from heat. In fact, this innovation is more enhanced than flexographic cold foil.

Multi-Color Corporation is the only printer in the world that can provide this solution. It is available in both in-mold and cut & stack labels. Contact us to see how we can make your cold foil have a more reflective, brilliant shine to your packaging!

Want to see label samples of FoilCure? Request a sample pack be sent to your address by emailing marketing@mcclabel.com

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Meet Resin, Our “Stamp of Luxury” Label Imagine a very sophisticated wax seal that you can make in different sizes, colors and formats. That’s our unique Resin label.

Just use your creativity and imagination, and anything is possible.

Resin provides an opportunity to enhance and add value to your packaging.

What is Resin?

Resin is an ultra-high tactile coating produced using a patented process to deliver a 3D label. Compare several Resin labels and they may all look completely different. Color, size and thickness are customizable and give your product a more premium look. Resin labels are very popular in the wine & spirits market, but have quickly been gaining traction in several other industries in order to elevate their packaging and convey a premium product.

All types are self-adhesive and can come with hot foil and embossing. We currently offer five different types of Resin for your home care & laundry product: Seals Enhance your packaging with a self-adhesive seal. It is the solution to create a premium look-and-feel to your packaging. As this is not a one-size-fits-all solution, we offer many possibilities of shape, size and finishing material, all to help personalize your brand.

Seals

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Ribbons Can you zoom in so it doesn’t look like a food product?

Add prestigious value to your packaging with a selfadhesive Resin ribbon. A perforation can also be applied to the ribbon, if your bottle requires warranty closure.

Partial Resin label If you want to highlight a certain element of your label, you can choose to finish off with Resin. The self-adhesive label will first be printed offset, digitally, or by silkscreen.

Foil and embossing can be added after. And finally, details of Resin will be the finishing touch to your premium bottle. Both automatic and manual application are possible.

Separated letters The minimum width of a Resin label is 2mm, which allows us to reproduce very thin shapes, logos and texts. The separated or shaped Resin is coated on a pressure sensitive label. There is a clear application tape positioned on the upper front of the label itself.

Ribbons

Separated letters

Unique shapes

3 reasons why Resin is an added value to your brand 1

It brings your package to life.

Your brand enthusiasts can touch and feel your product.

They will be proud to use it.

It’s also very instagrammable!

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Resin labels exude a sense of a high-end, quality product, so this sometimes encourages customers to pay more for a brand based on the packaging.

It also helps catch a consumer’s eye at shelf while walking down the store aisles!

Resin labels make it easy for you to differentiate from your competition. You are able to totally personalize the Resin label to your brand’s needs. You can choose the colors, shape and special effects such as embossing and foils.

Resin for Home Care & Laundry Now that you are familiar with what Resin labels are, you can start imagining what it would look like on your home care product. Take this candle for example. If you are a brand owner in the candle industry, Resin labels are a great way to premiumize your product. This seal communicates quality to the consumer – and they really notice! In fact, according to a Packaging Study by Dotcom Distribution,

Although the Resin label is applied to a candle here, there are many other home care products Resin labels would be applicable to. Use your imagination to be creative. MCC also has a team of Resin experts available to help in the creative process if you would like assistance.

Our team will make sure the Resin labels pass all testing of your product’s required environments. Don’t miss your opportunity to capture repeat buyers and give your customers something to talk about!

61% of people were much more likely to repeat a purchase of a luxury product if it came in premium packaging.

Looking for a premium label solution? Contact us via marketing@mcclabel.com so we can evaluate your packaging and suggest the best options for your brand.

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How can we help you?

As a global and local home care & laundry partner, we are looking forward to having a dialogue to learn how we can help you get more out of your label.

Please reach out to marketing@mcclabel.com www.mcclabel.com/en/home-care-laundry MCC Home Care & Laundry mcc.homecare

CLICK HERE to request your hard copy with real life samples