In the dynamic world of packaging, understanding industry-specific terminology is helpful for ensuring your brand goals are achieved. Our comprehensive glossary is designed to be a valuable resource for all level of label learners – from seasoned industry veterans to newcomers seeking to deepen their knowledge. We hope this resource empowers you with the knowledge you need to thrive in your role and contribute to the growth and innovation of your organization.

Glossary

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Type of water-based adhesive or coating that contains acrylic polymers. Commonly used for its fast-drying properties, durability, and ability to adhere to various substrates, making it ideal for label applications where quick turnaround and strong adhesion are necessary.

Aluminum neck foils are specialized materials used in the packaging of beer bottles. These neck foils not only improve the appearance of the bottle but also provides hygiene protection as well as tamper evidence. The material does not harbor or promote the growth of bacteria and is sterile following thermal treatment in it&#8217;s production process.

Cut and Stack labels (also known as wet glue labels) are a type of label made from paper or film that use adhesives to stick to a product container. The adhesive is applied over the container during the labeling process. Popular in food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

duraSCULPT are braille-embossed labels crafted to seamlessly blend design and functionality. These labels transcend barriers and enable accessibility for all.

enviroLABEL is the environmental choice in self-adhesive label constructions for the wine industry. Reducing the impact of your label by introducing PCR or alternative feedstock material. The label is made from 100% recycled materials and the feedstock is laminated onto a recycLABEL PET Liner eliminating waste.

Extended Content Labels (ECLs) create several layers or pages that can be revealed and then resealed. They offer the space you need for regulatory requirements, multiple languages, consumer education, health and safety warnings, and cross-branding &#8211; all in a more sustainable format.

Folding Carton labels are a type of product packaging made from paperboard. These boxes typically have tack flaps on either end, making it easy to open the product. Commonly used in various sectors, such as, food and beverage, electronics, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods.

Heat transfer labels are printed images that are fixed directly onto packaging by using heat or pressure. They are a method of applying a design or label without stitching. Heat transfer labels are durable and long-lasting, as they are embedded into the sublayers of the container.

The term in-mold labeling (IML) is directly derived from the technique: a preprinted polypropylene (PP) label is placed in a mold that has the shape of the end product, e.g. the shape of a butter tub. Then the molten PP is added to the mold, fuses with the label and, while curing, takes the shape of the mold. The result is that the label and packaging become one.

KillerWhite is a proprietary stock developed exclusively to conquer issues paper labels face when exposed to high moisture levels and wet environments. It is a bright, white paper featuring an uncoated, rich vellum, smooth finish and a wet strength additive, which increases resistance to tearing and shriveling in moist environments. Unlike similar face stocks, that display a greying effect when exposed to moisture, KillerWhite retains its color for clear brand differentiation.

NextCycle IML is an IML label specifically designed to adhere during normal use and release during recycling. In this way the inks and lacquers are taken out together with the label. This paves the way for circular use of the container material.

An MCC innovation, NOVA are a proprietary suite of inks with customizable sheen, patterns, colors and effects that enable your product to shine from every angle. MCC&#8217;s NOVA mirror the metallic look of foil while creating a more sustainable overall solution.

Pressure sensitive labels are highly versatile and can be applied to most shapes and surfaces, making them a viable option for most products. PS labels can be made from a wide array of materials &#8211; paper, film, foil, and various adhesives. These labels can be customized to fulfill unique applications and consumer needs.

RFID is a technology that uses radio waves to passively identify a tagged object. RFID labels are paper or plastic labels that include an embedded RFID inlay. When an RFID label is placed near a reader device, the radio waves from the reader activate the chip in the label allowing it to send information back to the reader.

Reel fed labels are supplied on continuous reels and are typically used for high-volume labeling processes. They are applied to products using a machine that wraps the label around the products, such as bottles or containers. This method is known for its efficiency and the ability to handle large quantities quickly.

ReseaLabel is a convenient and reliable packaging closure that adds cost-effective functionality to packaging. Using proprietary equipment, MCC prints out and applies a pressure sensitive label to a pre-printed flexible film. The film is then die cut to provide the consumer with the resealable feature.

Roll fed labels are film wrap-around labels that come on a continuous roll without adhesive or blocking. They are applied by machines that cut the roll into individual labels and add adhesive as the label wraps around the container. Roll fed labels are a durable and cost effective labeling product that offer 360 degrees of product coverage and marketing space.

SealPPeel is a polypropylene heat seal die-cut lidding. The solution optimizes recyclability, consumer convenience, and shelf appeal of PP packaging.

Self Coat refers to a range of environmentally friendly, water based coatings that are designed to be highly durable and protective. These coatings are known for their ZERO Volatile Organic Compounds (V.O.C), making them safe for both the environment and users.

Shrink sleeve labels are full color, 360 degree printed labels that utilize heat in the application process to conform the label to the shape of the container. They are typically printed on either plastic or polyester film material and are commonly used on aluminum cans and glass or plastic bottles. Shrink sleeves are a cost effective labeling and packaging solution that consist of heat-sensitive material that is seamed on one side with an opening on the top and bottom to form a sleeve.

Stretch Sleeve are a type of packaging label that are stretched and applied to containers without the use of adhesives or heat. They rely on their natural elasticity to hold them in place, making them an eco-friendly option of labeling. They can offer cost savings and have a smaller carbon footprint compared to other labeling solutions.

ThermoWash labels easily detach from the bottle under current industry conditions. The custom-designed adhesive &#8220;de-tackifies&#8221; during the bottle washing process and the label adhesive and face stock remain in one piece, allowing for easy removal from the washer.

Wash-off Labels are distinguished by their ability to be easily removed during the bottle cleaning and recycling process. They are often used on returnable glass bottles, such as for soda and beer. Generally, a wash-off label has a multi-layer design consisting of a PET liner, a polypropylene film, and a wash-off adhesive.

The automotive and chemicals segments are closely intertwined, with the automotive sector being a significant end industry for chemicals. The chemicals industry accounts for more than 10 percent of overall sales in the automative market, with even higher sales for specific substances.

An industry that encompasses companies that produce and sell products intended for personal consumption by the general public. These are typically goods that are consumed regularly and have a relatively short shelf life, such as food and beverages, personal care products, household cleaning supplies, and over-the-counter medications.

The durables and technical industry, often referred to as the technology products and durables (T&amp;D) sector, encompasses a wide range of products that are expected to last for three years or more. This includes items such as large &amp; small appliances, furniture, consumer electronics, automobiles, and sporting goods.

Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples are non-durable household items such as packaged foods.

The food and beverage industry comprises of companies and establishments that process, package, distribute, and serve food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to end customers.

The food and dairy industry is a significant sector globally, encompassing the production, processing, and distribution of milk, and milk-based products.

The healthcare industry is a vast and complex sector that plays a crucial role in the well-being of individuals and communities. It encompasses a wide range of services and products aimed at treating patients with preventative, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care.

The home and personal care market encompasses a wide range of products used by consumers on a daily basis to maintain cleanliness, health, and well-being in both their personal and household environments.

The homecare and laundry industry is a significant sector within the consumer goods market. The segment is mainly driven by rising demand for laundry care products among residential and commercial consumers.

The wine and spirits industry encompasses a broad range of businesses involved in the production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Specifically, it includes: producers, wholesalers and distributors, retailers and hospitality providers.

BOPP is a thermoplastic polymer that has similar qualities to PET. It is commonly used in sticker and label printing, food packaging, bottle caps, and other applications.

C-PET is a type of food packaging material know for its superior functional properties and its unique combination of food safety and circularity. It&#8217;s commonly used in ready meals and acts as an alternative to aluminum trays.

Filmic liners are an essential component in label construction, particularly for adhesive labels. They serve as the backing material that supports the adhesive layer and allows for easy application.

Smooth glassine paper is one of the most common materials used for release liners. Glassine is a smooth and glossy paper that is air, water, and grease resistant.

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) is a versatile and commonly used thermoplastic polymer. It is known for its high strength-to-density ratio making it durable and resistant to many chemicals and solvents. It is often the choice for CPG packaging due to its moisture barrier properties and resistance to impact and puncture.

PET is a thermoplastic polymer resin commonly used in the production of bottles. It is clear, strong, lightweight, and known for its moisture barrier properties, chemical resistance, and recyclability.

Polyolefins are a family of thermoplastics, composed of Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP), among other minor polymers. They are obtained mainly from oil and natural gas, through the polymerization of ethylene and propylene respectively. Generally, polyolefins have great chemical resistance, are transparent or translucent, and in many cases are flexible even at low temperatures. Due to their versatility, polyolefins are one of the most common plastics today.

Polypropylene is a plastic that is used to make a variety of different materials. It has many similar properties to PET, HDPE and LDPE, but has a much higher melting point, making it useful for holding hot materials.

PS is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight.

This versatile &#8216;direct to print&#8217; technology uses computer monitored color calibration for pantone matching and target reproduction. An electromagnetic process is used to apply the toner or ink to the photo or imagery plate. Digital printing is the fastest growing print technology. Customers enjoy the ability to produce short run labels that can provide market differentiation through variable content.

Flexography, or &#8216;Flexo&#8217;, is a printing process that employs the use of pliable relief or raised image plates. Flexo label printing uses rubber or polymer plates which are a lot less expensive that their metal counterparts. Flexo is often used to print large areas with solid covers and is popular as it adapts well to both irregular lengths and to a variety of inks.

Gravure or Rotogravure is a printing process that uses engraved cylinders mounted on a base which carry ink cells directly onto the substrate. The use of engraved cylinder printing achieves the ultimate speed and repeatability with a long tooling lifespan. It is useful for flagship production lines that run without significant graphic changes.

Lithography is based on the premise that water and oil don&#8217;t mix. On the press, the dampeners wet the entire plate, but only the non-image areas get damp. The ink rollers transfer ink and are accepted in the image areas, but repelled by the non-image areas. The image is then copied, or &#8216;offset&#8217;, from the plate to another cylinder called the blanket. The blanket accepts the image and then transfers it to the substrate. Lithography is used primarily for stacked, banded, or cut materials. It offers extremely high graphic reproduction with great image quality.

Screen printing is used in conjunction with flexographic printing presses. It utilizes a very fine mesh with a stencil attached. A squeegee runs across the screen, pushing ink through the open holes in the stencil. Screen printing specializes in tactile and high-opacity ink on a variety of substances.

Bleeding inks refer to a phenomenon where ink soaks through a piece of paper to the other side. When we look at the recycling process, bleeding inks refer to when we clean the flakes and the water changes color.

A coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of a label substrate during the manufacturing process. The purpose of applying the coating may be decorative, functional, or both. For example, it could provide an adhesive surface for printing, or it could provide a textured effect. Coatings may be applied as liquids, gases, or solids.

A surface modification technique that uses a low temperature corona discharge plasma to impart changes in the properties of a surface. The corona plasma is generated by the application of high voltage to an electrode that has a sharp tip in order to change the surface energy of the material and improve the printability and the ink adhesion.

Face stock is a layer of material that is converted and combined with a coating and release liner to produce a basic label construction.

Graphics Optimization (GO) refers to the process of linking decorating options with a customer&#8217;s design objectives during the pre-press process.

Hot melt is a thermoplastic material, solid at room temperature, which when applied in a molten liquid state adheres to a surface when cooled below its melting point.

Injection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts by injecting molten material into a mold.

An LED is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. LEDs can be used in curing systems for printing, coating and converting applications.

The liner carries the adhesive and face material of a pressure sensitive label. The liner always has a release coating that prevents the adhesive from sticking permanently to the backing, which allows the face material and adhesive to be removed together when the label is being applied to a substrate.

The terms &#8220;Light, Standard&#8221; and &#8220;Dark&#8221; refer to samples used for quality control and process matching in printing. These samples help print specifiers evaluate process variability and ensure that production falls within an acceptable range.

Non-bleeding inks are inks specially designed to comply with the non-bleeding test protocols defined by recycling associations such as EPBP and RecyClass. These protocols vary depending on the container material.

Our Rapid Prototyping Center (RPC) is a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility designed to quickly create physical models or prototypes from a digital design. Prototyping is a great way to visualize a design before committing to a press run.

In the context of labeling, a substrate refers to the surface onto which a label is applied. When it comes to printing the substrate refers to the surface that is to be printed, which means that the face material (and top coatings) of a label may also be referred to as a substrate.

UV inks are a highly advantageous ink type for commercial and industrial printing applications. The inks are specially formulated to cure when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light instead of oxidation (air) and this, as a result, increases special effect capabilities.

A process used to separate particles of different sizes by suspending them in an air stream. It allows for clean flake recycling.

US-based international non-profit association representing the plastics recycling industry. Member companies are involved in the entire industry and are committed to the success of plastics recycling.

CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states, and regions, to manage their environmental impacts. To obtain an A or B score on CDP the company has to demonstrate the awareness of their impacts on climate change, water, and deforestation.

Carbon emissions relate to the carbon produced by planes, cars, factories, etc. and are the primary driver of global climate change.

The amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular product, process, individual, organization, or community.

CSRD is an EU legislation that requires large companies to report on sustainability issues such as climate change, social matters, and their impact on people and the planet.

DRS is a system, in which a deposit is charged to the end user when purchasing a packaged or filled product covered by that system, and redeemed when the packaging is returned through one of the collection channels that are authorized for that purpose by the national authorities.

Design for recycling is a concept and approach aimed at designing products that are easier to recycle at the end of their lifecycle. DfR includes individual components of packaging, and promotes recyclability with established collection, sorting, and recycling processes proven in an operational environment.

Eco-modulation is the concept of penalizing the use of materials that are less environmentally friendly, and rewarding the use of those which are better.

ESG is a set of aspects, including environmental issues, social issues and corporate governance. ESG is the cornerstone of defining good quality low risk business practices.

EPBP is a voluntary industry initiative that provides PET bottle design guidelines for recycling and circularity, evaluates bottle packaging solutions and technologies, and facilitates understanding of the effects of new PET bottles innovations on recycling processes and the circular economy.

EPR is an environmental policy approach where producers take responsibility for the management of a products disposal.

The process of dividing recycled material into smaller parts (also called shredding or grinding).

A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a method used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product throughout its lifecycle.

A set of rules that the European Union (EU) is developing on the Green Deal with the main target to reduce waste packaging.

Unit of packaging means a unit as a whole, including any integrated or separate components, which together serve a packaging function such as the containment, protection, handling, delivery, storage, transport, and presentation of products, and including independent units of grouped or transport packaging where they are discarded prior to the point of sale.

PETCORE Europe (Formally PETCORE) is the association that represents the complete PET value chain in Europe. It was founded to promote the collection, sorting, and recycling of post-consumer PET bottles.

The final stage of recycling where the output material is melted and formed to pellets again. These pellets can be used to produce new products.

PCR content relates to materials used in packaging that have been recycled from previously used products/packaging. The material comes from the final consumer use not from the industry.

A PRO is an entity responsible for ensuring that producers meet their legal obligations regarding the management and disposal of their products and packaging waste.

A comprehensive, cross-industry initiative in Europe that advances plastic packaging recyclability. It provides protocols, testing materials, and certifications for plastic packaging and recycling processes.

RecycLABEL is an MCC solution recognized by the APR and RecyClass. It was created to make the labels compatible with recycling processes.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a collaborative effort involving organizations such as the World Resources Institute (WRI), WWF, and the UN Global Compact. Its mission is to help companies to set science-based targets that prevent the worst impacts of climate change and drive decarbonization.

Scope 1 emissions refer to direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by a reporting company. This includes emissions from onsite fuel combustion, manufacturing, and process emissions, refrigerant losses, company vehicles, and stationary combustion. Scope 1 is also known as &#8220;burn&#8221; because it includes things your business burns.

Scope 2 emissions refer to emissions that a company causes indirectly and come from where the energy it purchases and uses is produced.

Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions from sources outside of your direct control that occur in the value chain of your company. They include both upstream and downstream emissions such as those from raw materials, transportation, waste disposal, and product use.

A process in which heavy particles are separated from lighter particles by submerging them in water. The light particles (typically polyolefins but can also be floatable PET) float and the heavy particles (typically PET) sink to the bottom. It provides a way for labels to be separated from container material.

A process during recycling where the waste packaging is washed to remove any deposits. The washing process is specific for each waste stream. (e.g. hot/cold, caustic/neutral, etc.)

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MCC Verstraete is a global supplier of premium IML label solutions.

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