Evolution of Shrink Sleeves

With 360-degree messaging and high shelf impact, Shrink Sleeve technology has come a long way in the packaging industry. The introduction of shrink sleeve technology occurred in Japan in 1960 by Fujio Carpentry shop as a means of providing a new form of temper evidence following the change by sake from wooden barrels to glass bottles. This change resulted in the introduction of the first tamper-evident seals using PVC film- Shrink Sleeve.

Shrink Sleeve Timeline Since 1960

In 1960, shrink sleeves were used by Fujio Carpentry Shop. Europe was also using shrink sleeves for promotional twin packs in the year 1970. To be used for a single product, Japan introduced shrink sleeves in Europe and North America. As time passed, in 1990 full-length sleeving of narrow neck bottles and translucent shrink sleeves were introduced. The concept of recyclable shrink sleeves introduced in 2006 to be used on PET containers.

Recent Evolution in Shrink Sleeve Technology

The recent evolution in shrink sleeves has led to advancement in origination and pre-press, narrow-and mid-web presses, improvements in Gravure, Flexo, UV inks, digital printing and betterment in efficient lower-speed application machinery have all been creating new market opportunities and have proved a boon to the packaging industry.

In the present scenario, the shrink sleeves in the packaging industry provide high-quality 360-degree decoration with maximum branding space even for complex and intricate containers that are fully capable of impressing the customer. The advancements not only limit here, but today’s shrink sleeves also allow the incorporation of tamper evidence or hidden coding and other security features.