What Causes Labels To Peel Off Plastic Bottles?

In a fast-paced manufacturing environment, the last thing you need is your labels not sticking to your plastic bottles! If this is a struggle you've faced, we're here to help - Let's take a closer look at some of the factors that could be preventing them from adhering.

Environmental Factors: 
If your labels initially stick only to peel away after a few days, environmental factors could be the culprit. It's important to note that if your labels are going to be exposed to conditions such as freezing temperatures, full sun, or moisture, specialty adhesives are required to make sure they can adhere despite the environmental stress. Chat to your label manufacturer prior to production and make sure they're aware of the conditions your labels will be exposed to throughout their life.

Incorrect Adhesive:
So, you've ruled out environmental factors... Think that means you don't need to consider the adhesive used? Think again! Different plastics require different adhesives to ensure a strong bond.

If your labels aren't sticking, it may be due to the surface energy of your bottle. Surface energy refers to how resistant the surface will be to an adhesive - The lower the surface energy, the more difficult it will be to adhere a label to. If your bottles have a low surface energy, the plastic may be too resistant for a standard label to adhere to. The correct adhesive for the surface must be used.

Therefore, it's important for your label manufacturer to know what type of plastic you are using. Some of the common types of plastics we see for bottle label application are:

• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET)
• High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
• Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
• Polypropylene (PP)

The thickness of the adhesive can also be a factor when it comes to plastic. If your bottle surface is textured, a thicker layer of adhesive is required to fill the gaps and adhere to a greater surface area.

Contamination:
For labels to adhere as intended, they must be applied at room temperature and in a dry environment. Unless they are specially made to be applied in a wet and/or cold environment, such as for beer labels as an example, in which case an appropriate adhesive must be used.

Dust, dirt, and spillage of the product itself onto the bottle can also interfere with label adhesion, so make sure your bottle is clean prior to application.

Cohesion Labels is an Australian label manufacturer with a passion for Making Labels Easy. We believe it should be easier for Aussie businesses to do business, and to do our part we've set up our entire operation to make labels easy. By de-risking the process and guaranteeing you get the product you want when you need it, we're the strongest link in your supply chain.

Get in touch with us for a quote - We'd love to see how we could make labelling easy for you!