Sleeve labels could become a more popular style of packaging over the coming years, according to a new report.

Market research company Alexander Watson Associates (AWA) has published its Global Sleeve Label Market and Technology Review and has discovered that sleeve labels currently have 12 per cent of the market share.

However, this is expected to grow at around five per cent per annum thanks to more companies attaching their printed labels to heat shrink sleeves.

This would make it a prime competitor for traditional methods such as pressure-sensitive labels.

AWA also found that PVC is the most favoured material for packaging, but this may changed as demand for more environmentally-friendly materials grows.

Recent research from Freedonia found that demand for recycled plastic for packaging will increase by ten per cent over the coming years to $162 billion (£98.1 billion).

Custom printed labels such as the fix-a-form style could help to attach plenty of information to any kind of packaging, even if space is limited and it does not lend itself to traditional printing methods.

Denny Bros Ltd , 6 September 2011