“We wanted to cut waste, meet EU food-contact rules without drama, and keep our bottles looking like ‘us.’ All at once,” says Anna, Sustainability Lead at Boreal Kombucha, a Nordic craft beverage brand. “That’s when we started asking uncomfortable questions about our labels—and who we buy from.”
Based on insights from onlinelabels projects we’d studied—and our own audits—the team mapped a path toward low-migration digital labels on FSC-certified paper, printed with food-safe systems for chilled beverages. The plan sounded tidy on paper. On the shop floor, it was messy, and that’s where the real learning happened.
What follows is a candid, interview-style look at how a small European brand reworked its label program to trim carbon, keep color steady, and tame changeovers without blowing the budget.
Company Overview and History
Q (Interviewer): Give us a snapshot of Boreal Kombucha.
A (Anna, Sustainability Lead): We started in 2018 in southern Sweden, selling small batches into cafés and zero-waste stores. By 2022, we had five core SKUs and a rotating seasonal line. Our labels were flexo on PP film, with a spot varnish. They looked sharp, but they weren’t aligned with our newer sustainability targets.
Q: Any unique design elements?
A (Mika, Brand Manager): We love minimal maps and travel themes. One seasonal run, we used a background we nicknamed “world map no labels”—a quiet cartographic texture that let our typography carry the story. It turned out to be a customer favorite, but we wanted it on a paper label that felt more natural and recycled.
Q: Volume and complexity?
A (Jonas, Operations Manager): We’re not huge—short-run to seasonal volumes, with frequent SKU swaps. That makes agility and low setup time critical. Our older workflow was solid for long runs, less so for our actual SKU mix.
Sustainability and Compliance Pressures
Q: What pushed you to change?
A (Anna): Three things. First, EU 1935/2004 and EU 2023/2006 are non-negotiable for food-contact materials—we needed full traceability and low-migration inks. Second, our carbon audit showed labels contributed more CO₂/pack than we expected. Third, customers kept asking for recyclable packaging and paper-based labels.
Q: Any specific targets?
A (Anna): We set a CO₂/pack reduction goal of about 8–12% for the label component within a year, and a waste cut near 20%. We also wanted color consistency—ΔE around 2–3 for brand-critical hues—because kombucha shoppers notice when a shelf looks uneven.
Q: Trade-offs?
A (Mika): Paper labels with wash-off adhesive feel right, but durability in chilled conditions can be a pain. We also accepted that some finishes—heavy foils, certain varnishes—weren’t ideal for recyclability. We prioritized function and sustainability over high-gloss effects.
Technology Selection Rationale
Q: How did you choose printing and materials?
A (Jonas): We tested Water-based Ink and UV‑LED Ink on FSC-certified labelstock. For chilled F&B, low‑migration systems mattered most. Digital Printing fit our Short-Run, variable data needs. We paired paper Labelstock with a wash-off adhesive to support glass bottle recycling streams. Food-Safe Ink and EU-compliant varnish rounded out the stack.
Q: How did dielines and art move faster?
A (Mika): We started with an onlinelabels template for our bottle size, which saved a few hours per SKU and reduced fit errors. During pilot buys, procurement even used an onlinelabels coupon code on sample orders to stretch a tight test budget. Not glamorous, but helpful.
Q: Any design constraints?
A (Anna): We kept embellishments light—mostly Varnishing with water-based systems—no foiling. It aligned with recyclability goals and avoided extra layers that can complicate wash-off performance. For minimalist art like our “world map no labels” background, this also preserved a natural, tactile feel.
Implementation Strategy
Q: Walk us through the rollout.
A (Jonas): We phased it. First, two core SKUs ran as a pilot: paper labelstock, low-migration varnish, GS1-compliant barcodes. We validated adhesion and condensation resistance in cold-chain tests. Then we extended to three seasonals, where we leveraged full sheet labels for quick mockups and point-of-sale promos.
Q: Any unexpected hurdles?
A (Mika): Our map textures demanded tight color control. Early batches drifted outside ΔE 3 on blues when paper humidity varied. The turning point came when the press team set tighter Color Management parameters and a pre-press check targeting ΔE 2–3 on key hues. We also synced profiles across suppliers.
Q: Customers sometimes ask: “can you print labels at UPS?”
A (Anna): For shipping labels, sure. For food-contact compliant labels with low migration and EU documentation, that’s not the right route. We needed certified materials, documented migration controls, and batch traceability—more than a quick print counter can provide.
Quantitative Results and Metrics
Q: What changed on the line?
A (Jonas): First Pass Yield moved from roughly 80% into the 92–95% range once profiles and substrate lots stabilized. Scrap on label application fell from about 7–9% to ~4–5%. Changeover Time for new SKUs landed around 20–30 minutes, whereas we’d been living closer to 45–60 minutes on average.
Q: Sustainability numbers?
A (Anna): Our CO₂/pack for the label component tracked 8–12% lower across the first two quarters, depending on run mix. Waste (by linear meters) improved around 18–22% across pilots. We’re cautious with these ranges—they depend on SKU complexity and seasonal volumes.
Q: Any commercial impact?
A (Mika): Hard to isolate, but time-to-market for seasonals shortened by roughly a week when using full sheet labels for quick approvals. Color consistency—ΔE mostly within 2–3 for brand-critical hues—gave our retail partners more predictable shelf sets. Payback on the change, considering substrates and process tweaks, looks like 14–18 months.
Lessons Learned
Q: Biggest success factor?
A (Jonas): A strict preflight routine and a shared color library. Once the press profiles, substrates, and shop-floor checks aligned, the variation tightened. Our FPY improved and operators felt in control, not chasing color drift.
Q: What would you do differently?
A (Mika): We’d prototype delicate textures sooner. The “world map no labels” background looked amazing, but fine lines on certain paper stocks needed a tweak to avoid break-up under Varnishing. A two-day lab sprint early on would have saved a week later.
Q: Advice for similar brands?
A (Anna): Set clear sustainability and compliance targets first (EU 1935/2004, EU 2023/2006, FSC). Then pick materials and PrintTech to match. Use a trusted dieline—an onlinelabels template worked for us—so you’re not burning time on fit issues. And don’t be shy about trying a small material order; if you can snag an onlinelabels coupon code for pilot packs, even better. Little wins matter.
