Avery Dennison introduces Aqua Opaque uncoated paper

A new technology from Avery Dennison is claimed to solve a longstanding problem for wine producers who want to use uncoated bottle labels. Uncoated paper facestocks with a matt finish are a popular way of achieving a premium look, but turn grey when exposed to water, says the company. Being launched at Labelexpo Europe 2015, the new Aqua Opaque material is claimed to resist greying and open up new design possibilities.

A new material from Avery Dennison is claimed to solve a longstanding problem for wine producers who want to use uncoated bottle labels

Andrew Crawford, vice president of marketing at Avery Dennison Materials Group Europe, said that wine producers can now be offered an uncoated paper that stays white longer, and which is suitable for neck labeling as well as the main bottle label: ‘Some uncoated papers provide a very valuable decoration option, but they can lose as much as 50 percent of their opacity in the presence of moisture when used with a conventional adhesive – and that makes the bottle label look grey, and with uneven coloring. This new approach protects uncoated papers for up to two hours, maintaining their opaque white appearance. It’s a particularly important option for makers of white, rosé and sparkling wines where maintaining a premium brand image in the ice bucket is essential.’

Aqua Opaque doesn’t require an extra film layer or thicker paper, and it uses an emulsion adhesive to retain ‘the highest performance levels’ on conventional presses. The result is a label that is no stiffer than a standard label and can be applied easily to bottle necks. Andrew Crawford said that changing to the new technology is simple: ‘It converts in the same way as a conventional emulsion adhesive, so there is no barrier to adoption. It simply replaces an existing labeling solution.’