The AWA Global Release Liner Summit, held March 19-21, 2025, in Chicago, IL, USA, explored a wide range of pressing industry topics. Economic uncertainty from proposed tariffs was at the forefront of the conference, along with concerns about workforce and sustainability.

The event featured several panel discussions with experts from numerous spots on the value chain. Here, they detailed their biggest challenges today and what that could mean for the future of label manufacturing.

Economic Uncertainty

A panel of label industry leaders addressed the biggest topics facing their businesses today, from tariffs and inflation to finding skilled labor. The panel included Avery Dennison’s Akshar Awalgaonkar, Channeled Resource Group’s Cindy Frost, Flexcon’s Nick Lupoli, Loparex’s Rich Holder, and BU Consumer at Wacker’s Ian Moore.

Corey Reardon, AWA president and CEO, described the panel as “bellwethers of the industry.”

For Avery Dennison, the momentum present in 2024 has slowed early in 2025. “Throughout 2024, there was a notion that we were coming out of the destocking situation,” said Awalgaonkar. “There were some remnants in 2024, but we at Avery Dennison ended the year strong. The first quarter of 2024 was so strong that the expectations for this year were very high. We’re not really seeing the tail wind of Q4. There is a volume softness due to the uncertainty from tariffs. You’re not sure what the customer is looking for right now.”

The key takeaway from the panel was uncertainty due to tariffs and trade agreements. “The uncertainty has everyone nervous about doing anything,” noted Lupoli. “We continue to look for partnerships with who can have the best plan going forward – on economy, sustainability, other trends.”

“The label business was very strong for us in 2024,” added Frost. “And 2025 has started off with a bang for us in release liner, and label is a little slower. The uncertainty makes it really hard to plan.”

According to Reardon, companies will take a cautious approach in the short term.

“I think consumer confidence is waning in the US, and I think that’s going to be one of the big challenges,” commented Moore. “If consumers save more and spend less, that will have a big impact on the label industry.”

Workforce will remain one of the industry’s biggest challenges, too. “Even if President Trump’s agenda drives manufacturing back to the US, we don’t have the workforce for it,” said Lupoli.” We’re all fighting for employees from a pool that doesn’t exist.”

The panel also expressed concern for sustainability, which could take a backseat during uncertain economic times. “If the customer is not willing to pay for sustainability, who are you creating value for? It’s the right journey to have, but if you cannot make money from it will the industry shift to cost-cutting measures?” said Awalgaonkar.

“Innovation is a team sport,” added Lupoli. “The easiest thing to do would be to shy away from sustainability because it’s hard and there are cost pressures. For Flexcon, we’re looking at who is going to partner with us in our sustainability journey, and it’s going to take all of us.”

Addressing liner recycling

As part of the AWA Global Release Liner event, industry experts from throughout the value chain discussed the viability and future of liner recycling. TLMI president and CEO Linnea Keen moderated a panel featuring Label King’s Robert Parker, Resource Recycling Systems’ Matt Todd, Mactac’s Christina Barajas, and Dr. Bronner’s Karina Tettero. They explored the challenges associated with recycling release liner and what that could mean for the future of the label and package printing industry.

TLMI and RRS, its integration partner, have worked to establish pilot programs to create a national recycling program for users of labels with silicone-coated paper release liner.

“The pilot program is focused on release liner and aggregating material, just like any other recyclable,” explained Todd. “We’re working at getting materials from generators to mills, so we can show best practices and create case studies. We want TLMI to have a resource so people in other parts of the country can use that roadmap to set up their own networks.”

“It’s a complex problem, but we feel like working together we can solve this,” said Keen. “It’s all about creating the recycling networks.”

Label King and its customer, Dr. Bronner’s, participated in the panel and detailed how they have worked together to find recycling solutions. While they have worked in tandem, there are still many obstacles.

“As a company, we’re always looking at ways to minimize our waste – and that includes liner,” said Tettero. “We currently have 40 gaylords sitting in our warehouse with liner waiting to be recycled. There are a lot of companies out there unaware that liner is recyclable. I urge the industry to make this pilot program successful so brands like ourselves can meet our zero waste goals.”

“We need options to give our customers,” said Parker. “Can we change the silicone so it can be mixed with corrugated? The fiber is good. I know there has to be an answer out there, and that’s what we’re hoping to achieve. And we know we need to uncover a lot of rocks to get there.

“And you can use your sustainability efforts as a selling point, because it’s a way to differentiate yourself from others,” continued Parker. “My job, and it’s a simple job, is to educate. It’s very important to the longevity of this industry.”

This issue will have a large impact on the label industry. According to Tettero, Dr. Bronner’s will seek alternatives in the future if the liner recycling issue cannot be remedied.

“We are looking at other innovation because of the waste our labels generate,” says Tettero.

‘”If it’s a product that’s being used one time and going into the landfill, what’s the use? We’ll look at refill stations found in stores or other packaging innovations like refill cartons. We don’t feel good about this waste we’re generating, so we hope that a solution is found.”

“We have to try with where we are right now and the information we have available,” stated Barajas. “We have to have hard conversations so we can make this happen.”