Looking Good the Sustainable Way

In 2019 Hobsons Brewery began a full re-brand. Our goal was to modernise the aesthetics of our branding, whilst sourcing alternative sustainable materials for our pump clips and bottle labels. Our pump clips are now wooden and printed using water-based inks. Our challenge was sourcing a non-plastic bottle label…

We first looked into paper labels back in Summer 2019 and worked together with Mercian Labels in Staffordshire to find a sustainable, renewable, self-adhesive bottle label; that would catch your eye and fall in line with the overall vision of Hobsons. We encountered issues we had to overcome along the way, filling before labelling on our bottling line meant finding a paper label that could withstand the moisture in this environment. It wasn’t easy and one failed trial resulted in manually removing the labels from multiple cases of beer!

After many months of research and unsuccessful trials, we had good news. Mercian had been working with the large paper mills of Scandinavia to source a suitable label for us. A brand-new substrate had recently been formulated in Finland known as Forest Film – natural oils are extracted from wood pulp as a waste bi-product from the paper making process. This label is completely recyclable, improving our sustainable credentials. It was the first paper alternative we found that applied just as effectively as a typical plastic label and could withstand the moisture during the bottling process. After successful trials, we decided to add a Sandpaper varnish to the label. This really enhanced the paper-like feel and added protection during the bottling process.

We had our first full delivery of Forest Film labels in February 2020, by Summer 2020 all of our bottled beers were being labelled with our new designs. The eye-catching design together with the paper label has made a real difference to our bottle range and how it looks on the shelf.

We’re excited to be the first company in our industry to use Forest Film and have received positive feedback from both trade and private customers. There is always a way to make a current process, product or design more sustainable. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovative solutions that benefit the world around us.