Golden Bay Fruit has been growing the Miranda apple variety for seven years, previously marketing the fruit exclusively to Asian markets. Now supplied exclusively to Tesco in the UK, Miranda is making an impression with its distinctive green colour, exceptionally sweet flavour and crisp texture.

Looking to reduce its reliance on plastic film, Golden Bay Fruit was encouraged to explore linerless labelling by its packing partner, Mansfields, which was already packing the company’s Sassy apples using the technology. Following year-on-year sales growth with Sassy, Golden Bay Fruit decided to adopt the same approach for Miranda.

Since its UK shelf launch this summer, Miranda sales have already exceeded expectations, with 10,000 packs produced each week for Tesco.

Premium presentation with less plastic film

The Miranda pack combines a cardboard tray with a bold, bright linerless label, creating a distinctive, premium look designed to stand out on shelf. Moving away from plastic film towards linerless labelling also supports Golden Bay Fruit’s ambition to reduce its reliance on plastic packaging.

The labels are produced by ProPrint Group, a Ravenwood-approved UK linerless printer, and applied using a Ravenwood Nobac 5000L linerless applicator. Designed specifically for fresh produce applications, the machine applies a linerless fruit lid featuring die-cut holes in the label face, allowing the fruit to remain visible while delivering an impactful branded presentation.

Graham Bonus, Sales Director at ProPrint Group said: “Working with strong brands to deliver sustainable, plastic-free options for fresh produce is becoming a go-to solution. By combining commercially viable production speeds with growing consumer demand for more sustainable packaging, this format offers an attractive solution for brands and retailers alike.”

Building on early success

Golden Bay Fruit’s experience with Sassy provided a strong foundation for introducing linerless packaging to Miranda. With sales already ahead of expectations, the company is currently operating one Ravenwood Nobac 5000L while monitoring supply and demand before deciding whether additional production capacity will be needed.

Patrick Meikle, Chief Commercial Officer at Golden Bay Fruit said: “Moving away from plastic film to linerless labelling was an important step for us as we wanted to reduce our reliance on plastic packaging. The visual impact of the cardboard tray combined with a bold, bright label also gives the pack a premium look and feel, which can make a real difference on shelf.

“Miranda has a point of difference, too. People often expect green apples to be sour, but Miranda is incredibly sweet and crunchy. That combination of a distinctive variety and standout packaging is helping the product exceed our expectations in the UK.”

Golden Bay Fruit grows Miranda, Sassy and Dazzle on New Zealand’s South Island, with Miranda now extending the success of its linerless packaging strategy into the UK market along with Dazzle and Sassy varieties.

For further information, contact Ravenwood’s marketing team on +44(0)1284 749144.

The post Miranda Apples See Sales Surge with Ravenwood Linerless appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

With production set to ramp up to around 1.5 million doughnuts a week – around 78 million a year – the scale of the operation is impressive. And with automation running throughout the new facility, the final stage of the journey is powered by Ravenwood’s Nobac 5000 Twin Head linerless applicator.

Putting Ravenwood linerless in the mix

The new 23,355 sq ft production facility in southeast Sheffield represents a major £15 million investment for Mr Whippy as it expands its growing portfolio of sweet treats.

Doughnuts are baked on site before being cooled, decorated and placed into trays ready for packing. The final step sees Ravenwood’s Nobac 5000 Twin Head linerless applicator apply D-Wrap linerless labels to the packs, creating a clean, retail-ready finish across 2-pack, 4-pack and 6-pack formats.

The result is a high-speed, automated labelling solution designed to keep pace with the sheer volume of doughnuts coming off the production line while delivering accurate, consistent label placement across multiple pack formats.

And with the Twin Head configuration, two label rolls can be loaded onto the machine, helping to keep production moving and reducing operator intervention when rolls need changing.

For a business preparing to produce tens of millions of doughnuts every year, that combination of automation, speed and reliable label application is critical.

The D-Wrap linerless labels are printed by ProPrint Group, a Ravenwood-approved linerless label printer that also introduced Mr Whippy to Ravenwood’s linerless technology.

A doughnut operation with serious ambition

The investment in Mr Whippy’s Sheffield facility extends beyond the production line, with new production and packaging equipment and CO₂ refrigeration helping to create a modern manufacturing hub built for growth. Automation plays a central role, with Ravenwood’s linerless labelling technology helping to deliver a consistent, retail-ready finish across the company’s growing range of doughnut packs.

But it’s not just the technology that sets Mr Whippy’s doughnuts apart. Made with a palm-oil-free batter, they offer a distinctive flavour, with an ever-growing line-up of indulgent varieties already making an impact with major UK retailers.

Michael Jackson, Co-Founder & CEO at Mr Whippy said: “Ravenwood’s linerless technology has been a really important part of our new production facility. With automation at the heart of the operation, we’ve created a highly streamlined journey from production through to the finished pack, and the Nobac 5000 Twin Head gives us the speed and consistency we need as we scale up. We also love the fact that linerless labels eliminate the traditional backing paper, helping us reduce material use while delivering a great looking pack.” 

The future is looking sweet

The Sheffield factory is just the beginning. Mr Whippy is also planning a second facility in Manchester dedicated to cakes and cookies, with plans for a customer-facing experience featuring baking workshops and activities for children and families.

But for now, it’s all about the doughnuts.

With millions of products set to roll off the Sheffield production line every week, Ravenwood’s Nobac 5000 Twin Head is playing a key role in getting them packed, labelled and ready for the nation’s supermarket shelves.

Doughnuts, automation and linerless technology – now that’s a recipe for something pretty sweet. A full case study is planned towards the end of year.

For further information, contact Ravenwood’s marketing team on +44(0)1284 749144.

The post Mr Whippy Doughnuts Go Linerless with Ravenwood appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

For food manufacturers handling variable-weight products, accurate weighing, pricing and labelling need to work together seamlessly. The Nobac 5000 and 1500 have been designed to do exactly that, combining high-performance linerless label application with leading weigh-price technology.

Both machines can integrate with a range of established weigh-price labelling systems, including Marel, VWS, DIGI, ESPERA, Dibal and OSSID, giving manufacturers the flexibility to work with their preferred weighing technology.

Weigh. Communicate. Print. Apply.

The principle behind the integration is straightforward. The weigh-price system captures the product information, including weight and price and then communicates this data to the Nobac 5000 and Nobac 1500. The correct linerless label is then printed and accurately applied to the pack – automatically and at high speed.

This creates a fully integrated solution that brings weighing, variable information and linerless labelling together within the production line.

Designed for variable-weight production

The integrated system enables manufacturers to achieve:

• Accurate variable-weight information on every pack
• Automated communication between the weigh-price system and Nobac 5000
• Precise, automated linerless label application
• High-speed inline production
• Flexible labelling across different pack formats and products
• Integration with existing production lines

By combining the capabilities of leading weigh-price systems with Ravenwood’s linerless labelling technology, manufacturers can create a solution tailored to their individual production requirements.

One platform. Multiple integrations.

Both the Nobac 5000 and Nobac 1500 offer a flexible approach to linerless labelling, allowing manufacturers to retain their preferred weighing technology while benefiting from the presentation, operational and sustainability advantages of linerless labels.

Whatever your preferred weigh-price system, the principle remains the same: weigh, communicate, print and apply – automatically.

For further information, contact marketing on +44(0)1284 749144.

Standard Set up  

• Nobac 5000
• Weight Price Labeller

Enhanced Setup

• Nobac 5000T Twin Head
• 800mm Extended Out-Feed Conveyor
• Twin Top Label Applicators

The post One Linerless Labelling Solution, Multiple Weigh-Price Systems appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

The Nobac 5000 can be configured with two coders, enabling information to be printed on both the front and reverse of the pack. This allows manufacturers to use a standard linerless label design while printing product-specific information at the point of application.

This is particularly valuable for ready-meal production, where frequent SKU changes and short batch runs can make managing multiple pre-printed labels challenging. Ingredients, product information, general barcodes and GS1 barcodes can all be printed in-line, allowing the same label format to be used across different products.

“As product ranges continue to grow and production runs become shorter, manufacturers need labelling solutions that can keep pace. With the move towards GS1 barcodes, flexibility and the ability to print the right information at the point of application are becoming just as important as speed and efficiency,” said Dan Coe, Director at Ravenwood Packaging.

The Nobac 5000 can accommodate two 107mm coders, or a combination of coding technologies including 53mm, Viper, Markem, Videojet and Domino, depending on the application.

Coding can also be integrated with weighing and vision systems, linking product data with automated labelling and verification to support accurate, consistent production.

Ravenwood’s 5000 range of linerless label applicators, offers speeds of up to 150 packs per minute, depending on the application and configuration.

With 20 years of twin-coder experience, Ravenwood continues to provide manufacturers with a flexible approach to linerless labelling, combining automated application with on-demand coding for increasingly diverse production requirements.

For further information, please contact Ravenwood’s marketing team on +44(0)1284 749144.

Additional Reading: Ravenwood Ready for GS1 Barcode Revolution: Linerless Labels Go Next-Gen

The post Nobac 5000 Delivers Flexible Twin-coder Option for Multi-SKU appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

As the packaging industry prepares for increasing requirements around packaging composition and recyclability under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), understanding the contribution of individual packaging components is becoming increasingly important.

Ravenwood’s new online calculator provides a simple way to calculate the percentage of silicone in the release coating by overall label weight.

Using label dimensions, material weight and the number of silicone lines, the calculator determines the actual weight of silicone on an individual label and expresses this as a percentage of the label’s total weight.

For example, a 64.77mm-long linerless label weighing 3.69g, with three 16mm silicone lines and a silicone coating weight of 1.5gsm, contains just 0.00466g of silicone. This equates to 0.126% of the total label weight – below the 0.3% threshold for the green classification under the relevant RAM methodology.

Ravenwood’s traditional wrap-around formats including C, D, slideable and full-wrap linerless formats all achieve a green classification when assessed using the calculator.

“We wanted to take the uncertainty out of the calculation and give the industry a practical tool that can be used to assess our sustainable labels,” said Ravenwood’s Director, Dan Coe. “The results demonstrate that the silicone release coating used in our linerless formats represents a very small proportion of the overall label weight.”

As regulatory requirements continue to evolve, Ravenwood says that providing clear, measurable data will be increasingly important in helping the packaging industry make informed choices.

From silicone content to CO₂ savings, Ravenwood is putting the numbers behind linerless. Alongside the new Silicone Weight Calculator, Ravenwood’s existing CO₂ Savings Calculator enables users to compare the potential CO₂ savings of linerless labels against self-adhesive alternatives, providing practical, measurable insight to help make informed packaging choices.

For further information, contact Ravenwood’s marketing team on +44(0)1284 749144. Or why not try out the new Silicone Weight Calculator for yourself.

Find out more about PPWR and RAM 2027:
EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) | UK Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) 2027

The post Ravenwood Linerless Labels Get the Green Light appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

Designed for top and/or base linerless label application, the Nobac 1500 combines high performance with a space-saving footprint, making it ideal for a variety of food production environments. Whether installed as a standalone top labeller or as a combined top and base system with an integral conveyor, it provides an efficient alternative to conventional self-adhesive labelling.

As demand continues to grow for more sustainable packaging processes, linerless technology is helping manufacturers reduce material waste and improve operational efficiency. By removing the need for release liner, businesses can reduce waste disposal requirements while maintaining excellent label presentation and performance.

The Nobac 1500 is suitable for a wide range of food packaging applications, including fresh produce, meat, poultry, dairy and convenience foods, and can be integrated easily into existing production lines.

Key Benefits

• Compact, space-saving design
• Top and/or base/twin head linerless label application
• Compatible with paper and plastic linerless labels
• No release liner waste
• Reduced consumable and disposal costs
• Easy integration into existing production lines
• Supports sustainability objectives
• Airless design for low cost of ownership

To help manufacturers explore the capabilities of the system, we have launched a dedicated Nobac 1500 product page featuring key specifications, applications and benefits.

Learn more about the Nobac 1500 linerless top and base labeller and discover how linerless labelling can benefit your production line:

NOBAC 1500 TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

The post Reduce Waste and Lower Labelling Costs with the Nobac 1500 appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

Taking centre stage will be Ravenwood’s 5000L Standard Fruit Machine and 5000L Automatic Fruit Machine, designed for applying linerless fruit lids to fresh produce packs. Both systems enable growers, packers and retailers to move away from traditional plastic flow wrap while delivering premium, high-impact packaging that stands out on shelf.

The flexibility of Ravenwood’s 5000L technology has helped support a number of industry-leading fresh produce packaging innovations, including the launch of new paper-based pack formats for major brands. Recent projects have demonstrated how linerless fruit lids can replace plastic packaging while maintaining pack integrity, improving shelf appeal and providing enhanced branding opportunities through high-quality graphics and print.

From Zespri’s new kiwifruit pack launch to Sassy’s bold New Zealand apple packaging for Tesco UK, and the UK’s first linerless six-pack apple format, Ravenwood’s technology has enabled brands to introduce distinctive, recyclable packaging solutions that meet changing consumer expectations while supporting efficient packing operations.

Also on display will be the Nobac 1500 linerless top and base labeller, designed to apply high-quality linerless labels to modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) trays for fresh produce. By eliminating the traditional release liner (backing paper), the Nobac 1500 helps reduce packaging waste, increases label reel capacity, minimises changeovers and improves line efficiency. With accurate, high-speed application and excellent print quality, the system enables producers to enhance pack presentation while supporting more sustainable packaging operations.

Visitors to Stand 8B28 can meet the Ravenwood team and see how linerless technology is helping fresh produce businesses reduce plastic, create standout retail-ready packs and deliver innovative packaging solutions for today’s market.

For further information, please contact Ravenwood’s marketing team on +44(0)1284 749144.

The post Ravenwood to Showcase Linerless Packaging Solutions at Fruit Attraction 2026 appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

Ravenwood Packaging is delighted to announce that Wedderburn Australia has joined its global network as an approved machinery distributor and printer partner.

The post Ravenwood Appoints Wedderburn as Australian Distributor and Printer Partner appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

The post Minor, Weir & Willis Launches Sustainable Linerless Fresh Produce Packaging for UK Retailers appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.

The introduction of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) alongside Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms is accelerating the shift towards more sustainable packaging solutions – making innovation more important than ever.

At Ravenwood Packaging, our linerless technology is helping food manufacturers, fresh produce packers and retailers prepare for this changing landscape.

Reducing Packaging Waste

Traditional self-adhesive labels generate significant volumes of backing liner waste, much of which is difficult to recycle and often ends up in landfill or specialist waste streams.

Ravenwood’s linerless labelling technology eliminates this backing liner completely, helping businesses:

• reduce packaging waste
• lower material usage
• minimise disposal requirements
• support sustainability targets

By removing unnecessary packaging components, producers can better align with the waste reduction and packaging minimisation objectives outlined within PPWR.

Supporting Lower CO₂ Emissions

Linerless labels also deliver operational efficiencies which can contribute towards lower carbon emissions across the supply chain.

With more labels per roll, businesses benefit from:

• fewer roll changes
• reduced transport requirements
• lower storage needs
• improved production uptime

Combined, these efficiencies can help organisations reduce their overall environmental impact while improving operational productivity. Ravenwood’s CO₂ Calculator provides a direct comparison against traditional self-adhesive labels.

Helping Navigate EPR Requirements

As EPR schemes increasingly focus on packaging recyclability, weight and material efficiency, reducing packaging waste at source becomes a key consideration for producers.

Switching to linerless technology can help simplify packaging structures and reduce the overall volume of packaging material placed onto the market – potentially supporting future compliance strategies and environmental reporting requirements.

Reducing Food Waste Through Vision Inspection

Sustainability extends beyond packaging alone.

Ravenwood’s Vision Inspection systems are designed to help reduce food waste through accurate label verification and inspection. By helping ensure the correct label, barcode, allergen and date information is applied every time, producers can minimise costly errors, reduce rejected products and support supply chain accuracy.

Measuring Environmental Impact

To further support sustainability initiatives, Ravenwood also offers a CO₂ calculator which enables businesses to compare the environmental savings achieved when switching from traditional self-adhesive labels to linerless alternatives.

This provides food producers with measurable data to support sustainability reporting and internal environmental objectives.

Building a More Sustainable Future

As PPWR and EPR continue to reshape the packaging industry, sustainable innovation is no longer optional – it is becoming essential.

Ravenwood Packaging remains committed to helping food producers transition towards smarter, more efficient and environmentally responsible labelling solutions.

Find out more about the Circle of Linerless here Ravenwood Circle of Linerless

Reach out to Ravenwood’s Marketing team on +44(0)1284 749144.

The post How Linerless Technology Supports PPWR and EPR Goals appeared first on Ravenwood Packaging.