Regulars / Q&A | 59Etivoet uses fexo technology from MPS, letterpress from Gallus, digital from HP Indigo and inkjet from Mouvent “I hate job titles and don’t even have one on my LinkedIn profle – what matters is what you are doing. We are all in the same boat”But everyone gets a bit less than they want. with the alternatives – such as direct print, It is not a fun period for us nor for our for example – you cannot easily separate customers. It requires creativity, but we the ink or the material from the product. are managing the situation. A self-adhesive label can be removed. In But as I said before: everything comes Belgium, beer is a huge market and we reuse in waves. The current problems will push the bottles – this is only possible because label converters and our customers to you can remove the label, which allows keep more stock in their warehouses, but better recyclability. So labels are the future.then people will get comfortable again But everything happens slowly because and will reduce their stock again. These change takes time. Until around three years things happen in cycles. ago, it was rare for a customer to pay more for a more sustainable solution – recycled L&L: What area of technology are you materials, for example. But now it is likely to invest in next? happening more often. It is a trend that will Philippe Voet: Our next press will be only speed up. The market will lead us. another fexo press. We are not looking to At Finat, we can help to educate people invest in any new area of technology in about how to become carbon neutral particular, but we always look to build on or to reduce CO2 emissions. This is one our expertise. Investment happens wherever area of our work. Another is to help run we need new capacity or new capabilities. sustainability projects, as in the work we Investment in technology always follows the do for Celab, for example.needs of the market. We continuously invest so as to guarantee that we can and will be L&L: What can the industry do to recruit able to answer the needs of our customers and retain young talent? today and tomorrow. Philippe Voet: We should be more positive. We are working in a fantastic industry. In L&L: When Finat announced you as every shop and home we enter, we see its new president last year, you cited a label that we printed. We are creative sustainability and talent recruitment and innovative. We need to communicate as the industry’s two major challenges. positively. We are an essential industry. Regarding sustainability, do you think Eighty percent of purchasing decisions are enough progress is being made and how made at the shelf, thanks to the branding can it be accelerated? and the packaging.Philippe Voet: I am convinced that labels are Because of this, I am not negative about Labels printed by Etivoetthe future for sustainability. This is because attracting new talent to the sector. We are Jan - Mar 2022