Shrink Sleeves

Premium Shrink Sleeves That Make Your Brand Stand Out

Shrink sleeves, also known as full-body sleeves, shrink bands, shrink sleeve labels or heat shrink sleeves, are made from thermo-film materials that shrink tightly around containers when heat is applied.

To enquire about shrink sleeves, call us today on +44 (0) 1792 796 393 or email us on sales@viscose.co.uk

Description

Shrink sleeves flexibility allows them to conform to uniquely shaped bottles, cans, and containers, creating a seamless, high-quality finish that can cover part or all of the container. This provides brands with the opportunity to maximise shelf impact and deliver bold, eye-catching packaging.

They enable full 360° branding, allowing for vibrant colours, detailed information, and striking graphics. Viscose uses durable flexographic printing that resists scuffing and wear, ensuring a premium look and feel throughout the product lifecycle.

Challenges Faced by Brands

Standing Out on the Shelf
With crowded retail environments and many similar products competing for attention, strong packaging design is essential for differentiation.

Limitations of Traditional Labelling
Conventional labels can wrinkle or bubble on curved containers and rely on adhesives and release liners. The glassine liner used in many labelling systems is difficult to recycle and is frequently sent to landfill in large volumes.

Direct printing on containers can also limit flexibility, can often require large minimum order quantities and making design updates costly or time-consuming.

Regulatory and Sustainability Pressures
Packaging regulations and recycling requirements are evolving rapidly. Updates to ingredient listings, recycling guidance, or legislation can require artwork changes that make existing packaging stock obsolete. At the same time, brands must increasingly demonstrate compliance with initiatives such as the UK Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT).

Why Choose Shrink Sleeves

Shrink sleeves offer a versatile and modern packaging solution that combines strong visual impact with practical advantages.

360° Branding- Full-body decoration allows brands to maximise design space and create striking, highly visible packaging.
Works Across Complex Shapes- Shrink sleeves conform perfectly to curved, tapered, or uniquely shaped containers without wrinkles or bubbles.
Durable, High-Quality Finish- Inverse printing protects the ink layer beneath the film, providing excellent resistance to scuffing and moisture. This often removes the need for additional varnish layers.
Reduced Labelling Waste- Because shrink sleeves do not require adhesives or release liners, they eliminate the glassine liner waste associated with pressure-sensitive labels.
Recycling Compatibility- Shrink sleeves can be designed to support recycling through features such as perforations for easy removal, recyclable films, and floatable materials that separate during recycling processes. Using compatible materials such as PET or rPET sleeves on PET or rPET bottles can also support material parity and simplify recycling streams.
Flexible and Cost-Effective- Designs, QR codes, nutritional information, and regulatory content can all be incorporated into one sleeve application.
Ideal for Short Runs and Limited Editions- Unlike pre-printed cans or containers that require large order commitments, shrink sleeves enable smaller production runs, making them ideal for craft beverages, seasonal launches, promotional campaigns, and product trials.

How Viscose Can Help

High-Quality Flexographic Printed Shrink Sleeves

Using advanced flexographic printing technology, we deliver premium shrink sleeves with excellent print quality and fast turnaround times.

Our capabilities include:

Up to 8-colour flexographic printing
A range of materials including recyclable PET, industrially compostable PLA, and 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) rPET. rPET is designed to support compliance with UK Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) requirements through the use of recycled content.
Minimum order quantities from 10,000 sleeves or 3,000 metres of tubing.
Lead times from as little as two weeks.
Complimentary technical advice and container compatibility review.
Multiple supply formats: reel-fed tubing, pre-cut sleeves, and pre-formed sleeves.
In-house colour matching and design guidance.
Pre-distortion and artwork creation available on request.
Optional finishes including matte, gloss, matte varnish, and perforations

Contract Sleeving Services

To make the process even easier, we also offer a complete contract sleeving service.

We can manufacture and apply sleeves directly to your products, providing a convenient end-to-end packaging solution that saves time and simplifies production.

Partner with Viscose – Whether launching a new product, refreshing your brand, or running a limited edition, Viscose provides the expertise, flexibility, and quality to help your packaging shine.

Product format options

Product Options
Heat required for shrinking all formats

Pre-cut sleeves:
Sleeves that are pre-cut for you- made for hand application

Reel-fed tubing:
Film tubing is the perfect choice for high volume producers. Ideally suited to machinery that feeds tamper evident bands in their uncut tube form. Tubing is supplied on 500m reels.

Tear strips and perforations available upon request for both format options.

Materials

Available in a variety of materials including:

Recyclable PET
30% recycled content rPET
Industrially compostable PLA.

Website orders are only available for delivery to addresses within the UK and UK territories. If you are based outside of these please contact our sales inbox- sales@viscose.co.uk and on our team will be in touch to discuss your enquiry further.

Prices INCLUDE delivery to UK mainland addresses in England, Scotland and Wales (exclusions apply). All standard deliveries are Monday to Friday (8am-6pm exclusions apply).

Some postcodes attract a delivery surcharge and have extended delivery times:

Any address that is UK territory but not UK mainland- if you wish us to deliver to one of these postcodes, we will contact you to arrange surcharge payment.

Please note there is no deliveries on bank holidays.

Viscose does everything possible to ensure the safe delivery of your goods. We use carriers to deliver our products and therefore cannot guarantee special instructions, and we are at their discretion. Viscose will not accept liability for failure to deliver on the stated date. Please provide a contact telephone number in case of any queries. If you have any queries regarding deliveries, please e-mail us at sales@viscose.co.uk or call on01792 796393.

UK mainland (all products excluding Plastic-free shrink sleeves):

Orders placed before 12pm on weekdays will be dispatched same day- weekday delivery 1-2 days from date of dispatch.
Orders placed after 12pm on weekdays will be dispatched on the next working day- weekday delivery 1-2 days from date of dispatch.
Orders placed on weekends will be dispatched on the next working day – weekday delivery 1-2 days from date of dispatch.
Orders being delivered to UK territories that isn’t mainland- extended delivery times may apply.

UK mainland (Plastic-free shrink sleeves orders):

All orders placed on weekdays will be dispatched on the next working day- weekday delivery 1-2 days from date of dispatch.
Orders placed on weekends will be dispatched within two working day – weekday delivery 1-2 days from date of dispatch.
Orders being delivered to UK territories that isn’t mainland- extended delivery times may apply.

All orders being delivered to UK territory that isn’t mainland- extended delivery times may apply.