In recent years, the coated paper sticker market has shown a growth trend of "outbreak in segmented fields", among which the demand growth in the food packaging and cultural and creative fields is the most significant, becoming a new engine driving the industry development. According to industry statistics, the demand for coated paper stickers in the food packaging field increased by 35% year-on-year in 2024, and the cultural and creative field increased by 45% year-on-year, far higher than the overall market growth rate of 18%. The market share of these two fields has increased from 30% in 2020 to 55% in 2024, becoming the core application scenarios of coated paper stickers.

In the food packaging field, the environmental protection and safety characteristics of coated paper stickers are the key to their rapid penetration. With the increase of consumers' attention to food packaging safety, traditional labels with solvent-based inks and non-degradable substrates are gradually eliminated. Coated paper stickers use degradable plant fiber substrates and food-grade water-based inks, which fully comply with international food contact safety standards such as FDA and EU 10/2011, and can be directly used for packaging labels of biscuits, chocolates, baked foods and other products. At the same time, the ink absorption and flatness advantages of coated paper can accurately present the high-definition patterns and nutritional information required for food packaging. For example, printing delicate food texture patterns on baked food labels to enhance product attractiveness. To meet the needs of cold chain food packaging, enterprises have also developed "low-temperature resistant coated paper stickers". By optimizing the substrate and adhesive formula, they can still maintain stable adhesion in an environment of -20℃, and the labels will not wrinkle or fall off, adapting to the packaging scenarios of frozen foods.

The explosive growth in the cultural and creative field comes from the high adaptability of coated paper stickers to "personalized design". With the rise of the cultural and creative industry, products such as hand accounts, blind boxes, and cultural and creative peripherals have higher requirements for the "appearance" and "texture" of label stickers. Coated paper stickers, with their delicate printing effects (resolution up to 1200dpi) and various post-processing processes (such as bronzing, embossing, and partial UV), can perfectly present the artistic design required for cultural and creative products. For example, in hand account stickers, gradient color printing is realized through the ink absorption characteristics of coated paper, and embossing technology is used to create a three-dimensional touch; in blind box labels, partial UV technology is used to highlight pattern details and enhance the high-end texture of products. In addition, the easy-to-write feature of coated paper stickers is also favored by cultural and creative users, who can write notes on the stickers by hand to meet the needs of personalized creation.

To further adapt to the needs of the two major growth fields, the coated paper sticker industry continues to optimize the production process. In the food packaging field, "coated paper without fluorescent brighteners" has been developed to avoid the risk of fluorescent agent migration and further improve safety; in the cultural and creative field, "thin coated paper" (thickness less than 50μm) has been launched to make the stickers lighter and more fit, adapting to the pasting needs of mini cultural and creative products. In the future, with the stricter food packaging safety standards and the continuous development of the cultural and creative industry, the application of coated paper stickers in these two fields will be further deepened, and may extend to segmented scenarios such as pet food packaging and high-end gift packaging, promoting sustained market growth.