Piggyback Labels - What are piggyback labels?

Definition of PIGGYBACK LABEL:

A label construction made up of two labels, where one label sits on top of (or piggybacks) the other label. These labels have five layers; a face material, an adhesive layer, a release liner, an adhesive layer, and a backing sheet. Piggyback labels allow two individual labels to be applied at once, with the top label being removed and either being used in its own right or discarded, depending on the end use.

The purpose of the label also determines the exact construction that is used; generally speaking, the bottom layer of adhesive will always be permanent, but the release liner and top adhesive layer can be altered to suit the application. For example, if the bottom label is being used for the sole purpose of carrying the top label, then the release liner is often left blank or is made of a transparent material so that the substrate underneath can be seen. This is most commonly seen in the delivery of goods where a supplier may include a return address label on their parcels for the recipient to peel off and use if they need to return their item(s).

In other applications, the release liner may be printed with information that is either revealed when the top label is peeled off or is always visible (when the top label is smaller in size than the bottom label). The top layer of adhesive is either permanent (when the top label needs to be used as a permanent label elsewhere) or dry peel adhesive (where the top label is peeled up to reveal the bottom label underneath or when the top label is removed but not reapplied elsewhere).

Dry peel adhesives can also be used to create a piggyback label that combines primary and secondary labels into one (the primary label can be lifted up to reveal the secondary label) or in marketing materials such as coupons where the recipient can peel off the top label to redeem a coupon.

Here is the Harvard-style citation to use if you would like to reference this definition of the term piggyback label:
Label Planet (2014) What are piggyback labels? | Piggyback Labels Definition. Available at: https://www.labelplanet.co.uk/glossary/piggyback-label/ (Accessed: January 1, 2024).