Aurelia Candles started with a simple brief: cut packaging carbon and make small-batch labeling work across pop-up retail and e-commerce, without sacrificing shelf appeal. The turning point came when the team paired certified substrates with Digital Printing and brought in **stickermule** for agile sticker formats that fit seasonal, Short-Run drops.
Operating from Lisbon with distribution hubs in Rotterdam and Lyon, Aurelia sells gift sets and event editions where 500–2,000-unit runs are normal. That variability made traditional Offset Printing less attractive for labels and on-pack branding. The question was how to balance sustainability goals—FSC material, low-VOC inks, and credible EU compliance—with real-world throughput.
Nine months later, the brand had a pan-European system for stickers and seals, including options suited to pop-up events and hospitality. Here’s the timeline, the choices behind it, and the numbers that mattered.
Company Overview and History
Founded in 2014, Aurelia Candles built its name in artisan fragrances and small seasonal collections. The company runs monthly drops across 8–12 SKUs, with batch volumes ranging from 600 to 5,000 units. That cadence demands flexible labeling: a Label-based PackType approach with die-cut shapes for gift tins, matchbox sleeves, and travel sets.
Historically, the team relied on mixed sources for stickers—some Offset runs for core lines and ad‑hoc Digital Printing for limited SKUs. They fought the classic switching pain: color shifts between suppliers, inconsistent liner release, and over-ordered inventory. A quirky but telling detail: hospitality clients asked for custom matchbox stickers, and those tiny surfaces exposed any weakness in color management and adhesive choice.
Let me back up for a moment. Aurelia’s growth strategy hinged on e-commerce and European pop-up events. That meant on-demand labels and the occasional event kit where custom name tag stickers became part of the brand experience. Flexibility wasn’t a nice-to-have; it was the operating model.
Sustainability and Compliance Pressures
European buyers increasingly ask for credible sustainability signals: FSC paper, low-migration inks where relevant, and transparent sourcing. Aurelia set targets around CO₂/pack and Waste Rate, and aligned production with EU 2023/2006 (GMP) and color control under ISO 12647. While candle labels aren’t direct food contact, the team still favored Water-based Ink systems to lower VOCs and ensure safe handling in mixed retail environments.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Their internal Life Cycle Assessment suggested packaging contributed 25–30% of the product’s cradle‑to‑gate footprint for gift sets. They couldn’t overhaul glass and wax overnight, so stickers and tapes became the pragmatic lever. Targets were modest but meaningful: CO₂/pack down by roughly 10–12%, Waste Rate down by 18–22% through better substrate matching and smarter changeovers.
Solution Design and Configuration
The selection pivoted toward Digital Printing for Short-Run and Seasonal work, paired with FSC-certified Labelstock on Glassine liners. Inks were primarily Water-based Ink for general labels, with UV-LED Printing reserved for specialty applications where abrasion resistance mattered (like matchbox sleeves). Finishing leaned on Die-Cutting for shape accuracy and a light water-based Varnishing for protection—no plastic Lamination to keep recycling simpler.
The brand partnered with stickermule for batching and quick-turn formats. For events and mixed SKUs, stickermule custom decal stickers sheets handled Variable Data (names, batches, QR) without messy changeovers. For e-commerce sealing, stickermule tape offered a consistent closure with printable guidance (lot codes, return URLs) while avoiding unnecessary plastic wraps.
But there’s a catch. Color stability across small stickers on textured matchbox paper is unforgiving. Aurelia instituted tighter ΔE tolerances—targeting 2.0–2.5 after calibration—plus G7-like gray balance checks. Speed was tuned to protect FPY%: throttle down slightly on UV-LED jobs where heavy solids risked mottling. Payback projections sat around 11–13 months, assuming 8–12% more lots handled per shift.
Quick aside because a brand manager asked it during training: “how to delete custom stickers on iphone?” In Messages, open the sticker drawer, tap and hold the pack, choose Manage, then toggle off or remove the pack. It’s not the same as physical sheets, but the question pops up whenever teams coordinate digital campaigns alongside print. Keep them separate in your workflows.
Full-Scale Ramp-Up
Project planning began with a four-week pilot in Porto. Operators validated substrate-release, checked adhesive behavior on varnished tins, and benchmarked ΔE. FPY% went from about 86% to roughly 92–94% once the team standardized profiles and stabilized humidity around 45–55% RH. Changeover Time came down by about 12 minutes per batch due to cleaner recipe files and fewer liner swaps.
Full rollouts followed in Berlin and Amsterdam. Training focused on file prep and realistic expectations—Digital Printing is agile, but not magical. UV-LED jobs demanded lower solid densities and a gentle ramp in speed. The crew also set Quality Control points for registration, adhesive bleed on edges, and QR readability under ISO/IEC 18004 (QR).
Stakeholder communication mattered. Sales needed confidence to promise event dates; operations needed breathing room on complex shapes. A weekly huddle reviewed FPY%, Waste Rate, and ΔE excursions. When kraft substrates for limited editions introduced small color drifts, the team accepted slightly higher ΔE and compensated with richer contrast in typography.
Quantitative Results and Metrics
Six months in, the data matched the intent. CO₂/pack dropped around 10–12% via FSC materials and minimized lamination. Waste Rate hovered 18–22% lower than baseline as recipes stabilized. Energy use moved in the right direction—kWh/pack down 6–9%—thanks to fewer reprints. FPY% settled near 93% on standard labels; UV-LED specials sat at 90–92% with careful ink limits. ΔE improved to roughly 2.0–2.5 on white labelstock; kraft stayed higher, by design.
It wasn’t perfect. Some event kits pushed complexity beyond comfortable limits. Still, the overall case held: Time-to-market felt smoother, the inventory fit the business, and payback landed in the 11–13 month range. For a craft brand juggling pop-ups and e-commerce, the balance of sustainability and agility was the win—and the partnership with stickermule on formats and flow helped keep that balance practical.
