Sleever: Facing the Future!

With €150 million in revenue, nearly 1,000 employees, and 13 production sites worldwide, 2024 will have been a year of strong growth for Sleever, the global leader in sleeve labels in France, Europe, and the United States. According to its CEO, this momentum is driven by “the shift in the packaging industry towards a circular approach, while preserving product identity.” With 2025 set to be marked by regulatory and customs tensions, the group remains confident thanks to its industrial investments and local presence strategy. Interview with Eric Fresnel, CEO of Sleever.

First of all, can you remind us what your core business is?

Eric Fresnel: For more than 50 years, our group has established itself as a key global player in sleeve label technology, automated application machines, and custom packaging. We support all markets by responding to their specific challenges: security, protection, differentiation, packaging, and much more.
Our conviction is clear: packaging is not only functional, it must also convey emotion and sustainability. For more than 15 years, we have been transforming the most complex packaging into innovative, safe, and responsible solutions. Internationally recognized and certified for their compatibility with the circular economy (EPBP, APR, Recyclass, TUV), our technologies combine circular economy, regulatory compliance, and creativity to enhance the visual identity of beauty, skincare, and makeup brands.

How would you sum up the last few years, and 2024 in particular?

Eric Fresnel: 2024 was a year of strong growth for Sleever, driven by all our markets, whether in France, Europe, or the United States. This momentum is the result of our global presence: our 13 production sites, organized by market, are a major asset. They enable us to respond in a targeted manner to the needs of each territory, whether in terms of security, animation, or decarbonization.
We have also strengthened our presence in Europe through the acquisition of Helios, a company specializing in sleeves, in Flemish Belgium. This brings us closer to a particularly demanding clientele that is committed to the circular economy.
Finally, we have continued our collaborations with designers and brands to boost sales, such as the Coperni project with Evian, which won the “AWA Best of the Show 2024” award.

Will 2025 be a complicated year after all?

Eric Fresnel: It’s true that 2025 is set to be a turbulent year, marked by new regulations and trade tensions. Cognacs in China, for example, are heavily taxed, putting pressure on the market. In the United States, customs duties are limiting wine flows and slowing down certain developments and investment projects.
But our strength lies in having anticipated these developments. Our local presence strategy—in the United States, Brazil, and China, for example—enables us to support brands with solutions tailored to each country’s regulations. Coupled with our roots in the circular economy, this proximity gives us the proactivity and flexibility we need to remain resilient and ensure our continued growth.
In 2025, we invested in two new production lines at our Decosleeve and Embellis sites. Equipped with our Combisteam® and Multiflex®Shrink machines, they enable beauty brands to secure their multi-format products and decorate their glass jars, while incorporating up to 50% certified PCR recycled material.
Finally, this new year also marks the launch of our redesigned web platform (www.sleever.com), which is more comprehensive and better represents our business lines, as well as the continuation of our local implementation strategy (North America, Brazil, China), guaranteeing brands local support in all their strategic markets.

One might imagine that your technology would suffer from these new regulatory constraints. Is this the case?

Eric Fresnel: On the contrary. Sleeve label technology is fully in line with the 3Rs – recycle, reduce, reuse. We have introduced several innovations that demonstrate this:
• SeelcapOnego, a bio-based, biodegradable security solution certified by Home Compost TUV, developed in partnership with the start-up Carbios. It biodegrades in a few months and was unveiled as a world first at the LuxePack Monaco 2024 trade show.
• Seelcap Rpet 50%, a product containing 50% recycled material from household waste collection, intended in particular for makeup products.
We are also developing sustainable alternatives to energy-intensive processes, such as replacing lacquering in the glass industry with eco-designed solutions. And our carbon footprint is reduced thanks to our production sites located around the world, which limit logistics flows.

What are the main innovations for 2025?

Eric Fresnel: 2025 is once again marked by innovation. Among our new products:
Glassleeve®, we offer brands an alternative to traditional glass lacquering: a solution that optimizes recycling, multiplies creative options, and remains economically viable for any size of production run.
We are also continuing to promote Seelcap ONEGO®, a bio-based, biodegradable security solution, certified Home Compost TUV and developed with the French start-up Carbios. It offers decision-makers a concrete tool to meet the growing demand for compostable solutions, both in wines & spirits and in beauty and makeup.
All these innovations will be unveiled in preview at the LuxePack Monaco trade show (September 29-30 and October 1, Hall Ravel – Stand RF14). It will also be an opportunity to rediscover our iconic creations, such as the Ricard “ready-to-drink” bottle, redesigned in 2025.

What are your medium-term prospects?

Eric Fresnel: Europe remains a strategic pillar, with very advanced demand in terms of the circular economy. But our development is also extending across the Atlantic and to Asia:
• In the United States, we have obtained APR certification for our new LPPE® offering, a single-material polyolefin sleeve label validated by recyclers, enabling our customers to offer 100% recyclable packaging.
• In China and Brazil, we have strengthened our teams and expanded our offering with circular solutions adapted to local constraints.
This international presence, combined with our capacity for innovation and our long-standing commitment to circularity, is the key to our sustainable growth.