In the face of an escalating counterfeit crisis, South African brands are finding themselves in an uncomfortable position: they know the fakes are out there, but they’re hesitant to invest in the technologies that could stop them.
Enter Bidvest Labels, a unified force combining Rotolabel, S&N Labels and Spec Systems. Together, they’re not just pushing labels – they’re building fortified digital frontlines to protect brand integrity.
‘Security labels are gaining traction,’ confirms Tim Grisdale, executive at Bidvest Labels S&N Labels, ‘especially RFID-based solutions and other anti-counterfeit features that allow for individual product identification – but without breaking the bank.’
The pressure’s mounting, but uptake remains slow. Why? According to Wicus Maritz, managing executive at Bidvest Labels Rotolabel, the core issue is uncertainty: ‘Brand owners often don’t know how big the problem really is. You can track what you manufacture and sell, but the counterfeiters? You’ve got no control over that. If you don’t know the scale of the damage, how do you justify spending millions to fight it?’
Add to that the complex geography of fake goods – many originating or circulating in informal cross-border markets – and enforcement becomes nearly impossible. ‘Even if you catch someone,’ Wicus adds, ‘how far are you going to get with legal action?’
Security on a sliding scale
For Bidvest Labels, the answer lies in flexibility. ‘We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all,’ says Grant Watson, national sales executive at Bidvest Labels Rotolabel. ‘It’s about layered, scalable solutions.’
Case in point: While TrustSeal is a patented and registered product of Leonhard KURZ, Rotolabel recently applied it in a unique way – integrating the technology with a destructible material to create a highly secure label for use in the forensic space. Once applied, the label is designed to disintegrate if tampered with, making any counterfeiting attempt immediately visible and clearly detectable.
‘We’ve managed to reduce the cost by using more affordable destructible materials – ranging from general-purpose to highly sophisticated options – making security labelling accessible for a broader range of applications,’ Grant explains. While the label features a digitally printed 2D barcode that can be linked to a database of serial numbers for track-and-trace functionality, Wicus clarifies that Rotolabel doesn’t currently offer a full database solution. Instead, such integration remains optional and is typically paired with bespoke foil or hologram enhancements for added security.
And it’s not just the big-ticket items. Even seemingly mundane categories are coming under scrutiny. ‘Believe it or not, fast-moving consumer goods like bottled water are now on some major retailers’ watch list for counterfeits,’ says Grant.
Hard sell; growing curiosity
While digital security gets the spotlight – QR codes, NFC tags, blockchain tracing – the trio argue that physical security still has a firm place on the battlefield.
‘You can’t just go digital,’ Wicus cautions. ‘Phones get stolen. Networks crash. And not every consumer walks into a store with a scanner in hand. That’s why covert inks, tactile varnishes and overt visual elements still matter.’
Tim adds: ‘And there’s a data upside. Scan data helps brand owners understand where a product’s ending up, especially in cases of grey market activity. So it’s not just anti-counterfeit – it’s business intelligence.’
Still, the cost conundrum looms large. High-spec security labels can be prohibitively expensive, especially for local brands operating at lower volumes. ‘Many of these solutions have minimum order quantities (MOQs) that make sense for big global players,’ Tim explains, ‘but not for smaller operations in South Africa.’
Yet the mood is shifting. ‘There’s definitely more interest than there was five years ago,’ says Grant, pointing to recent engagements with health and wellness brands, food producers and even government departments. ‘The more real the threat becomes, the more serious the conversations get.’
Futureproofing the label
With the legislated adoption of 2D barcodes looming and blockchain-backed product verification gaining momentum, the future of security labelling is inevitably hybrid.
‘It’s about harmonising the physical and the digital. That means making secure packaging look and feel trustworthy while backing it with systems that can’t be spoofed,’ Wicus concludes.
As brand owners inch closer to quantifying the true cost of counterfeiting, Bidvest Labels stands ready with solutions that strike a rare balance between protection, affordability and practicality.
