Ireland's Swaay raises €2M to print beverage cans without plastic labels
What's the deal? Irish industrial technology company SwaayDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Technologies has raised more than €2 million in an early-stage equity round to commercialise its digital printing platform, which removes the need for plastic labels on beverage cans. BVPDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with participation from members of the BVP Investor Club. The company did not disclose a valuation.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2026, Swaay is building a direct-to-shape (DTS) printing platform that prints artwork directly onto containers, eliminating plastic shrink sleeves and labels. It has set up initial teams in Mullingar and Quebec, Canada, aiming to serve customers across Europe and North America.
Why now? The growth of smaller fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands has lifted demand for short production runs and customised packaging. Plastic labelling adds complexity, with differing national requirements and deposit return schemes. DTS printing offers shorter lead times and improved recyclability.
What's the money for? The investment will fund commercial expansion and new roles in Mullingar. Swaay wants to address the remaining barriers to wider DTS adoption — cost, availability, and print quality.
What could go wrong? The key test is whether Swaay can prove cost-effective production and win over beverage brands at scale. "Brands care whether they can get a market-ready product in weeks, in the quantity they need and in the markets they want to serve or test," said chief commercial officer and co-founder Mark O'Donnell.
Chief executive and co-founder Ciarán Gorman previously co-founded the Bevcraft GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, an international beverage packaging business. "I see a huge opportunity to build and scale Swaay into a global technology-driven company from Ireland," he said.
The signal: The raise reflects rising interest in digital packaging print, where shorter runs and direct-to-container printing can cut inventory and remove plastic. Swaay was also named in a $5 million Canada–Ireland investment to scale distributed digital container printing in North America, pointing to an expansion opportunity. The company says a billion cans annually have already moved away from plastic labelling — making this round a bet on commercial scale, not just sustainability.
Read more: businessplus.ie
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
