The invention is an adhesive system for applying wrap around labels to containers. The system comprises a hotmelt pick-up adhesive which is active at the temperature which the label is applied and loses its bonding ability after the adhesive sets and an overlap adhesive for bonding the label overlap. At its application temperature, the pick-up adhesive has significantly higher adhesiveness, measured at its application temperature than at its conventional storage temperature. In addition, the adhesive preferably has a greater affinity for the label than for the container bearing the label. Consequently, the label can be easily removed from the hollow body without leaving residues of adhesive. If, nevertheless, a residual adhesive should remain on the hollow body, it can be dissolved by an alkaline solution.