Breakthrough for home compostable fruit labelling, to meet PPWR requirements
Caroline Randall
Marketing Manager
UK film manufacturer, Futamura, and Dutch labelstock producer, Bio4life, are announcing a new breakthrough in fruit labelling : a certified home and industrial compostable PSA label designed to help retailers and packers eliminate conventional plastic stickers from fresh fruit and vegetables.
Together, the two companies offer the required elements for a home compostable label : on one hand, Futamura’s NatureFlex™ cellulose films provide the home compostable facestock; on the other hand, Bio4life’s technology delivers the required certified home compostable adhesive. The outcome is a high-performance label that is renewable, food-safe, and compatible with both industrial and home composting systems, as well as being suitable for a range of fresh produce such as apples, citrus fruits, avocados and kiwis.
Traditionally produced PSA labels use fossil-based plastics and non-compostable adhesives, making them a contamination risk in organic waste streams and anaerobic digestion processes. This is because consumers dispose of the label together with the fruit and vegetable skins. As the stickers are too small to be separated and most other materials, especially conventional plastics, do not break down under anaerobic condition, this can lead to contamination of the digestate. Fruit and vegetable labels produce using NatureFlex™ films are suitable for anaerobic digestion, breaking down in the process and therefore, do not contaminate it.
