Almost twenty years ago, industrial composters noticed contaminants because of fruit labels. In October, Sinclair and Zespri launched their compostable fruit label with certification Sinclair T55.
TÜV AUSTRIA, ABA, and DIN CERTCO certifications are recognized globally, assuring consumers and retailers that their compostable fruit sticker meets the highest environmental benchmarks.
Sinclair, a leading provider of labeling solutions for the fresh produce industry, started with this project a long time ago, said Duncan Jones, Senior Marketing Manager at Sinclair, to Abasto Media during an interview at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) annual Global Produce & Floral Show in Atlanta. At this event, Sinclair and Zespri, the world’s largest kiwifruit marketer, launched the certified compostable label.
Standard produce labels use polyethylene or polypropylene, which is not compost-friendly, or you must pay for extra labor to remove them. In 2014, Sinclair had its first compostable label. Still, it wasn’t certified compostable, so Jones said they had no tangible proof of its end-of-life performance.
They continued research development and partnered with Zespri, with whom they did the trials. They continued working on accomplishing their first certified industrial compostable label in 2019.
As Sinclair is an English company, Madrid was the first place to learn about the label. They launched it in North America during the IFPA annual event, which took place from October 16 to 18, 2024.
Sinclair, founded over four decades ago in Norwich, England, noticed that fruits and vegetables lacked individual branding. They decided to change that and pioneered patented technology for automatic high-speed labeling systems for fresh produce.
Compostable packaging and label
Packaging companies have a compostable product, but the labels are a problem. This is a very niche and specific development for fresh produce.
“We’re excited to have this product. We hope we can contribute to the industry by reducing plastic waste, which is the ultimate goal for our customers,” Jones said to Abasto about Sinclair T55.
The label will degrade and disappear to become part of usable compost with no toxicity left in the environment.
For industrial composting, the labels created by Sinclair and Zespri will degrade in 180 days. In contrast, home composting will take 365 days due to uncontrolled conditions.
For home composting conditions, bell peppers, celery, cabbage, and carrots are fresh produce that already uses the labels and can break down as organic material.
Related Article: New Alliance Bets for Sustainable Packaging for Foods
Key Features
The label aims to be the highest-performing compostable label available. Its application performance is equivalent to conventional plastic stickers. It adheres securely to fruits and vegetables, allowing essential product information—origin, variety, PLU, and barcodes— to display branding.
- Certified compostable: The home and industrial ‘Finished Products’ certification from TÜV AUSTRIA and the home composting certification from ABA and DIN CERTCO demonstrate that the Sinclair—T55 fruit sticker is safely compostable, breaking down and biodegrading completely without leaving harmful residues in the environment.
- Consumer convenience and minimal packaging: The compostable sticker provides a minimal packaging solution that reduces consumer waste compared to other packaging. It can be
- disposed of in-home compost bins, fruit peels, and other organic waste, simplifying consumer waste management.
- Durability with performance: With certification for its end-of-life performance, the fruit sticker maintains Sinclair’s high standards for automated, high-speed application in the packinghouse and throughout the supply chain.