GSL launches “cost-effective” home compostable produce label

Healthcare labelling specialist GSL has launched a certified eco-friendly, food-safe fresh produce label that aims to disrupt the market with its lower price point.

The paper-based naturetag label is home compostable and biodegradable, meaning it can be left on the skin of produce when discarded and the entire label will biodegrade at the same rate as the produce skin to leave no harmful toxins in the environment or soil.

GSL said it offers suppliers and retailers a high quality, food-safe, and plastic-free alternative that is more cost effective than competitive labels currently available, appealing particularly to small-to-medium-sized grower-suppliers who apply produce labels by hand.

naturetag has been formulated to adhere to any fruit or vegetable skin and leave no residue on removal. The eco-label is compatible with all labelling systems used globally for the automated, high-speed application of branding and PLU labels. It can be printed in any size, shape, or colour, and in the form of a sticker or tape wrap for bananas.

GSL said transit trials on bananas imported into the UK from Central America have been completed successfully with excellent performance results reported.

CEO Richard Smith commented: “This is a superior fresh produce label with the best eco credentials on the market, at a fraction of the cost. Using our IP and experience in healthcare, we (GSL) have developed a fully certified, plastic-free, home-compostable label for produce that performs better than any other home-compostable labelling product on the market.

“Sustainability, micro-plastic eradication, and cost reduction is paramount in the current global socio-economic climate, and naturetag is the perfect high-quality solution for fruit growers, importers, and the retail supply chain worldwide. We can supply the label at a significantly lower price point, which provides a major cost saving.”

GSL is targeting naturetag at grower-exporters in Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean, plus other major tropical-fruit-growing regions, as well as among importers, distributors, and retailers in the UK and the European Union.

The label has been developed to provide the best performance in home compostability, according to the world’s most stringent certification standard. The label degrades into useable compost within 365 days.

“naturetag is certified for home compostability which means it will biodegrade naturally without the industrial composting requirements of heat and pressure. Equally, if the produce is accidently discarded, the label will not cause any detriment to the ecology and wildlife,” Smith said.

“The adhesive formulation is certified for direct contact to food, and it adheres extremely well without leaving residue when removed from the product skin; as proven in recent successful transit trials on bananas from Central America to the UK. The label’s paper construction is FSC-certified which identifies that it is sourced from sustainably managed forests too.”