Sinclair targets shopper disposal behaviour as the next step in compostable fruit labelling

Global produce labelling specialist Sinclair is focusing on one of the fresh produce industry’s next packaging challenges: helping shoppers understand exactly how to dispose of compostable fruit labels.

With the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) now applicable across the EU and individual fruit and vegetable labels needing to be compostable from February 2028, the company is developing clearer end-of-life messaging to turn composability from a packaging claim into a practical shopper action.

Independent research backs up what Sinclair has observed directly across its global customer base. A 2023 US study by the Composting Consortium and the Biodegradable Products Institute found that up to 49 per cent of consumers struggle to distinguish between “compostable” and “biodegradable” claims. Meanwhile, in the UK, a consumer trial run by the Compostable Coalition found that the number of households correctly disposing of compostable packaging increased five-fold once they were given clear, consistent labelling and instructions.

According to Sinclair, these findings have been a call to action. The company developed T55, a dual certified industrial and home compostable fruit label now used by more than 400 customers globally and is researching how to make end-of-life instructions clearer on compostable fruit labels. It said direct phrases such as “Dispose in compost” remove guesswork by telling shoppers what to do at the exact moment they decide how to dispose of the label.

“We have proven that compostable fruit labelling works commercially and at scale across major formats and markets,” said senior marketing manager Duncan Jones. “The next challenge is the three seconds at the bin, when shoppers need a clear instruction rather than another packaging claim, symbol or mark to interpret.”

The focus comes as European regulation moves in the same direction. The PPWR, which entered into force in February 2025 and became generally applicable across the EU in August of this year, requires fruit and vegetable labels applied directly to produce to be industrially compostable across the EU by 12 February 2028. A separate harmonised EU label, expected no earlier than 12 August 2028, is intended to help shoppers identify whether packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable.

For fruit labels, that ambition creates a distinct communications challenge. Labels are deliberately small (often used as part of a packaging reduction strategy), so any disposal message must be visible and clear without compromising essential consumer, brand and retailer information.

Sinclair said it supports the move toward clearer disposal guidance but believes fruit labels need a more agile approach than standard packaging formats. The company is working to build simple, actionable guidance into compostable fruit labels ahead of the harmonized labelling deadline.

For an industry that has spent two decades solving the material side of compostable packaging, Sinclair’s message is that the next phase of progress will be behavioural, rather than technical.

“A harmonised EU label will help,” Jones said. “But shopper habits will take time to change. Because composting rules vary locally, and fruit labels are small, an agile mechanism to tailor disposal instructions to local market requirements will be needed to guide shoppers across the EU and global markets.”