GSL, a global leader in specialist labelling to the healthcare sector – has launched a certified eco-friendly, food-safe fresh produce label that promises to disrupt the market with its impressive price point.
Naturally sustainable, the 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.
The paper-based product presents global produce suppliers and retailers with a high quality, food-safe, and plastic-free alternative that is more cost effective than competitive labels currently available. It will appeal particularly to small-to-medium-sized grower-suppliers who apply produce labels by hand.
Richard Smith, CEO of GSL, who benefits from over 30 years of experience in food packaging, having started his career in the fresh produce industry, says the eco-label is market leading.
“This is a superior fresh produce label with the best eco credentials on the market, at a fraction of the cost,” Smith says. “Our label for produce performs better than any other home-compostable labelling product on the market.”
Naturetag has been formulated to perform on any fruit or vegetable skin with excellent adhesion and leaving 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.
Transit trials on bananas imported into the UK from Central America have been completed successfully with excellent performance results reported.
“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,” Smith says. “We can supply the naturetag label at a significantly lower price point, which provides a major cost saving. naturetag specifically suits growers and suppliers who want to offer environmentally sustainable labelling credentials to their retail customers who, in turn, are striving to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.”
GSL is keen to target the adoption of naturetagâ among producer-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 (EU).
The label lends itself for use on fruits such as: bananas, avocados, mangoes, melons, kiwifruit, and nectarines, among others. naturetag can also be applied to many vegetables, such as: cabbage, swede, celeriac, butternut squash, and celery, with excellent results.
Naturetag 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.
“If the produce is accidently discarded, the label will not cause any detriment to the ecology and wildlife.,” Smith says. “The adhesive formulation of naturetag 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.”
