New stickers are supplied by Sinclair and proven to biodegrade on home compost within a year
Hamburg-based Dole Europe GmbH (not to be confused with Dole Europe BV, based in the Netherlands) has added a new type of home-compostable sticker to the bananas it sells in northern Europe.
The trademarked Sinclair EcoLabel Home fruit labels represent a major step forward for the company, which describes them as “Innovative, sustainable, and intelligent”.
Certified for use with all fruit and vegetables, the stickers are made of partially bio-based and plastic-free materials, which means they can be disposed of in a home compost, where they disintegrate and become part of usable compost material.
The exact time it takes for them to degrade into usable compost depends on factors including storage method and temperature.
A friendlier approach
The move is one of Dole’s latest efforts to establish environmentally friendly packaging solutions. “This is a major benefit for Dole customers, who can simply put Dole banana peels and stickers on their home compost heaps and know they are helping the environment,” says a spokesperson.
Dole recently launched a new sustainability section on its blog where it shares advice on how to make everyday life more sustainable.
The site includes helpful tips on sustainable gardening methods, avoiding food waste, and social engagement.
Dole says it is also committed to environmental compatibility, and conserving resources in its source countries and when transporting fruit.
Sustainable banana labels
As a leading manufacturer of food-safe fruit and vegetable labels, Sinclair has a reputation for excellent quality and has recently sought to develop new, compostable versions of its fruit label products.
The Dole banana stickers are home compostable. They comply with France’s own home composting standard NF T 51-800 and, as a result, the terms of Law 2020-105, Article 80.
In addition, the label’s finished construction is certified as home compostable under the OK Compost Home scheme run by Austria’s Technical Inspection Agency (TÜV).
When it comes to fruit stickers, compostable means products decompose safely into usable compost, without adverse impact on the environment.
This article was updated soon after publication to avoid any potential confusion between Dole Europe GmbH (based in Hamburg, Germany), Dole Europe bv (based in Bleiswijk, The Netherlands), and Dole plc, the multinational group with its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.
This article was further updated on 15 September to reflect various clarifications made by Sinclair regarding their home compostable stickers.
