Futamura, Bio4life unveil compostable label certified for fresh produce

UK – Futamura and Bio4life have launched a compostable pressure-sensitive label for fresh produce, combining cellulose film with a certified home compostable adhesive to replace conventional plastic fruit stickers.

The label pairs Futamura’s NatureFlex cellulose film as the facestock with Bio4life’s home compostable adhesive technology, marketed as BioTAK. 

Designed for apples, citrus fruits, avocados and kiwis, the product carries certification for both home and industrial composting pathways. 

According to Futamura, the label is renewable and food-safe, and labels made with NatureFlex films can also pass through anaerobic digestion, breaking down without contaminating the process.

Lower Grammage Maintains Die-Cutting Performance

NatureFlex films are cellulose-based facestock materials derived from responsibly managed wood pulp. 

Their mechanical characteristics support die-cutting and dispensing, while the material’s stiffness allows use at lower grammage than many competing bio-based and compostable options without sacrificing machineability. 

The films are naturally anti-static and deliver a strong barrier against oils and chemicals, limiting transfer through the label and preserving print quality over extended storage and refrigeration cycles. 

These properties matter for produce labelling, where facestock and adhesives must survive moisture, cold chain handling and abrasion without leaving residue on fruit skins.

Compostable Stickers Reduce Organic Waste Contamination

The product responds to mounting demand for alternatives to conventional plastic fruit stickers. 

Produce labels have long challenged composting facilities and anaerobic digestion plants, where plastic contamination degrades compost quality and complicates organic waste processing. 

Compostable alternatives allow fruit skins and labels to be processed together, simplifying collection and reducing sorting burdens for retailers and waste operators. 

Labelstock certified for both home and industrial streams gives brands flexibility across markets with differing waste infrastructure, while maintaining printability, performance and application efficiency on existing labelling lines

Partners Frame Collaboration as Circular Economy Catalyst

Gerard Benthem, sales manager at Futamura, said compostable fruit and vegetable labels represented a strong innovation supporting a truly circular economy, noting the two companies shared a vision for labelling’s future and hoped to help brands and retailers move away from conventional plastics toward renewable and compostable materials. 

Marcel de Oude, co-owner of Bio4life, said the BioTAK adhesive was engineered to work hand-in-hand with renewable home compostable substrates like NatureFlex. 

He added that the partnership demonstrated how collaboration could accelerate the shift toward packaging that supports a circular economy.

Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE