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Kiwifruit exporter Zespri is claiming a world first in being the only fruit company that will shortly have all its products sold with home-compostable labels.

It is a challenge the industry has been grappling with for well over a decade, but Zespri executive Tim Mackle said this year the majority of its fruit would soon have them.

And by next season, all its fruit grown in New Zealand or offshore will have stickers that disappear after a year in a compost bin.

Mackle said other fruit companies have home-compostable labels, but they are not used in all markets.

The home-compostable labels, developed with labelling technology experts Sinclair, were officially launched last October, but the transition away from plastic labels has taken time.

“There’s three components to a label ... the ink on top, the face top, which is the actual label itself, and then you’ve got the adhesive that helps it stick to the fruit,” Mackle said.

“All three layers all need to be home-compostable.”

Then there is the challenge of sticking a label to what can be a hairy surface, especially with green kiwifruit.

The labels need to cope in cool stores and out on the market floor.

Mackle said what made up the labels was commercially secret, but all compounds break down, and the labels had passed global certification standards.

Mackle said it was exciting to have made progress towards more environmentally friendly labels.

“There are some countries around the world, particularly in Europe [France and Belgium], that do mandate them now and, in fact, New Zealand is one of those.

“For all fruit intended for the local market, it does need to be home-compostable.

“We are world-leading.

“The key part of our brand is the label.

“When someone picks up beautiful kiwifruit around the world, they see the label, they see the brand.”

- RNZ