There are a whole lot of reasons to take a closer look at that seemingly small PLU label on produce items. "There's been a big push globally in the past few years around labeling and sustainability," says Rod Baeini, GM VP Sales Accu-Label Inc., a labeling technology company based in Windsor, Canada.
As for Accu-Label, its labels are constructed from biodegradable paper on a recyclable PET liner. The company works with customers in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and more and he says customers from all of these countries have been asking about sustainability options for labels given increasing legislation worldwide around single-use plastics. However, on the consumer front, he says more work needs to be done around educating consumers on how to handle these small PLU stickers.
The company produced a label with a ladybug on it, which symbolized Windset's commitment to sustainable growing through its Integrated Pest Management system.
Getting consumers to understand
"Essentially our labels are paper and they break down because they are paper. The majority of labels in the industry are plastic based and nobody knows what to do with those so they end up in the compost and ultimately a landfill where they don't break down," he says. "It's hard to communicate with consumers about what to do with these labels. It seems like the least significant plastic packaging that's out there but we need to do a better job as an industry to talk about recycling and composting these. I do think our customers will need to step up and put the information on their websites for example."
Meanwhile, the role of PLU stickers is also beyond function. With the increasing push on reducing plastic packaging in the industry, Baeini says more loose product will be seen on store shelves and those stickers will be critical to help identify the product, the country of origin, if it's organic, and more. "After all, these stickers are marketing too," he says.
Look no further than Windset Farms and its work in PLUs. It recently upgraded its PLU equipment in its Delta, BC, and Santa Maria, California facilities. Not only were paper labels attractive as an idea to help Windset reach its sustainability goals, but from a marketing perspective, Accu-Label also produced a label with a ladybug on it, which symbolized Windset's commitment to sustainable growing through its Integrated Pest Management system. The label also includes a 'Buy BC' logo for product coming out of Delta or the California Grown license plate for Santa Maria product which helps consumers easily identify items that are grown close to home. Accu-Label is also creating a sticker for Windset with a Canadian flag on it.
Accu-Label changes out the adhesive depending on what works best for the product.
How well do they stick?
What else are customers interested in in PLU labeling? "While they want their stickers to be out there and recognized, they are also interested in application rates," says Baeini.
That brings about a trickier challenge for PLU labels, namely getting them to adhere to a variety of surfaces–from the fuzzy exterior of a peach to the smooth, soft skin of a tomato to wet produce items. "We're fully integrated and we laminate our material depending on what our customers' needs are. We also change the adhesive to the one that works best for their product," says Baeini.
Whether visitors are looking for sustainable solutions or marketing ideas via labeling or both, Accu-Label will be discussing it all at its booth, #600, at the upcoming CPMA Convention + Trade Show in Montreal April 8-10.
For more information:
Rod Baeini
Accu-Label Inc.
Tel: +1 (519) 727-0888 ext. 231
rodbaeini@accu-label.com
www.accu-label.com