The French subsidiary of the Fresh Del Monte group will offer plastic free and compostable labels on all of its bananas sold in France.

According to a statement from Del Monte, the new stickers meet French composting standards and anti-waste laws, and guarantees that all components of its labels, adhesive, material and inks, can be home composted. The labels also meet all food safety requirements of the European Union. 

"In this way, Del Monte becomes one of the first major brands in France to offer this sustainable alternative to one of the favorite fruits of the French," said Eric Hellot, President and Director of Del Monte France.

These new labels are available on the different varieties of bananas (Cavendish, Mini, Plantain), from different origins (Costa Rica, Ecuador, etc.) and different certifications.

Although composting is nature's way of recycling natural waste, these labels should not be disposed of in nature, but in an environment intended for this purpose. In a compost bin, the right mix of dry materials and wet materials will ensure the transformation into useful material.

The company said that the measure is a continuation of sustainability policies, and that it has been targeting its use of materials in packaging in order to reduce the amount of plastic used. 

Today only 4 percent of its packaging by weight is made of plastic, the rest consisting of steel, glass or fully recyclable paper, the statement said.

The company aims to reduce the use of virgin plastic on purchased consumer packaging by 25% by 2025 from a baseline of 2021 and, make all of its plastic packaging 100% recyclable by 2030. 

Del Monte's CEO Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh said in its earnings release that it is transitioning into an Agritech company, using technology advance to focus on higher margin categories.