What makes a product label sustainable

A sustainable label is one where all four parts hold up: the face stock the design prints on, the ink, the adhesive, and the liner the label sits on until it is applied. If one of those is wrong, the label can stop the whole package from being recycled. We print labels on 100% recycled, FSC certified stock with soy based inks and chlorine free bleaching, and we will talk through the other three parts with you before anything goes on press.

This page covers what to specify, what the common green words on a label actually mean, and what we need from you to quote. If you already know your sizes and quantity, go to labels.

The four parts of a label

• Face stock. This is the printed surface, either paper or film. Paper is recyclable and compostable, takes ink well, and is the right default for anything that is not going to get wet.
• Ink. Ours are soy based, which replaces the petroleum carrier used in conventional inks and makes the fiber easier to de ink when the paper is recycled again.
• Adhesive. The adhesive is often overlooked. A permanent adhesive that will not wash off can keep a glass jar or a plastic bottle out of the recycling stream even when the label itself is compostable.
• Liner. This is the backing sheet that gets thrown away at the moment of application. On a large run this is a real volume of waste, and it is worth asking what happens to it.

When a supplier says a label is sustainable and only names one of those four, ask about the other three.

Label stocks we print on

We buy paper from a short list of mills: Sustana EnviroPrint, Monadnock Astrolite PC 100, Neenah Environment and Mohawk Loop. For labels, three surfaces cover most of what people need.

Uncoated recycled paper

Uncoated recycled paper has a matte, soft surface with no shine. It looks the most natural of the three and is the easiest to write on. Ink sits slightly into the sheet, so colors look a little softer than they do on a screen. It works well for dry goods, apparel tags, boxes and mailers.

Kraft and unbleached stock

Kraft is a warm brown stock with no bleaching at all. Because the sheet is not white, everything printed on it shifts warm, and light colors mostly disappear. Design for it: use dark ink on kraft, or a white ink pass if you need the background knocked out. It is the natural choice for food, soap, candles and refill packaging.

Coated recycled paper

Coated recycled paper has a smoother surface that holds fine detail, small type and photography better than uncoated. Choose it when the artwork is busy or when the brand colors need to match exactly.

None of this is easy to judge from a monitor. Ask about paper samples when you request a quote, and look at the shortlist under the light your product will sit in. You can read about each stock on our paper samples page.

Adhesive, liner and how the label comes off

The question that decides most label specs is what happens to the container at the end.

• Reusable or refillable containers need a removable or wash off adhesive, so the jar can be cleaned and relabeled instead of thrown away.
• Glass and plastic going to curbside recycling need an adhesive that releases in the recycler's hot caustic wash. Some permanent adhesives do not, and the label plus glue then contaminates the batch.
• Compostable packaging needs a paper face stock with a compostable adhesive. A compostable box with a plastic film label is not compostable.
• Corrugated shipping boxes are the simplest case. A paper label on a paper box stays in one material stream.

Tell us the container material and whether it is meant to be recycled, refilled or composted, and we will match the adhesive to it rather than defaulting to permanent.

What the words on the label mean

Three terms get used interchangeably and should not be.

• Recyclable means the material can go back into the paper or plastic stream where the facility accepts it. It says nothing about whether the label will actually survive the process.
• Biodegradable means it breaks down eventually, under conditions nobody specifies. On its own, the term has very little meaning.
• Compostable is the strictest of the three and means it breaks down into soil within a defined time in a defined environment. Home compostable and industrially compostable are not the same claim.

Print the claim you can support and leave the rest off. Vague environmental wording can draw attention under the FTC Green Guides, and a specific claim, "printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper", is more persuasive to a customer than a general one. We have a plain answer page on the common questions at eco questions.

Certification marks are a separate thing

Marks like FSC, Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance frog are third party certifications about how something was sourced or made. They are earned through those organizations and cannot be printed at will. If your product carries one, send us the approved artwork and the usage rules that came with it and we will place it correctly. If it does not, we should not print it.

Sizes, shapes and formats

Most orders come to us as one of these:

1. Sheet labels, rectangles or circles on a sheet, peeled by hand. These are best for short runs and small batch products.
2. Roll labels, wound on a core for hand or machine application. These make sense once volume increases or if you have an applicator.
3. Custom die cut shapes, cut to any outline you supply.
4. Front and back sets, printed together and shipped as a pair so they stay matched.

Send artwork with the bleed built in and any critical type kept back from the trim. If you want a label that also works as a promotional sticker, our stickers page covers those formats, and label work often runs alongside product packaging so the whole presentation matches.

Designing a label that holds up

The following practical notes help avoid reprints.

• Heavy solid coverage on uncoated paper looks flatter than on coated. If the design is one large block of color, ask for a sample first.
• Kraft and natural stocks shift every color warm. Proof on the actual stock, not on white.
• Small reversed type, white on a dark background, is where uncoated paper struggles most. Set it a point size or two larger than you think it needs.
• Labels for anything oily, frozen or refrigerated need the moisture question answered up front, because it changes both the stock and the adhesive.

Ordering and timing

Typical turnaround is one to two weeks from artwork approval. Minimums vary by product and are listed on each product page, and short runs are available, so the first batch of a new product can be printed in a small quantity. We quote by email and ship nationwide. If you would rather talk it through, book a print consultation.

Request a quote

Send us your sizes, quantity, container material and artwork, and we will come back with stock and adhesive options and a price. Start your order when you are ready.