Produce Stickers: From Nemesis to Dialogue: A Conversation with Scott Howarth

In Episode 9 of The Composter, I sit down with Scott Howarth from the Sinclair Group, one of the largest manufactures of produce labels. We talk about how fruit stickers came to be, how labeling is evolving, what the future could hold for compostable produce labeling.

Last September, I found myself in a friendly conversation with the stranger sitting next to me. We were chatting away when I suddenly realized that this stranger, Scott, played a role in developing what many composters consider their greatest nemesis: the fruit sticker. 40 billion stickers a year are made by the Sinclair Group, where Scott does Research and Development.

For decades, I’ve been having imaginary conversations with Scott (although I didn’t know that was his name. So many compost gripe sessions over the last 15 years have circled back to those tiny little stickers. Finding them in finished compost. Trying, and usually failing, to teach people to remove them. Knowing there’s no practical way to screen them out once they’re in the system.

So this episode really felt like a rare opportunity to sit down, ask the questions, and get to the root of it all.

The future is looking bright and Sinclair is at the forefront of the upcoming positive changes. There is legislation in New Zealand and Europe which will ban the plastic fruit stickers. And some companies, like the kiwi company, Zespri are already choosing compostable stickers for their fruit. We are on the cusp of true change.

This conversation left me thinking about how much better the world might be if we all had more chances to sit down for real, thoughtful conversations with the people behind the systems — especially the ones that create frustration and pain points in our daily lives. There’s so much that can shift when we move from assumptions to understanding.

Before we dive in, I also want to say thank you to this episode’s sponsors, Green Mountain Technology, Agrilab Technologies and Compost Capital Network, for supporting this show and the work of composters everywhere.

This is a conversation for every composter who’s ever pulled a sticker out of a lovingly finished pile of compost.

Check out Sinclair (👊) at https://www.sinclair-intl.com/

and here is a link to the YouTube clip Scott mentions: https://youtu.be/2zibNYAuHNc

Thank you to our Show sponsors:

Green Mountain Technology: visit Compostingtechnology.com and mention The Composter podcast for a free consultation

AgriLab Technologies: www.agrilabtech.com/podcast

Compost Capital Network: https://www.compostcapital.com/

Merch:

https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html

Contact:

Host Jayne Merner can be reached at [email protected] or through instagram @composterpodcast