Environmentally sustainable label materials

Our range of environmentally sustainable label material options includes:

Recycled content label material options:

• Natural Kraft paper; a brown uncoated paper made from 100% recycled content, and has a specialty adhesive that ensures excellent adhesion in chilled and damp conditions. The material has a rustic, hand-made appearance and is ideal for craft food and beverage applications.
• Clarence; a crisp white facestock with an uncoated, textured felt finish. This premium material is Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) Chain of Custody certified, features 30% PCW and is Green Seal certified. Recommended for premium food, spirits and beverage labelling.
• Semi-gloss paper recycled; a material made from 99% PCW. It is also FSC Chain of Custody certified and is sustainably sourced through a certified supply chain. Recommended for general purpose labelling in dry applications. 
• White Recycled Direct Thermal Paper; contains 15% recycled content and is FSC Chain of Custody certified. This thermal paper is recommended for dry carton and logistic labelling.
• Recycled PE; rPE is a film manufactured from recycled polyethylene. We offer a range of recycled content options, up to 100%. This material is recommended for applications where the label requires some flexibility.
• Recycled PP; rPP is a light weight white or clear film available in range of recycled content options up to 99%. Recommended for chilled applications. 

Plant-based renewable label material options:

• Cotton paper; a white textured sheet that is made from 100% cotton. Featuring a beautiful tactile appearance, it is recommended for use in the premium beverage industry including wine and spirits.
• Sugar Cane paper; a white, uncoated and textured paper made from 100% sugarcane waste. Recommended for use in the premium beverage industry as it provides a luxurious look and feel to wine, beer, spirits and other high-end labels.
• Agave; a natural coloured label stock that is made from 100% PCW agave fibres from reclaimed burlap coffee bean bags. Recommended for use in the premium beverage and coffee markets.
• Grape Waste; a paper with a natural fleck appearance that contains grape waste sourced from wine production. Recommended for use in the premium wine and craft food industries.
• Grass Paper; a light natural-toned material containing 50% sundried grass that is heavily flecked. Recommended for use in the premium beverage and craft food industries. 
• Plant PP; a renewable material that is made from oil collected during the manufacturing of timber. The oil waste by-product is collected from the trees and is turned into a film, making a renewable plastic. Available in white or clear, this material is recommended for use in a wide range of applications where a standard PP would normally be used. 
• Premium paper stocks including silver papers, white textured varieties, gloss papers and specialties.

Compostable label material options:

• PLA; a clear biaxially orientated poly-lactic-acid film with a certified compostable adhesive. It is manufactured from renewable plant materials, such as corn, and is recommended for use on compostable products including PLA-based containers. This product is biodegradable and compostable, certified to EN1342.
• NatureFlex™; a white or clear gloss film produced from wood pulp that has been sourced from managed plantations, and matched with a certified compostable adhesive. Recommended for use on compostable products including other NatureFlex-based packaging. This product is biodegradable and compostable, certified to EN1342.
• Compostable Direct Thermal Paper; this thermal material is FSC Chain of Custody certified and is matched with a compostable adhesive. Recommended for use on short term applications such as courier labels for compostable courier bags, price weigh labels on compostable packaging or product/ingredient labels on compostable pouches.
• Compostable Semi Gloss paper; a white material that is matched with a permanent adhesive made from DIN CERTO certified compostable ingredients. Recommended for use on dry compostable products including cartons, pouches and bags.

Our blog Breaking down compostable labels provides a comprehensive overview of compostable labels and The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation's National Compostable Packaging Strategy is an excellent resource. It is important that compostable labels are used with compostable packaging, that there are collection systems available to consumers to compost your packaging, and that the entire final package is certified to compostable standards. The Australasian Bioplastics Association provide this service.

Other environmentally sustainable label material options:

• Stone paper; a white matt material that is manufactured from ground down waste limestone and offcuts from the building industry. A tree-free paper with film properties, it is both waterproof and tear resistant. Its photodegradable properties cause it to break down naturally over time from exposure to sunlight. Recommended for use in high moisture environments such as beverage or personal care labels.
• A range of light-weight films, papers and thermal materials.
• A range of recycling-friendly adhesives that help increase the recyclable yield of plastics and glass.

Chain of Custody

Our Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) Chain of Custody certification provides a framework for us to promote responsible forest management. We also have Chain of Custody certification from the programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™). We were the first label manufacturer in our region to achieve these certifications, and have driven the development of certified papers within our supply chain. Our certified material range includes:

• FSC certified gloss paper
• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™) certified gloss paper
• FSC certified thermal paper
• FSC certified specialty uncoated papers
• FSC certified liners

We can even help you promote your environmental credentials by printing an FSC logo on your label.

Read more about the process of making a certified label on our blog where we share a handy infographic on Chain of Custody labels. 

Memberships

We are proud to be a member of the Australian Packaging Convenant Organisation (APCO) since 2013. APCO aims to change the culture of business to design more sustainable packaging, increase recycling rates and reduce packaging litter. Learn more about our business sustainability strategy and review our APCO action plan here. 

Since 2020, we have also been a member of The Packaging Forum and New Zealand's Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme. The Packaging Forum represents the depth and breadth of the New Zealand packaging industry with a vision that by 2025, all packaging in New Zealand will be reusable, recyclable or compostable. The Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme was formed as part of the The Packaging Forum family and promotes the Love NZ brand. Love NZ allows consumers to bring their used soft plastics back to store for recycling to reduce landfill. 

MCC Liner Recycling Program

We’re excited to launch our latest project; our MCC Liner Recycling Program. The Program is open to our clients to help divert your waste liner from landfill for recycling. Download our flyer below to learn more. 

Download AU flyer

Download NZ flyer

Responsible printing 

We are committed to providing responsible and sustainable printing practices to our customers. This commitment includes our use of carbon neutral HP Indigo presses in our factories, and working with HP Indigo press inks that have been certified for compostable packaging. We also have a strong focus on waste reduction, and we have implemented a variety of practices in this area. 

Learn more about our sustainability commitments on our environment and sustainability page.