What should brands ask a label supplier about sustainable material options?

Brands should ask a label supplier which specific certifications apply to each material component, whether the label and adhesive are compatible with the target container’s recycling stream, what local recycling infrastructure the material has actually been validated against, and whether any sustainability claim can be substantiated rather than assumed from general material category.

A useful starting question is which evidence applies to the exact grade being proposed, such as FSC certification for paper, APR recognition or testing for a specific plastic-packaging technology, or RecyClass certification or a Letter of Compatibility for a defined construction. The supplier should be able to point to the relevant certificate, approval, or test result rather than relying on a general statement that an entire material category is sustainable or recyclable.

It is also worth asking what markets or recycling systems a claimed certification or compatibility has actually been validated against, since recycling infrastructure varies significantly by region and a material compatible with recycling processes in one country may not have an equivalent pathway available elsewhere. Finally, brands should ask suppliers to avoid vague language such as fully sustainable or completely eco-friendly and instead provide the specific, qualified basis for any claim, such as which certification applies, to which component, and under what conditions, since overstated sustainability claims can create both reputational and, in some markets, regulatory risk around greenwashing.