Why Our Compostable Labels Matter & Why We Go Beyond "Good Enough"
- Jordan Mini
- May 15
- 4 min read
When people look for natural skincare they understandably read the label and check the ingredients. The next thing people talk about when it comes to sustainable personal care, is the packaging which is often reduced to a single question: Is it plastic-free?
While our high quality ingredients can be displayed on a label and understood easily the label itself is often overlooked. Yes, it is paper and plastic-free but there's more. This is where we go beyond the "good enough" that most companies strive to achieve. At Spriggits, we believe sustainability doesn’t stop at the formula. It continues through packaging, labeling, printing, shipping, and all the small decisions that rarely make it onto a product page or label.
Reducing landfill waste means looking at the entire lifecycle of a product, including the parts most brands overlook. Today, we want to talk about one of those often-overlooked details: our labels.
The Hidden Waste Problem with Labels
Most product labels are designed to last forever. They’re plastic-based, coated, or laminated, which means even if the container itself is recyclable or reusable, the label often isn’t. In composting and recycling systems, these labels can become contaminants, sending otherwise reusable materials straight to the landfill.
If we were going to claim sustainable practices, we needed our labels to align with the rest of our values, not quietly undermine them. That's why our labels are designed to break down naturally instead of lingering in landfills for decades. That means less waste, no hidden micro-plastics, and a much smaller footprint long after the product itself is gone.
But simply switching to “paper” wasn’t enough for us.
Going Beyond the Easy Swap: Compostable Labels
Sustainable measures can be taken in varying levels of impact. Simply swapping to paper from plastic makes a big difference but we wanted to go even further.
Here’s where we intentionally go further:
Post-consumer recycled paper Our labels are made with post-consumer recycled paper, giving new life to materials that already exist instead of demanding new resources. When disposed of properly, they can return to the earth rather than contributing to long-term waste. Why stop at just compostable?
Refillable ink cartridges We use refillable ink cartridges rather than disposable ones, reducing plastic waste that rarely gets recycled properly. To do this we work with companies that have take-back programs to refill old or recycled cartridges. This dramatically cuts down on plastic waste and reduces the environmental cost of manufacturing new plastic.
Algae Ink When we can use algae ink for our packaging we do! Any hand-stamped ink is all algae-based which is actually carbon negative. This smore simply means it takes more carbon away from the earth than it contributes.
Low-waste printing practices We print in small batches and avoid overproduction, which means fewer misprints, fewer discarded labels, and less material wasted overall. If we need things printed off-site then we ensure double checks of the printing materials to avoid any errors and reprints to further prevent waste.
Kraft Packaging Tape Tape holds out labels together, and your shipped orders sealed shut. Often tape has chemical adhesives and are made from plastic . Our tape is made with bio-based adhesive and is fully recyclable!
Small Details, Real Impact
Looking at the entire life cycle of a product and attempting to make it as sustainable as possible is not always easy and its certainly not more economical in the moment. It is more economical in the sense that it makes a difference for our planet which will affect our overall well being in the future. Spriggits is a very small personal care business in a sea of beauty brands all together producing billions of units of plastic packaging each year. Choosing compostable and recycled materials is one way we can push back against that volume and offer an alternative to single-use products and disposable culture.
A Mission-Based-Brand You Can Trust
We know that eco-conscious customers are understandably skeptical as they should be; greenwashing is everywhere. That is why we try to be transparent about how we operate not just what we sell. Compostable labels won’t save the planet on their own. But thoughtful, intentional choices add up, especially when they’re made consistently and honestly. Each compostable label represents one less piece of plastic-backed or entirely plastic label destined for the trash or the sea. Multiply that by every single bar of soap, lotion, shampoo bar etc. that we produce and that impact magnifies quickly. We are small but our choices are mighty.
We are always asking:
How can we solve a problem for customers?
Is this solution reducing waste in our customers lives?
Is this solution sustainable from start to finish?
Is it possible to offer refills?
Sometimes these answers are easy, and sometimes they are very challenging to work through. We choose to go the extra mile every time because sustainability isn't about doing the bare minimum, its about going beyond it again and again.
If you’re searching for a plastic-free personal care brand that goes beyond surface-level swaps, you’re in the right place. At Spriggits, sustainability isn’t a trend we follow. It’s built into how we operate, down to the label on the bar.
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