A great idea Issy, those stickers are so annoying as well as being terrible for the environment. There has to be a better solution. 

Reach out to these guys, Australian Institute of Packaging. Ask for Nerida Kelton, Executive Director and Vice President Sustainability & Save Food.  

www.aipack.com.au

Hope this helps.

I completely relate to this issue, Issy. What a brilliant idea! I eat a piece of fruit every day and 90% of them have stickers. Now I realise how many I use annually and how detrimental they are to the environment. This is fantastic! Sustainability and recyclables are crucial for our world right now.

Ellison

1st-year product design student, The University of Technology Sydney 

Hi Issy, this is a fabulous idea!  I have seen these stickers all over buildings and chairs where people don't think of the waster they are leaving behind.  Building on a current system that works from gate to plate and seeing how the small things could be better is such a great way to improve everything.

I love the idea of water-dissolvable but am not sure what material could be used to withstand the moisture during transport and on display at the supermarkets.  I would love to see what you come up with - maybe a material that is water resistant for a time to sustain the supermarket practicality but not waterproof and made from plastic like it is now?

This is a really strong idea because it addresses a very common but often overlooked source of plastic waste. The concept is practical as it targets an existing product already used in very high volumes, so even a small improvement could create a significant environmental benefit. I also think using existing Pink Lady branding is a smart choice because it makes the idea easier to visualise in a real supermarket setting.

One important area to investigate further would be the balance between durability and dissolvability. The sticker would need to remain attached during transport, refrigeration, moisture exposure, and customer handling, but still dissolve effectively when intended. It may also be worth exploring whether the sticker should be fully water-dissolvable or only dissolve under specific conditions such as soaking or washing.

Another key consideration is whether the barcode and PLU information would still scan reliably at checkout, especially if the sticker begins degrading too early. Food safety, adhesive selection, and compatibility with current supermarket labelling systems would also be important to research.

Overall, this is a creative and meaningful sustainability idea with strong real-world relevance. With further investigation into materials, printing methods, and supermarket testing conditions, I think it has strong potential.

Jonathon Harwood

CQU - ENEG12007 Creative Engineering

This is a pretty good idea, a much needed reduction in waste plastic. The little stickers on such large amounts of singular pieces of fruit add up quickly. If proven successful this could massively reduce waste plastic introduced into the environment.

A few problems that would need to be successfully trialled and confirmed suitable for use would be the ability to sustain low-medium levels of moisture, especially while on display receiving regular misting from supermarket workers and misting sprays. If the stickers don’t hold up, the identification and tracking for pricing and sales will fail. If the stickers don’t dissolve under higher moisture rates, the product is essentially back to square one.

And on top of that if the cost of the sticker is any real increase on the existing sticker cost the breakthrough to market will struggle immensely, considering the small margins large scale supermarkets push onto the nations farmers.

A great idea that, if proven to work, could do great things.

Brad Quinlan, CQUniversity ENEG12007 Creative Engineering