These Simple Stickers Help Extend the Lifespan of Fruit and Vegetables to Prevent Waste

To carry out their purpose of promoting sustainability and fostering more responsible consumption, Makro and creative agency Grey Colombia have launched Life Extending Stickers, an initiative that seeks to extend the lifespan of fruits and vegetables by providing consumers with information and recipe suggestions based on their level of ripeness.

The stickers, which are like any traditional 1 sq. inch produce sticker, is a powerful initiative that addresses the global and local issue of food waste in a simple way using colours, not technology. According to Colombia's National Planning Department (DNP), approximately 6.1 million tons of food are wasted yearly in Colombia, while globally the figure reaches 1.3 billion tons annually. About 40% of this waste is fruits and vegetables, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

This initiative is a part of Makro's sustainability strategy aimed at contributing to four of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 12, which aims at responsible production and consumption, reducing food waste and promoting sustainable lifestyles.

"This is a corporate initiative that reinforces our commitment to savings and sustainability, especially since we understand that avoiding food waste is also about saving money. Our sticker, according to the ripeness of fruits and vegetables suggests a recipe for using them according to their level of ripeness. We have created a series of easy-to-prepare recipes for each stage, mainly for the ripest stage. The recipes can be found on our Instagram account @makrocolombia," says Nicolás Tobón, CEO of Makro Colombia.

"When it comes to communication, sometimes the biggest ideas are the simpler, and in this case we’ve demonstrated how the analog, low tech, small fruit sticker can be repurposed. We live in a country where fruits and vegetables are abundant, but we need to change the behavior around how fruits and vegetables are perceived when they ripen to create a win-win for Makro clients and for the environment," says Juan Jose Posada, president and chief creative officer of Grey Colombia.

With the Life Extending Stickers, Makro, in collaboration with Grey, educates consumers on beber ways to use fruits and vegetables, debunking the myth that they cannot be used when they’ve ripened.

Consumers can find the sticker during 'Market Wednesdays and Sundays' on fruits and vegetables like bananas, avocados, tomatoes, mangoes, and papayas, among others. In addition, the brand's Instagram account features various recipes for preparing these ingredients.