About Us

We are the UK’s first B Corp™ certified label manufacturer.

As a manufacturer, the process is tough and thorough which means you can trust that what we say we do is true.

We are pushing the standards in our industry which makes it even more exciting to be the first label printer and producer in the UK to become B Corp™ certified.

B Corp™ ensures we practice what we preach and are transparent about our journey, so we don’t just help your brand be more sustainable with your choices, but we put the hard work in at our end too.

Root Sustainable Labels is a second generation family business that grew from our parent company KCS Print. We offer sustainable solutions to food, drink and lifestyle brands. Root Labels offers a blend of expertise and innovation and explicitly understand that labelling is key in telling their story.

We use the latest press technology which keeps us at the top of our game. This also significantly reduces setup waste and energy consumption. Thus helping to control costs for our customers in their search for commercially viable sustainable solutions.

Our Cornish geography means that the whole team feels the importance of the environment on our doorstep. This undeniably drives us to continually improve and reduce our carbon footprint. Subsequently we’re always happy to work with our customers to help them find the most sustainable solutions for them with the benefit of the latest innovations and materials

Some of our sustainable solutions

Label Liner Recycling Scheme

The AD Circular scheme is a closed-loop recycling initiative aimed at reducing waste and increasing the sustainability of labelling materials.
Under this scheme, Root labels is collecting their own and customers waste label materials and sends them to Avery Dennison to repurpose them into new products, ensuring that no waste goes to landfill.

The recycled materials are used to make new labels and packaging, reducing the need for virgin materials and lowering the carbon footprint of the company’s operations.

The AD Circular scheme is part of Root Sustainable Labels commitment to becoming a more eco conscious business and contributing to a circular economy.
We aim to reduce the amount of material lost from the chain by 70% through our unique collaboration.

We convert our waste

We put our sustainable label production waste to good use. The thin glassine, or kraft liner which is used as a carrier in the label industry has a high calorific value. Firstly, we convert our non recyclable waste to solid recovered fuel (SRF).

We have been part of the Zero Labels 2 Landfill scheme since 2020. Our leftover silicon liner is used as biomass fuel for a cement factory instead of going to landfill. Each tonne of our waste that is used as a biomass equates to 800kg of fossil fuels saved. In 2021 Prismm collected 11.96 tonnes of label waste from us. That’s the weight of two elephants!

We use FSC® Paper

In 2023 we used 467 tonnes of PEFC and FSC® certified paper.

Firstly, an FSC® certificate is the best guarantee that a product comes from a well-managed forest. It is the only one to be recommended by Greenpeace. The criteria are to conserve biological diversity and ancient forests, protect indigenous groups and combat climate change. Secondly, our paper suppliers help to run the Carbon Capture offsetting scheme, which centres around planting and protecting UK indigenous woodland.

We use renewable energy

We’re always looking for sustainable solutions to make our business better for the planet. Furthermore, 82% of our energy comes from renewable sources. 11% is from our solar panels on our factory roof which generates 48,503 kWh of electricity (that’s enough to power nearly 17 houses for 1 year). Additionally, 71% of our electricity comes from Drax Renewable Energy Solutions.

We support CooP-Africa

We donate to CooP-Africa. This is a unique charity that works in remote and poor regions of Africa to supply locally made bicycles that aid transport, education, and healthcare for some of the world’s most deprived communities.

We donate to Cool Earth

For the last several years we have donated to Cool Earth. Donations are used by Cool Earth for projects in the Amazon Rainforest, Congo Rainforest and New Guinea Rainforest. Cool Earth works with the people indigenous to these areas to put in place solutions to protect the rainforest.

We are part of Climate Care

We decided to offset our carbon emissions from 2021 with Climate Care. They are a B-Corp certified company – listed as one of the ‘Best for the World’ in 2021 and deliver some of the largest offsetting programmes on the planet. We offset 80,575 kgCO2e into the Climate+Care mixed portfolio. The current projects include Gyapa Efficient Cookstoves in Ghana, Orb Solar in India, Bondhu Chula Clean Cookstoves in Bangladesh, and global renewable energy projects.

About Us
About Us
About Us
About Us
About Us

Sustainable Label Samples


A Root Sustainable Label sample pack is now available.
A celebration of the possibilities of labels, showcasing projects across design and production, offering expertise and advice to bring creativity to life.

Order a sample pack