SUSTAINABILITY OF PRINTING INKS IN PACKAGING

June 12, 2013

Jack Baarends

• Is ‘SUSTAINABILITY’ just a new buzzword in the printing industry or a hot topic ?

• Is ‘SUSTAINABILITY’ taken serious in the printing industry?

• Is there enough awareness about SUSTAINABILITY ?

• Is ‘SUSTAINABILITY’ doable in the printing industry?

• Is the printing industry prepared to become more ‘SUSTAINABLE’?

SUSTAINABILITY QUESTIONS !!

GREEN INKS. Just Marketing ? • It is an easy term. The term of

green inks is used too easy and too widely.

• The terminology is often used used not correctly.

• Be carefully with ‘Label Worship’, ‘Greenwashing’ and the explosion of green labels.

• New term is low-migration inks. How is the test performed ?

• Is an ink sustainable, when only one sustainable aspect has been met.

• SUSTAINABILITY is the capacity to endure long maintenance of well-being.

• SUSTAINABILITY has 3 pillars : Social, Environmental, Economical.

• We, all human beings, have to take stewardship for SUSTAINABILITY.

• SUSTAINABILITY should be measured. Detailed Standards and Certifications should be established.

Sustainability

Sustainable principles

1. Reduce dependence upon fossil fuels, underground metals and minerals.

2. Reduce dependence upon synthetic chemicals and other unnatural substances.

3. Reduce encroachment upon nature.

4. Reduce Carbon Footprint.

5. Meet human needs fairly and efficiently.

6. Maximize product security.

Green policy

• Source ‘green’ materials • Source materials which do not

contain toxic-, hazardous- or suspect- raw materials

• Reduce energy use and CO2 emissions. Target being carbon neutral.

• Minimize environmental impact by : • Waste reduction • Improved recyclability • Improved biodegradability • No toxic waste, even more no toxics when

waste is incinerated • Reduce CO2 emissions

What happens in Europe ?!

• Increased awareness about “Green”.

• ISO 16759, the norm for sustainability in printing houses.

• Buyers of print ask from printers sustainable print.

• Unions and Employers in NL agreed on ban of mineral oils in the graphic industry by 2016.

• REACh legislation. E.g. Cobalt Carboxylates will go from suspect carcinogen to carcinogen status. Expect to happen in 2013.

• Upcoming : Mineralöl Verordnung (by BfR) for carton packaging for food products.

What happens in Europe ?!

• Governments already promote buying more sustainable printing materials. The Dutch government will only buy printed matters based on bio-solvents.

• Still increased confusion about “Green” and “Sustainability”.

Marketing of green inks

• 100% vegetable inks : inks are never 100% vegetable.

• Solvent-free inks : there is always need for solvent.

• Non-VOC is environmentally friendly ? Definition of non-VOC !

• Discussion : are raw materials used meant for FOOD ?

• Promotion of Soya inks : these are not as environmental friendly as one thinks.

Standardization and certification of ‘green’ is strongly required

• Green4Print encourage much more openess about “Green” and “Sustainability” and encourage organisations and government to define “Green Standards”.

HOW ?

• BIO RAW MATERIALS – Content (% BRC) – Source (GMO free, animal free)

• DANGEROUS / SUSPICIOUS / HAZARDOUS / TOXIC / SUSPECT / MATERIALS – Number of these raw materials – Quantity – How much and where in the supply chain

• ECOLOGY/RECYCLING/WASTE – Toxic materials – Recycling – Biodegradability – Carbon Footprint – CO2 emissions – Energy use – Incineration of waste

PRINTING INKS

INKS

Paste Inks

Offset inks

Web Offset

Heatset

Coldset Sheetfed

Offset Letterpress

Screen inks

Liquid inks

Gravure inks

Flexo inks

Non-impact inks

Jet inks June 14, 2013

12

Printing inks used in Packaging

SUBSTRATES • Paper, carton, board,

corrugated

• Flexible materials such as all kind of plastics and aluminum foil

• Metals, such as cans

• Plastics, such as bottles

Inks • Flexo inks

• Gravure inks

• Offset inks Sheetfed

• Jet inks

• Screen inks

• Metaldeco inks (3 piece)

• Dry Offset or Spindle printing inks (2 piece)

Printing inks used in Packaging

Inks • Flexo inks

• Gravure inks

• Offset inks Sheetfed

• Jet inks

• Screen inks

• Metaldeco inks (2 and 3 piece)

Inks • Waterbased inks

• Solventbased inks

• Oilbased inks

• UV-curable inks

• Higher alcohol based inks

Sustainability of the inks for Packaging • Waterbased : the use of water as

solvent.

• Solventbased : the use of solvents coming from bio raw materials

• Sheetfed Offset : will be discussed in detail. Variations from low to high sustainable.

• UV curable : Energy savings versus heat drying inks. Solventfree.

• Metaldeco / Dry Offset : Variations in bio content

Non-green aspects of the different printing inks • Pigments.

• Solvents and Co-solvents.

• Resins, in particular for waterbased-, solventbased-, UV-curable and metaldeco (2p) inks.

• Additives, such as solubilizers, anti-foam agents, biocides, crosslinkers, adhesion promotors, leveling agents, etc.

• Driers and Drying , such as Cobaltcarbonates, Photoinitiators, Crosslinking resins, Heat, UV-curing (Ozone)

Going green for a printer • ENERGY : lower oven temperatures,

use green energy.

• PAPER : FSC, Recycled (??).

• PLASTICS : Bio-plastics, Plastics with high biodegradability.

• PRINTING PLATES : CTP, chemical free plates, includes energy saving.

• PRESS CHEMICALS :

– WASH SOLVENTS

– FOUNTAIN SOLUTIONS

– ADDITIVES

• PRINTING INKS

Three pillars of sustainability in the whole supply chain from raw materials to consumers

• SOCIAL

• ECONOMICAL

• ECOLOGY

– Health (care) and Safety

– Use of finite and infinite raw materials

– Environment and climate

– Carbon neutral, CO2 emissions

– Energy use

– Biodegradability

– (Toxic) waste

– Total costs from birth to grave of a product

Green principles in printing and printing materials

• Use as much as possible printing materials based on raw materials from renewable resources.

• Minimize the use of finite raw materials and eliminate the use of raw materials which are toxic, hazardous and suspect.

• Minimize the impact on Ecology : recycling,reuse,waste,biodegradability,CO2 emissions, toxic waste, environment, use ‘green’ energy.

Green principles in printing and printing materials

1. High Bio Raw Material Content

2. Health and Safety. Elimination of hazardous, suspect, toxic Raw Materials.

3. Ecological friendly.

These are the 3 targets for the development of “GREEN” inks.

Sheetfed offset printing

Printing Ink

Pigment

Resins

Vegetable Oils

Solvent

Additives

Renewable raw materials

• Bio solvents

• Rosin in resins

• Vegetable oils

• Additives from bio raw materials

• We reached a BRC % (Bio Renewable Content) of 75-82 % (depending on colour) in our sheetfed inks

Hazardous/suspect/toxic raw materials in ink and its ingredients • Printing inks are considered safe.

• Follow Swiss Ordinance and Directives for Plastics.

QUESTIONS :

Why to have maximum tolerance values ?

Why not to exclude all ‘dangerous’ raw materials ?

Why not to change ?

Availabilty is no issue.

Hazardous/suspect/toxic raw materials in ink and its ingredients • SOLVENTS :

• Mineral oil ( MOSH)

• Aromatics in mineral oil (MOAH)

• PCA’s in mineral oils ( already banned)

• Upcoming : Mineralöl Verordnung (by BfR) for carton packaging for food products.

• Upcoming : Unions and Employers in NL agreed on ban of mineral oils in the graphic industry by 2016.

• Labeled.

Biosolvents • Mostly used Esters of Fatty acids,

derived from vegetable oils. Example : FAME, which is Fatty Acid Methyl Ester.

• Vegetable oil can be Soya bean oil, Rapeseed oil, Palm oil, Linseed oil, etc.

• More sustainable when made from waste vegetable oil (cooking oil), Tall oil (by-product from paper industry) and Jatropha oil ( grows in deserts and is not for food).

• GMO-free and not based on animal fat : preferable

• Soya bean oil not preferable (Genetic modified, Food, Rain forest destruction).

Hazardous/suspect/toxic raw materials in ink and its ingredients

• RESINS :

• Phenol- / Formaldehyde Rosin Resins

• Tin catalyst in Alkyd resins

• ADDITIVES:

• DRIERS : Cobalt-Carboxylates

• STAY OPEN ADDITIVES : Hydroquinone, Ketoximes, Phenol derivatives

Hazardous/suspect/toxic raw materials in ink and its ingredients

• PIGMENTS :

• Halogens (Chloor and Bromium) containing pigments

• Nano particles not preferred

• Natural pigments : contain often toxic materials

Impact on ecology by choice of resin and bio-solvent Improved recyclability,

improved de-inking :

Improved biodegradability

Improved compostability

Reduced CO2 emissionsWaste reduction

No toxic waste

No dioxin during burning waste (Cl-free)

Improved biodegradability of waste

HOW GREEN ARE THE VARIOUS OFFSET INKS

Conventio-

nal offset

ink

UV-curable

offset ink

Soya

offset ink

Non-VOC

offset

ink

“Green”

offset

ink

VOC High None

Ozon

High <2% Zero

Hazardous

raw

materials

Solvent

Resin

Additives

Monomers

Oligomers

Photoiniti-

ators

Solvent

Resin

Additives

Resin

Additives

None

Biodegrada

bility

bad very bad bad bad very

good

% BRC 30-35 % < 2 % 30-35% 50-55% 75-82 %

Sustainability of green sheetfed offset inks

• RENEWABLE RESOURCES : HIGH up to 75-82%

• Toxic materials : Eliminated

• Biodegradability and Recycling / De-inking : improved due to chemistry and no toxic materials

• Non toxic waste : No Chloric components means no dioxin and elimination of toxic materials in the ink.

• Can UV inks become more sustainable ? No, for sure not.

Why should you use biological ink? The economical motives…

• Excellent properties (or even better) comparing to conventional ink

• Highly added value in the areas of health, sustainability and environment

• Comparing to your investments in the areas of energy reduce, waste reduce, etc. is this ‘investment’ negligible and can be done today!

• The use of biological ink is Responsible Entrepreneurship, and is part of image-strategy

Why should you use biological ink? The economical motives… •

• Get new customers with this strategy, or loose customers because you don’t ‘think’ green

• Sell your green image… your (new) big customers do the same!

• Let your people work with healthier products, so you have less absenteeism because of illness. More attention is needed for the welfare of the 900,000 employees in the European Union in this industry.

• Reduce on the bill for chemical waste.

CHANGE OR NOT? No new inks and ink raw materials? • Printers are conservative?!.

• Only costs and prices are important?!.

• Have no value added policy?!. Delivers high quality based on conventional inks and being cheap as possible?!.

• Fulfill all regulations?!. Inks are labeled. Printwork not!

If you can’t differentiate on technique or

price any longer, do it then with your ‘new’

green image. Your (new) clients love it!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

THANK YOU !