Show Me Sustainability

Last month, the staff at packagePRINTING packed its bags and flew to Chicago for Labelexpo -Americas. This was my second time attending this show. My first go at it was two years ago. I had just started with packagePRINTING and had only gotten a taste of the package-printing industry for about two months, before I stepped on the showroom floor for the first time. Needless to say, I was completely overwhelmed and felt as if I had stepped into another world. I knew very little about tradeshows and knew even less about the printing presses and equipment I would see on the floor. And, many times throughout the week, I got lost in a sea of package printers and overwhelmed by the bright red carpet that seemed to lead me to the same booths over and over again.

This time around, I arrived equipped with a better understanding of the industry, more confidence to discuss new technologies with exhibitors and attendees, and the ability to take it all in a bit better. Feeling like an old pro, I hit the show floor with a single goal in mind: find sustainable technologies.

MACtac Printing Products introduced its new line, Bloom™, which features eight facestocks and two Plastic Suppliers/EarthFirst® films made with Ingeo™. MACtac intends Bloom to be the beginning of its expanding line of ENVIROPATH™ products. The Bloom facestocks range from 30 to 100 percent post-consumer waste (PCW) and come in a variety of finishes. Its ENVIROPATH product line also includes EarthFirst polylactic acid (PLA) films (in white and clear).

Plastic Suppliers, Inc. showcased its EarthFirst PLA films, which are compostable, made from renewable plant resources, and can be used as a replacement for polypropylene or polyester. Plastic Suppliers has done an excellent job of branding these eco-friendly films, and have really built a case for why converters should be using them. The company says that EarthFirst films are made from annually renewable plant resources and are compostable to ASTM D6400 and DIN EN 13432 standards. It also claims that when using 100 pounds of EarthFirst film, the energy savings would allow for a 100 watt lightbulb to run for eight months.

UPM Raflatac presented a new service called RafCycle™, which involves collecting waste from label printers to be used to produce UPM ProFi™. This wood-plastic composite is a tough, humidity-resistant material designed for extrusion- and intrusion-molded products such as decking, reusable containers, pallets, and flooring. This is a great example of a company fulfilling a social need, while creating a smart and innovative business strategy. UPM says it is opening its second wood-plastic composite factory in Europe and will soon introduce UPM ProFi™ and RafCycle™ to the North American market.

Channeled Resources has initiated a similar waste collecting strategy, with its Release Liner Recycling Program, by collecting and disposing release liners in an environmentally friendly way. The company also introduced Pure Label, a sustainable pressure-sensitive label stock, which is made from grass and leaves, and uses a benign adhesive and recycled release liner.

Fasson Roll North America featured quite a bit in its EcoFriendly® portfolio of products. It showcased pressure-sensitive labeling mate-rial made from renewable resources such as “tree-free” facestocks that use cotton liners, bamboo, and bagasse, which is the biomass that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract juice. Kudos to Fasson for using bagasse for its facestocks, since the sugar-cane plant grows rapidily and is annually renewable. The company also introduced eco-friendly prime papers. Fasson says that its post-consumer waste products are designed to reduce landfill loads and maximize forest conservation. They also offer eco-friendly brown liners, which can be recycled.

I came home from Labelexpo with my mission accomplished. I found a number of sustainable offerings, and some innovative ones at that. Still, I couldn’t help feeling that the showing of sustainable technology was fairly modest, especially with the attention given to “Gather On The Green,” which was publicized before the show. Maybe the reason why many companies briefly used the term “sustainability” without discussing
specific technologies is because their sustainable marketing strategies are still in the works. And, maybe I am just anxious to see these new developments. But, at a time where environmental matters are so pressing, I am surprised that more companies are not stepping to the front to lead positive environmental and business endeavors. I’d like to think that in the next year or two, we’ll be seeing more and more green technologies, as the country’s environmental priorities shift and companies understand how getting in on the action is good for business. That’s my hope at least. pP