Eco-Friendly Inks
More than 20 years before “sustainability” became the buzz word it is today, Flower City Printing (FCP) was already rethinking the inks it was using in its pressroom. In 1985, Executive Vice President Bill Oliveri began replacing petroleum-based inks with vegetable-based inks, as well as eliminating alcohol in press fountain solutions.
“Inks made from renewable resources were already in existence, but mainly used for newspaper production,” Oliveri reflects. “FCP was one of the first printers to experiment with vegetable-based inks for the offset sheetfed industry. Switching to vegetable-based inks [resulted in] a reduction in VOCs (volatile organic compounds), less ink [required] in the print process, and [the use of raw materials for inks made from] domestically produced renewable resources. Eliminating alcohol was also a priority that coincided with the switch to vegetable-based inks.”
Flower City Printing worked with ink and solution suppliers to develop a balance between alcohol-free fountain solutions and inks composed of renewable resources. “We modified our equipment and added infrared dryers to accelerate the drying time. In the end, we were able to continue to produce high-quality printing in a much safer environment,” says Oliveri. “Alcohol has not been used in the FCP pressroom since 1986.”
Instead, the company uses vegetable oil-based inks from its main ink supplier, Van Son. “All of Van Son Vs3 and Quickson Series Inks exceed the U.S. Government regulations for containing at least 20 percent vegetable oil, while most average between 40 and 60 percent vegetable oil.” Vegetables and seeds including soy beans, linseed, canola, grapeseed, tung, and otocica are used in manufacturing these inks. Van Son’s eco-friendly inks are also made with low-vapor-pressure solvents. They emit lower VOCs (less than 5 percent) and minimize potential negative impacts to the environment.
In addition, “FCP installed a central ink pumping station that delivers CMYK inks directly to each press to increase efficiency and eliminate waste from non-recyclable metal ink containers,” says Olivieri. “Process inks are stored in recyclable ink bladders inside of reusable 55 gallon drums and are pumped to each press via an overhead system of pipes. We also use ink blending and recycling software to reformulate excess special color inks into other colors in order to extend their life and usefulness. ‘ThINK Green’ is the name of our ink recycling initiative in the pressroom.”
Taking the initiative
Diamond Packaging has been thinking green with its “Diamond greenbox initiative” to research, design, and implement packaging solutions that are innovative and sustainable. Diamond considers the sustainability of every component in its packaging, including inks. The company prints with UV, conventional, and vegetable-based inks, and its proprietary Diamond TruCOLOR technology, according to Dennis Bacchetta, marketing manager, Diamond Packaging.
“Eco-friendly inks have minimal or no impact on the environment,” Bacchetta explains. “They are either low-VOC, vegetable-based inks, or UV inks that are composed of 100 percent solids and release no solvents or VOCs into the atmosphere during the curing process. Furthermore, eco-friendly inks should be fully recyclable.”
Diamond works with ink suppliers Flint Group and Superior Inks to make sure it is using the most eco-friendly inks as possible. “Our UV inks and coatings offer certain environmental advantages: UV ink curing involves 100 percent solids; no solvents or VOCs are released into the atmosphere during the curing process; UV-cured materials are fully repulpable; and UV-cured materials are fully recyclable,” he says.
He further explains that as a solid waste class, printed materials, with or without UV coating, are considered by the EPA to be in the non-hazardous materials class for landfill purposes. “They pose no unsafe conditions to the environment as a solid waste,” Bacchetta says. “UV-printed and coated paper waste can be completely broken down and recycled into low-grade or fine paper grades using common, commercially available recycling equipment.”
Going green
As part of its sustainability initiative, Diamond strives to educate companies on what eco-friendly materials are available. By doing so, the company shows that sustainability is a high priority on its list and how important it is to make eco-conscious packaging decisions. “Diamond carefully evaluates all inks and coatings in an effort to make the best recommendation for our customers’ products,” Bacchetta says. “We will continue to explore new types of inks and coatings as they relate to sustainability.”
Ultimately though, Bacchetta says it comes down to a combination of education on the printer’s part and interest in sustainability from consumer product companies. And, companies looking to create sustainable packages for their products may be more likely to turn toward companies like Diamond, which has made its sustainability efforts highly visible.
Suppliers also need to be in on the equation. Oliveri suggests that any printer considering going green with inks, or any other part of its process, should work with its current consumables suppliers to come up with a sustainable strategy for its business. “We worked with our current suppliers and established relationships with other suppliers to help us make the transition to using vegetable oil-based inks and going alcohol-free back in the 80s and to recently become FSC/SFI/PEC chain-of-custody certified,” he explains.
Bacchetta agrees. “Most of the major ink suppliers have a ‘green solution,’” he asserts. “It’s no different than with traditional ink products; you must find a supplier, [with whom] you can trust and form a strong relationship.”
“Green” Inks
Here is a sampling of eco-friendly inks currently on the market.
Company name: Sun Chemical, www.sunchemical.com
Product name: UniQure
Description: Sun Chemical’s UniQure is a new generation energy-curable ink technology specially developed for the WetFlex wet-on-wet process. These inks contain no alcohol, organic solvents, or volatile compounds. Ink trapping is achieved without interstation drying, so no solvent recovery system or incineration is necessary when using the inks in normal printing operations; no VOCs are released during printing and no carbon dioxide is emitted when using this system. Sun Chemical’s WetFlex technology consumes low amounts of energy and delivers a high-quality flexo printed package to present, protect, and preserve the product as it was intended.
Company: Color Resolutions International (CRI), www.colorresolutions.com
Product Name: Label Cure
Description: Label Cure is a UV-curable, flexographic ink system which meets the demands of producing high-quality labels with much lower solvents and VOCs. Depending upon the application, these inks are formulated with low viscosities and exhibit very low plate swell, thereby providing the converter a consistent, energy-cured system.
Company name: UVitec Printing Ink, www.uvitec.com
Product name: 21163-87 Benzo Free Coating
Description: UVitec’s 21163-87 Benzo Free Coating was initially designed for pharmaceutical packaging which, according to FDA guidelines, has very strict criteria. Benzophenone is a suspected endocrine disruptor and is a commonly used part of the photinitiator package most clear UV inks use. The removal of benzophenone allows the coating to have a much wider end-use application. This coating is suited for makers of products that have indirect food contact as the FDA has recently allowed for the use of UV-curable coatings for such applications.
Company name: Environmental Inks & Coatings, www.envinks.com
Product name: Envirocure® products
Description: Envirocure® energy-curable products offer printers inks formulated with safe and effective polymer chemistry. Envirocure® UV products are environmentally friendly, use only the safest raw materials, and contain no VOCs. EIC’s in-house press enables its chemists to test print flexo and rotary screen formulations, ensuring success prior to introduction to the market.
Company name: EFI/Vutek, www.efi.com
Product name: BioVu™ inks
Description: EFI/Vutek’s environmentally friendly BioVu™ solvent inks are used in production environments, made with corn (a renewable resource) and recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Though made from food-grade ingredients, the inks provide the benefits of traditional solvent inks. They bond to uncoated substrates, resist mechanical wear and UV light, achieve high-print quality, and are durable. These inks also include the same color gamut as traditional solvent inks so that users can switch to these environmentally friendly inks without workflow or prepress process modifications. pP
