EFI Completes LCA for Nozomi Digital Direct-to-Corrugated Printer

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (EFI) has completed a life cycle assessment (LCA) of Nozomi single-pass digital print technology in partnership with award-winning sustainability con-sulting firm Clean Agency.

Through this initiative, Clean Agency also developed an LCA tool that EFI customers and their customers – such as brands, retailers, and 3PLs – can use to analyze their CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions as part of their overall packaging extended producer re-sponsibility (EPR): the environmental impact of their products, even after their useful life has ended.

According to the LCA, printing corrugated materials on an EFI Nozomi digital press reduc-es global warming potential (GWP) by approximately 50% when compared to analog printing technologies.

“No printing plates, less energy, less waste, and just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing all con-tribute to CO2e reductions for corrugated printing on EFI’s Nozomi digital press,” said Seri McClendon, CEO of Clean Agency. “Packaging is a major contributor to Scope 3 emissions, so we not only partnered with EFI to conduct the LCA but also to build a calculator that enables users to quantify related kilograms of CO2e for specific packaging printing vol-umes and applications.”

Demonstrating reduced footprint of packaging production is a business advantage in a time where Scope 3 emissions are a critical consideration in comprehensive sustainability strategies. In addition, these sustainable advantages of digital print also enhance produc-tivity and business outcomes – such as through the elimination of plates, reduction of changeover waste, lowered energy, waste disposal costs, and more.

“We are pleased with the results of the LCA and are pursuing independent third-party verification of the findings for additional validation, which we anticipate coming in April,” said Evandro Matteucci, EFI’s VP/GM of Building Materials and Packaging. “It’s an itera-tive process, and we will continue testing and proving the LCA with our customers going forward.”

EFI customers are leveraging the new LCA tool with good results. Caps Cases has complet-ed its own LCA analysis. Because of its Nozomi investment in EFI digital printing, in 2023, Caps Cases avoided approximately 300,000 kilograms of CO2e when compared to analog methods.

“EFI’s investment in this LCA calculator will help us quantify and communicate Scope 3 emission reductions to the brands and retailers we serve,” said Trevor Bissett, CEO of Caps Cases. “In fact, according to our calculations, our largest customer avoided 60,000 kilograms of CO2e by switching to Nozomi digitally printed packaging in 2023. To have the ability to communicate this calculation and its impact provides a strong testimonial for our digital print solutions and indicates our commitment to being a sustainable manufactur-er.”