From environmental concerns over key substances to governmental development of new standards, the ink industry is constantly facing increasing regulatory pressures.
Brand owners, federal and state government officials, and consumers are all closely looking at products and ingredients. Whether these closer looks are justified or not, the ink industry needs to keep up with the latest news.
Since 1993, George Fuchs, director of regulatory affairs and technology for the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM), is the North American ink industry’s point person on all things regulatory.
To keep the industry and its suppliers updated on all that is happening – which, during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been plenty – Fuchs held a webinar, “NAPIM’s Year-End Regulatory/Technical Market Year-End Retrospective,” providing the latest news from NAPIM.
What’s New at NAPIM
Before examining technical and health, safety and environmental issues, Fuchs gave an update on what is happening at NAPIM, beginning with two upcoming events: the NAPIM Manufacturing Symposium and the 2021 NAPIM/NPIRI Summer Course.
The Manufacturing Symposium is up first. On Feb. 17-18, NAPIM will host the symposium virtually. NAPIM will do the same for the Summer Course, which returns from a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic and will be held Aug. 2-6.
“This is the first NAPIM manufacturing conference in nearly 20 years, and we are quite excited about it,” said Fuchs. “It is quite different. It will cover milling, mixing, dispersion technology, dust hazard analysis, manufacturing related sustainability methodologies, robotics, automation, employee recruitment and retention and other issues.”
What’s New in the World of Regulatory Matters
Fuchs talked about the ink industry’s response to COVID-19.
“In March of last year, we became familiar with the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a new federal agency,” he observed. “From a printing ink and printing perspective, CISA was a very impactful and important agency, as it designated printing and the printing supply chain as essential manufacturing. It allowed our plants to remain open during some of the more restrictive shutdowns.”
Next up, Fuchs discussed the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), which was signed into law in 2020, and tariffs on Chinese goods.
“There are opportunities here to reduce some of the cost of imports and exports if you are trading printing inks between Mexico and Canada,” he said. “NAPIM offers a guidance document about a technique called the tariff shift, which allows you to avoid some fees if you claim coverage. The Chinese 301 tariffs placed a substantial tariff on pigments and photoinitiators and had an upward pressure on pricing.”
Material Handling
Handling of materials was among the topics. Fuchs offered updates on ASTM Ink and Vehicle Test Methods, including thanking the new chairs – David Biro of Sun Chemical (D01.56) and Karen Schroeder of Kustom Group (D01.37). He also noted that NPIRI guidance documents on ink handling for printers should be done next month
Two other areas of note are ANSI standards and dust hazards, and these will be topics at the Manufacturing Symposium.
“NAPIM is filming updates to ANSI safety standards on three-rolls mills and vertical post mixers. Both of these standards have significant changes,” Fuchs said. “We have a big issue with dust hazards in ink manufacturing, such as when companies are handling dry pigment. I see some ink companies not paying much attention to that. That has the potential to be catastrophic.”
Concerns Over Key Ingredients
Issues over the environmental impact of major ingredients, and how governments are handling these, was a key portion of the webinar. The handling of titanium dioxide, or TiO2, falls under both materials and handling.
“TiO2 was reclassified by ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) to a Category 2 carcinogen by inhalation,” Fuchs advised listeners. “We feel it is not applicable to printing inks. This is a European application. The other issue is nanotechnology and effects of nanoparticles, and the FDA has not done anything yet.”
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are also on the government’s radar. Fuchs said that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an interest here.
“EPA is concerned about PFOA and PFAS,” Fuchs noted. “They are also interested in a safe water standard. EPA is looking at this on an individual substance basis, which we are happy with. FDA also has an interest in PFAS on food contact applications. The state of New York has banned the use of PFAS in food packaging in 2022. How exactly that will work will be interesting.”
The Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act (LCSA), which updated the Toxic Substances Control Act back in 2016, is having some unintended consequences.
“LCSA has the potential to affect our industry dramatically,” Fuchs said. “We were surprised to see Pigment Violet 29 on the initial list, and EPA may change the low hazard classification in the final documents. The PV 29 risk assessment looked at paint and coatings, but that is going to change. In all likelihood, our industry will be surveyed on usage data and employee and environmental exposure data, and my guidance to you is to provide them with any information you may have because in the absence of exposure data the EPA will use worst-case analysis.”
With the interest in sustainability on the rise, NAPIM’s BioRenewable Content (BRC) Program is ever more valuable for members.
“The Sustainable Green Printers Partnership continues to grow, and brands are heavily invested in sustainability,” Fuchs said. “All of the printers who are certified have undergone a rigorous certification program. The NAPIM BRC program is a good fit for that program.”
And then there is food packaging. Fuchs noted that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is focusing on food packaging, adding that 5,000 unique ink and ink components have the potential to be used in printing inks on the exterior of food packaging in US markets.
“The FDA has compiled a database of printing inks used on exterior food packaging, based on the Swiss List of substances permitted to be used in printing inks that do not directly contact food,” he advised. “The sense I got is that FDA is putting together a database. It’s anybody’s guess at this point. From a regulatory perspective, it’s better to have a rule.”
