Sustainability is a huge issue for virtually every industry. Ink manufacturers say they are continuing to receive significant interest in sustainability.

George Fuchs, National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers’ (NAPIM) director of regulatory affairs and technology, said that sustainability throughout the graphic arts supply chain (substrates, inks, adhesives, additives, etc.) has been and continues to be a major area of interest for all.

“One of the challenging issues here is the absence of a consensus, consistent or even accepted sustainability definition,” Fuchs said. “It is frequently defined quite narrowly such as the use of renewable or bio-derived materials or components (see NAPIM’s BioRenewable Content registration program) in products or through the use of very broad, comprehensive concepts like ‘Circular Economy’ or ‘triple bottom line.’ This issue notwithstanding, the overall trend within our industry is a continuing focus and appreciation of the importance of providing low hazard, human health and environmentally friendly products on a consistent and long term basis.”

David Wawer, executive director, Color Pigments Manufacturers Association, Inc.(CPMA), noted that sustainability is ranked important to very important in CPMA’s 2019 industry trends survey.

Siegwerk CTO Ralph Detsch said that sustainability with the focus on the Circular Economy is the key success factor for the packaging and ink industry going forward.

“This includes all materials like substrates, inks, coatings and adhesives but also addresses new business models,” Detsch observed. “Enabling safe and sustainable packaging solutions, with no loss of performance, is one of our key R&D efforts. For Siegwerk, sustainability means progress that’s why it’s a key element of our company’s strategic initiatives for the future. We have made the Circular Economy a main focal point to provide solutions to the worldwide problem of plastic littering and contribute to the fight against climate change. To achieve the required results, the overall packaging industry needs to transform itself from a linear to a circular system driving new reuse approaches and recycling technologies. Siegwerk’s opportunity to influence this transformation is by developing inks and coatings that serve as a functional enabler for sustainable packaging structures and offer optimal properties to support advanced recycling technologies.”

“Sustainability is absolutely at the forefront of our customers’ minds, along with the brand owners,” said John Hrdlick, president and CEO of INX International Ink Co. “This is being driven by consumers. For INX, this not only means that we need to be focused on our facilities and practices, but we must also ensure that all of our products are designed with sustainability in mind.”

Dr. Evan Benbow, director of R&D at Wikoff Color, noted that Wikoff Color has “definitely noticed an increased interest in sustainability, both internally and from customers.

“Over the last several years, we have made internal improvements to our recycling programs, started a waste reduction program and found ways to convert a larger portion of our waste into energy as opposed to landfilling,” Dr. Benbow added. “Our technical center has also developed multiple products for customers seeking sustainable options, including energy-cure products that require less energy to cure and oil-based or water-based inks that do not interfere with the compostability of final packaging.”

Simon Daplyn, marketing manager, Sensient Imaging Technologies, observed that sustainability is an increasingly important topic within the ink industry, especially in reference to printed textiles. 
 
“The entire industry is under increasing pressure to reduce the amount of water, waste and energy used throughout the production process, and we’re aware of a growing demand for solutions that help manufacturers and brands reduce their environmental footprint,” he said. “At the recent ShanghaiTex exhibition, for example, there was a noticeable increase in the number of companies offering sustainable technologies that focus on saving water, energy and emissions for the textile industry.

“Sensient is committed to developing inks with a focus on reducing energy usage, eliminating waste and decreasing water consumption,” Daplyn continued. “Any new ink development is rooted in sustainability and the ability to add value to our clients.”

Robert O’Boyle, senior key account manager, sustainable products, Sun Chemical, reported that there is a strong interest in sustainable inks.

“I don’t know of anyone in the industry that isn’t looking for ways to be greener,” O’Boyle continued. “Brand owners, printers and suppliers all want to say that they are sustainable. For Sun Chemical, sustainability is of high interest with almost all R&D programs having a sustainable focus. Recently we converted one of our R&D centers to solar power, which has worked out very well for us.

“From a printing perspective, there are several things that Sun Chemical is doing to achieve both our sustainability goals and those of our customers. From a product development standpoint, Sun Chemical has introduced inks and other solutions that can be biodegradable, compostable, bio-renewable or eco-friendly,” O’Boyle added.

“Biodegradable refers to anything that degrades resulting from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and algae. Compostable inks are also biodegradable but have the added benefit of breaking down quickly into natural elements in a compost environment and aid in the growth of trees and plants. Bio-renewable products contain one or more components that are derived from natural plant materials, vegetal waste and so forth. Eco-friendly is a broad term and encompasses everything bio-based, bio-renewable and compostable, but also includes products that look to reduce waste, enable reuse, use less energy, reduce weight, and generally contribute to green living or practices.”

John Ortiz, Memjet’s VP of inks and materials, said that it is important to look at the role of digital printing when talking about sustainability.

“In recent years, we’ve seen how Memjet and other digital printing technologies have replaced analog solutions among printers, brand owners and CPG companies. The expanded role of digital printing translates to a more positive message for sustainability. Customers experience reduced waste from plate preparation and make-ready processes, as well as the reduction of waste from overage or out-of-date materials,” Ortiz said. “These businesses embrace the digitalization of print in part because of these improved environmental – and economic – outcomes. But inks, on the other hand, have not traditionally been part of the sustainability conversation. But that is starting to change.

“Memjet OEMs are developing solutions that meet the needs of a variety of markets, including labels and packaging,” Ortiz continued. “These OEMs increasingly want inks that are safer for the products, the earth and of the people handling them.”

Deanna Klemesrud, global marketing director-brand & promo, packaging inks and resins for Flint Group, said that all parties involved in the packaging value chain are showing concern about the environmental impact of all materials used in product packaging and labels, including brand owners, printers and converters, raw material and substrate suppliers, and consumers. “This is absolutely a key focal point for Flint Group as we work with our customers to ensure their sustainability needs are fulfilled,” Klemesrud added.

Bernd Groh, hubergroup’s global product and portfolio manager SF/UV, noted that hubergroup is intensively engaged in a project-driven way to transmit its portfolio towards sustainability, step by step.

“Our long-term project ‘hubergroup - sustainable ideas, concepts and products’ is based on our self-commitment and has the global goal of implementing sustainability in our corporate DNA,” said Groh. “Process- and product-related, it is important for us at hubergroup to understand and live sustainability as a holistic approach concerning our complete business activities, with the constant endeavor of improving continuously. To force our sustainability goals and get more drive on it, we work together closely with our collaborations partners like EPEA or the Cradle to Cradle Association.”

Recyclability and Biodegradability

Along those lines, ink manufacturers are receiving increased requests from customers and other downstream users regarding the recyclability of products and their impact on biodegradability/compostability.

Fuchs said that the recyclability of all components and materials used within packaging and commercial printing has become a hot topic in the last few years.

“It is probably fair to say that it seems to have more interest and attention at present than the broader but related sustainability issue,” Fuchs continued. “The impact/contribution of printing ink on the recyclability of printed substrate (typically paper or paperboard) is an increasingly frequent inquiry from brands/CPG’s and printers.

“Printing inks are largely composed of organic components and designed to be stable but will degrade and decompose under typical, ambient conditions,” he added. “The rate of decomposition depends on a large number of factors including the ink type, disposal conditions, pigment loading and other factors. The pigment is generally considered to be the most stable (resistant to degradation) component in the ink. Pigments are specifically designed for stability under a wide variety of environmental and usage conditions. It is important to note that ink on a substrate typically represents ~0.7% by mass of the total printed substrate. As with sustainability, there is no regulatory or industry consensus definition as to what qualifies as a recyclable product. Accordingly, printers/CPG’s have a variety of definitions and related standards to which they expect their supplier to adhere.”

“When you look at the life cycle assessment of printed media, the impact of the ink itself is minuscule. The most significant contributor to carbon in the printing process is the paper – how it’s forested, and the energy and water consumption used to produce it. That makes up about 60% of the carbon footprint of the printed page (followed by energy consumption),” Ortiz observed. “So, every effort that end users can make to conserve and recycle paper makes an impact. It makes sense to include inks as part of the downstream recyclability analysis.

“Right now, there are a few recyclability standards in place, but not all of them apply to everything that Memjet prints,” Ortiz added. “INGEDE publishes the most widely recognized recyclability testing methods and is the basis for deinkability scores from the European Paper Recycling Council (EPRC), but these methods and scores don’t address all combinations of inks and substrates. As a result, there’s confusion in the marketplace about how inks impact the recyclability of a product. And from a vendor standpoint, the absence of clear standards makes it hard to give specific guidance to customers about the impact of ink on recyclability.”

“Several Wikoff Color customers have submitted inquiries regarding the recyclability of our products and we are currently working on at least one major project with a customer requesting specific compostability requirements,” Dr. Benbow said. “That project has posed some challenges since typical raw materials used in our products are not inherently recyclable, compostable or biodegradable. With that said, our R&D chemists have found some creative ways to minimize the impact our inks have on the decomposition process of the final product.”

Fuchs noted that food packaging safety is a primary concern for brands/CPG’s and has been for decades.

“Each entity within the food packaging supply chain plays a critical role in assuring that the food package ultimately complies with US FDA and other global regulatory schemes. It is very important to note that the finished package itself (use of FDA compliant ink systems notwithstanding) is what must comply with the regulatory requirements,” Fuchs said. “Accordingly, individual supply chain members (ink manufacturers, substrate suppliers, etc.) cannot themselves provide this assurance.”

Daplyn noted that as legislation changes and as global consumers become more aware of the environmental impact of the products they use, the requests for compliant products – or those compatible with downstream processes – are increasing.

“In packaging applications especially, recyclability and ‘de-inking’ is a growing area of discussion, and we are starting to see the emergence of biodegradability as a key topic of focus,” Daplyn said.

“From food to textiles, packaging to industrial, the markets we serve are under increasing pressure to move towards a ‘greener’ future and, at Sensient, we are focused on addressing recyclability via the raw materials we use for creating ink,” Daplyn reported. “In fact, all our inks are part of a detailed supply chain traceability program, to ensure that the raw materials used are sourced ethically. This is the driver, and from there we are formulating enhanced, high-performance digital inkjet solutions that exceed the sustainability and performance requirements of both consumer and manufacturer. However, to get a truly biodegradable ink, we will need to see the emergence of new technologies and colorants.”

Detsch said that converters, brands and retailers are asking Siegwerk for solutions to make their packaging material recyclable or compostable; it is all about circularity.

“The Circular Economy is addressing two cycles: the technosphere and the biosphere,” Detsch added. “In the technosphere cycle, it is about the recyclability of packaging material. Inks and coatings play an important role in enabling recyclable packaging structures. Here Siegwerk sees a clear demand for mono-materials to improve recyclability. In the biosphere cycle, it is about the compostability of packaging materials. This is a managed process where the ink formulation has to ensure there is no disturbance of the composting process. Composting makes sense when you are not able to keep the material value in a recycling stream. The promotion of biodegradable materials as a solution for littering should not be supported as this has been shown to increase littering significantly. Oxo-degradable materials are already banned in Europe because they generate microplastics.”

“We have been receiving queries from customers related to sustainability for several years – it is fair to say that the inquiries have ramped up over the past 18 months,” Klemesrud said. “The requests vary as it relates to specific topics – i.e. recyclability, compostability, bio-renewable content, and sustainable solutions. Flint Group has a response for each of these key pillars within its product and solutions offerings.”

“When we started our sustainability project in 2015, there were only a few commercial printers in Germany asking for deinkability,” Groh said. “Since 2016, we started to promote sustainability in terms of recyclability and biocompatibility. We were the first ink manufacturer worldwide who switched already in May 2017 all its offset series to a cobalt-free drying agent solution. Today we receive nearly daily from all regions of the world like for example Australia, China or Canada information requests from our customers regarding the recyclability of our product or its impact on biodegradability/compostability. In Europe more and more brand owners are also asking for our sustainability approach. Sustainability is a common mainstream.”

“We are receiving increased requests for recyclable solutions and we expect the requests to increase. At Sun Chemical, we’ve already developed a wide range of biodegradable, compostable, bio-renewable and eco-friendly inks and other solutions that help both printers and brand owners achieve their sustainability goals and initiatives,” O’Boyle noted.

“We are all being challenged to make sure that our products contribute to a sustainable package so consumers can feel good about their choices, and that our industry is doing its part in this global sustainability effort,” Hrdlick concluded.