David Savastano, Editor03.23.20
There is a lot of interest in sustainability and regulatory matters among ink manufacturers and their suppliers. Increased mandates from brand owners and government bodies have been part of it, but more importantly, it seems that there is also a sense of responsibility for the environment and health and well-being of people throughout the world.
The regulatory landscape continues to change. Recently, the European Union has put out a ruling classifying titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a category 2 suspected carcinogen by inhalation. That has important ramifications for the ink industry, and George Fuchs, director of regulatory affairs and technology for the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM), and I detail these in “EU’s Titanium Dioxide Ruling Sparks Concern."
The theme of sustainability runs throughout our March/April 2020 issue. “The North American Top 20 Report,” which starts on page 22, “Pigment Industry Focuses on Sustainability, Raw Materials,” and “The 2020 European Ink Review,” all emphasize the importance of sustainability.
Developing more efficient manufacturing processes and creating formulations with more renewable resources as well as improved recyclability and compostability all are part of the drive toward sustainability, and these all make good business sense.
Sustainability has been in the news for years, but in the past few weeks, coronavirus has been making headlines.
Tragically, more than 3,300 have died and infections topped 100,000 as we go to press. For our industry and many others, there are concerns over raw material shortages. At the same time, we’ve seen the cancellation of important trade shows, including FESPA and the American Coatings Show. As we continue on into 2020, it remains to be seen what will happen in the coming months.
The regulatory landscape continues to change. Recently, the European Union has put out a ruling classifying titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a category 2 suspected carcinogen by inhalation. That has important ramifications for the ink industry, and George Fuchs, director of regulatory affairs and technology for the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM), and I detail these in “EU’s Titanium Dioxide Ruling Sparks Concern."
The theme of sustainability runs throughout our March/April 2020 issue. “The North American Top 20 Report,” which starts on page 22, “Pigment Industry Focuses on Sustainability, Raw Materials,” and “The 2020 European Ink Review,” all emphasize the importance of sustainability.
Developing more efficient manufacturing processes and creating formulations with more renewable resources as well as improved recyclability and compostability all are part of the drive toward sustainability, and these all make good business sense.
Sustainability has been in the news for years, but in the past few weeks, coronavirus has been making headlines.
Tragically, more than 3,300 have died and infections topped 100,000 as we go to press. For our industry and many others, there are concerns over raw material shortages. At the same time, we’ve seen the cancellation of important trade shows, including FESPA and the American Coatings Show. As we continue on into 2020, it remains to be seen what will happen in the coming months.