Tangible Change
A buzzword that’s been around for over a decade, ‘sustainability’ is something you can’t avoid hearing about. For years, companies have been talking about improving their sustainability and working to go greener but it is only in the past few years that we have seen real tangible and proactive changes becoming more commonplace.
From speaking to industry members over the years, this seems to be being driven by consumers and clients themselves wanting businesses to prove how they are being green, and tenders are also implementing sustainability requirements within their listings.
As a result, we are seeing more and more initiatives and products being launched with the industry working to be greener than ever; but as we all know, there is always more to be done. In this feature, we speak to some of the companies implementing sustainable practices within their business and ‘walking the walk’ as much as they are ‘talking the talk’.
Increased Scrutiny
ACTEGA has been taking bold actions and proactive steps to accelerate its sustainability progress by analysing its current product portfolio from a sustainability angle as well as launching initial initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of materials.
The company develops, produces, and distributes specialty coatings, inks, adhesives, and sealing compounds.
Dennis Siepmann, head of sustainability at ACTEGA highlights his own journey to sustainability having worked at ACTEGA for over 12 years: “Whilst there has been increased scrutiny placed on the sector due to the environmental impact of plastic and packaging in general, it’s essential to recognise that these are vital for providing durability and extended shelf life to products.
Dennis Siepmann, head of sustainability at ACTEGA
“Our role is to make sure that packaging materials are used in the most efficient way and to contribute to this with our coatings, printing inks, varnishes, and compounds.”
One example of this is that as part of the SVELON family, ACTEGA offers low-gauge compounds whose special properties enable customers to produce crown corks with a thickness of up to 0.18mm to reduce the metal thickness. This results in material savings, a lower carbon footprint, and less packaging waste.
Other initiatives by ACTEGA include advocating for a circular economy through its water-based ACTGreen Barrier Coatings and Sustainable Compounds. “These PVC-free and plasticiser-free sealing compounds comprise blends of advanced food-compliant materials to ensure no migration of harmful substances from the packaging into the food it protects.
“ACTEGA is also revolutionising approaches with disruptive technologies like ECOLEAF and Signite, pushing boundaries, and providing a real-world solution for today’s environmental issues.”
ECOLEAF by ACTEGA is described as "reinventing the metallisation process by using ‘liquid foil’ in place of the plastic-backed foil reels used in traditional hot and cold foiling."
ECOLEAF by ACTEGA uses ‘liquid foil’ in place of the plastic-backed foil reels used
in traditional hot and cold foiling
Within its own business, ACTEGA has also taken meaningful steps to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions with CO2 emissions having been reduced by over 70% for the whole ACTEGA group in the past five years.
Water consumption has also been reduced by over 45% and in 2019, ACTEGA joined other ALTANA companies in sourcing 100% of its energy from renewable sources.
Locally, the company has been operating its ‘Let’s ACT!’ campaign which sees its employees work together to minimise their local environmental impact.
One example of this is at ACTEGA’s site in Lehrte, Germany where two team members are nurturing six bee colonies with a mission towards promoting biodiversity across the site.
Whilst there is much positive and tangible change to report at ACTEGA, Siepmann highlights that there are always going to be challenges, but that these should be viewed as opportunities.
“This approach not only makes companies more innovative and future-focused, but it also has a positive impact on their resilience in the long run.” On this note, Siepmann explains that one of the top agenda points in the packaging industry has been recyclability: “Whether it is the challenges of sorting and recycling multi-layer films, the trend towards mono-materials, or the increase in paper-based packaging, we are committed to meeting the current needs.
Achieving true sustainability in the packaging industry involves all actors from across the public, private, and civic sectors and requires systemic change”
“Achieving true sustainability in the packaging industry involves all actors from across the public, private, and civic sectors and requires systemic change. Therefore, the ACTEGA team has become a member of the 4evergreen alliance, working with its stakeholders across the value chain toward optimising fibre-based packaging’s circularity and climate performance”.
Repulpability And Recyclability
Founded in 2007, Scodix provides digital print embellishment presses with the company describing itself as quickly emerging as a pioneer in the field of digital print and packaging enhancement. In terms of sustainability, Scodix’s digital presses eliminate the need for plates, molds, and chemicals which the company says reduces waste from the enhancement process to almost zero. The use of digital printing also enables users to print their desired quantity on-demand meaning no unnecessary printing or energy is used.
Scodix recently completed an LCA study to measure the benefits of its process against hot foil stamping. The LCA compared the enhancement of a single B1 sheet through to 100,000 B1 sheets using Scodix foil (175g) with traditional foiling methods. The results showed that Scodix technology reduces CO2e (CO2 equivalent) by 85%, fossil fuel usage by close to 85%, and water consumption by 80% per B1 sheet, in comparison to traditional hot stamp foiling.
O Factoid: Scodix technology reduces CO2e (CO2 equivalent) by 85%, fossil fuel usage by close to 85%, and water consumption by 80% per B1 sheet, in comparison to traditional hot stamp foiling O
The company also recently achieved a landmark repulpability and recyclability certification. These results, which are from independent testing with Western Michigan University (WMU) demonstrate that Scodix embellishments can be repulped during the recycling process, allowing products enhanced with Scodix embellishments to carry the recyclable symbol, as long as the substrate is also certified recyclable.
For Scodix, another environmental consideration comes from the production of its hardware and Nixon says that to produce presses, there will always be an impact on the environment. However, the company takes care to minimise this by ensuring that its presses are durable and that customers can purchase a printer and use it for long periods before it needs replacing or upgrading.
Mark Nixon, EVP global sales and marketing at Scodix, explains that the importance of being a sustainable business also goes beyond helping the environment itself: “It’s impossible to ignore that the environment is an essential part of our society. Without trees, our business simply wouldn’t be possible.
Mark Nixon, EVP global sales and marketing at Scodix
Furthermore, implementing sustainable practices within a business can help to build a positive brand image, save costs, engage employees, and secure long-term business resilience.
They can’t win contracts without sustainability credentials, so we have to support them in that, it’s becoming more and more of an absolute requirement, not a nice to have”
“There are many print and packaging companies working with big brands where sustainability targets are simply a must. They can’t win contracts without sustainability credentials, so we have to support them in that, it’s becoming more and more of an absolute requirement, not a nice to have.”
Constantly Innovating
Another hardware manufacturer that is striving to promote sustainability within its own operations and the wider industry is Mimaki. As the company’s technology advances, it is using more environmentally friendly materials and adopting processes that require less consumption of natural resources.
Arjen Evertse, general manager of sales for EMEA at Mimaki, explains how Mimaki integrates the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into its environmental principles: “We are actively reducing our emissions and waste, transitioning to renewable energy consumption in all facilities, and working towards achieving various sustainability certifications.”
An example of this is that last year, 84.7% of Mimaki’s ink sales for sign graphics and industrial printer inks were GREENGUARD GOLD certified. The company has also pledged to reduce its use of plastics, switching to carton cartridges for popular ink products to reduce plastic use significantly. By completely changing the popular SS21 ink to a carton cartridge, Mimaki can reduce annual plastic use by 29.2 tonnes, which equates to a reduction of 38 tonnes in carbon emissions.
Within Mimaki’s research and development, the company is constantly innovating to develop technologies addressing sustainability, like its LED-UV technology ranges which tackle energy consumption as well as its completely waterless digital textile print solutions.
At ITMA 2023, Mimaki launched a number of sustainable solutions such as its Textile Pigment Transfer Printing System which is described as being more sustainable than analogue and digital textile dye printing methods with zero water consumption and substantially lower CO2 emissions.
At ITMA 2023, Mimaki launched a number of sustainable solutions such as its Textile Pigment Transfer Printing System
What’s more, this year Mimaki also debuted a new unique concept designed to revolutionise the reuse of coloured polyester textiles: the Neo-Chromato Process.
This works by decolourising polyester textiles that have been dyed using dye-sublimation processes and enable materials to be re-printed or dyed straight away.
“Our waterless printing technologies are having a huge effect in the textile market,” explains Evertse. “Our lines of UJF, JFX, and UJV printers tackle energy consumption with the use of LED-UV, as opposed to energy-intensive metal halide lamps, to instantly cure the ink as it is being distributed across the substrate.
Mimaki demonstrated pigment transfer printing with Coldenhove at ITMA 2023
“Whilst we are making progress in incorporating sustainable practices, challenges do exist. Ensuring that new environmentally friendly technologies remain profitable is a significant concern, as well as balancing ambition with the implementation of eco-friendly products and practices and remaining transparent in our communication to avoid any ‘greenwashing’.”
Evertse adds: “We also must navigate the constantly shifting regulatory landscape in our global markets, that are demanding more sustainability efforts from manufacturers.”
Myth Busting
Another business on the other side of the industry but with sustainability also at the top of its agenda is Very Displays. The trade printer to the display and printing industry is reviewing each element of its business for improvement, and where possible reducing any environmental inefficiencies from printing, sourcing, materials used, and office initiatives.
The company has set out its five-year sustainablility journey to ensure it is achieving its goals, and some of this includes reviewing the inks it uses, the outer packaging used, reviewing product range and lifecycles, and encouraging and informing on the reusable hardware Very offers its customers.
Kirsty Corcoran, marketing manager of Very Displays, says: “We have already taken steps to ensure we maximise space on all containers resulting in less journeys, reduced our material wastage, invested in a more efficient printer, only sourcing LED lighting, all delivery boxes are made from recycled material, 100% of our products are reusable, and much more.”
Some of the challenges when it comes to implementing sustainable practices that Corcoran reports experiencing include myth-busting and the recycling process.
“There are a lot of conflicting thoughts about what companies should and shouldn’t be doing, what materials are best, what route the industry should be taking, etc. We are taking small and considered steps in everything we decide to do to ensure it truly makes a difference and benefits the planet and customers. We’re paving our own way and educating customers along the journey.
There are a lot of conflicting thoughts about what companies should and shouldn’t be doing, what materials are best, and what route the industry should be taking”
“Secondly, we are working hard to understand every part of every product we offer (plus graphics) and what the journey and lifecycle of that can be. Unfortunately, the infrastructure and available recycling outlets for certain materials in the UK provide us with a challenge; one we’re working to understand and find alternatives to combat.”
Challenges aside, Corcoran highlights some of the benefits of working to be greener such as showing you are pro-active, responsible, and trustworthy. “This may influence a customer’s purchasing decision when looking for a supply partner,” she adds. “It’s also a necessity now that we can’t ignore as an industry, and rightly so.”
Measure Your Impact
And last but not least, there are a number of industry initiatives that any business can take advantage of to improve their sustainability. One example of this is PrintReleaf, a sustainability platform that empowers printers and packaging companies to make a significant impact by offsetting their paper and fibre-based materials consumption.
With companies becoming more aware of their environmental impact, they are seeking ways to mitigate this impact and demonstrate commitment to the cause, and PrintReleaf offers a way for businesses to implement this.
Julie Ach, senior marketing manager, explains: “PrintReleaf’s approach is both innovative and practical. The process begins with accurately measuring the paper and fibre-based materials consumption of a business with their automated platform. This provides a clear understanding of the environmental impact, enabling companies to address their forest footprint in a meaningful way.
“PrintReleaf analyses the data and calculates the number of trees used to produce the paper and fibre-based materials, in addition to determining the carbon emissions associated with their production. PrintReleaf ensures that for every sheet, pound, or kilogram of paper or fibre-based materials used, an equivalent number of trees are replanted in certified forests dedicated to conservation and restoration.”
PrintReleaf also offers Verra Certified Carbon Offsets to offset the carbon emissions associated with the production of paper and fibre-based materials. These carbon reduction projects have undergone rigorous third-party verification and facilitate the reduction of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, mitigating and combating climate change.
As mentioned previously, as well as the obvious – improving the state of the environment and climate change – being a sustainable business can also enable companies to gain new business, win tenders, improve their reliability and trustworthiness, as well as align with the demands of customers.
PrintReleaf partners and end-users can use a unique QR code on print jobs and packaging to show the positive environmental impact that’s being made
PrintReleaf is a tangible way of showing to customers and other regulating bodies that you are implementing change and taking steps to improve your impact. One product feature included for all Print Releaf partners and end-users is a unique QR code on print jobs and packaging that links back to a profile page which shows the positive environmental impact that’s being made.
With all this said, there are a number of ways you can implement sustainable practices in your business and the great news is there are so many companies already paving the way to a greener future.
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