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Stephens & George, a major commercial printer based in Wales, has chosen to use ECO3’s Adamas offset printing plates due to their sustainable features
Welsh sheetfed lithographic printer Stephens & George has chosen to continue its partnership with ECO3 by utilising its Adamas offset printing plates, citing a desire to improve its ecological footprint.
The chemistry-free Adamas plates require no rinse water and are washed out with a limited amount of gum in comparison to other plates. This makes them a more eco-friendly choice according to the company, reducing water and energy usage during the washing process.
The plate can be utilised for a wide range of printing applications, from web to sheetfed printing, including conventional UV, H-UV, and LED inks.
ECO3 has made sustainability and reducing environmental impact a key aspect of its operations, pledging to lower its CO2 footprint, minimise the use of harmful chemicals, and reduce waste, among other goals.
Explaining the decision behind using Adamas plates, Stephens & George chairman and group managing director, Andrew Jones, says: “The decision to work with the ECO3 Adamas chemistry-free printing plates fits perfectly with our objectives and ensures that our print preparation becomes a whole lot greener.”
Jones also pointed to the relative closeness of ECO3’s European headquarters as a reason to work with the business, reducing transport emissions in comparison to more international suppliers.
Jones explains: “The decision to use the Adamas plate has to do with the ecological advantages and the performance of the product itself, but it was also important for us to choose a partner with production capacity in Europe.
“Transport does not only have a strong ecological impact; it’s of paramount importance for a company our size that we can rely on a swift and timely supply of impeccable products.”
ECO3 is headquartered in Belgium and produces offset plates in Germany for the European market. In September, it announced that it had acquired UK company Direct-to-Plate (DtP), a service and support provider to the UK printing industry, strengthening ECO3’s service network in the UK.
Eddie Williams, head of sales Europe at ECO3, adds: "With the Adamas plate, our customers make a substantial stride towards sustainability. In the case of Stephens & George, this translates to saving hundreds of thousands of litres of water and avoiding the use of large amounts of hazardous processing liquids.
“At ECO3, we have opted for a global production infrastructure with a strong presence in Europe. This is a conscious choice aimed at ensuring maximum deliverability of our products to our customers. I am pleased that Stephens & George attach great importance to this.”
Stephens & George is a major proponent of sheetfed lithographic printing in the UK, producing magazines, brochures, catalogues, programmes, event guides, and commercial products. Headquartered in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, it employs around 170 staff with additional offices in London and Glasgow.
In June, the company became the first UK printer to install a HEIDELBERG XL106-8P press, which it purchased in order to achieve faster turnaround times. The press, which was officially launched at drupa 2024, can operate at a maximum speed of 21,000 sheets per hour.
