Laurel Brunner
Conventional label printers and sellers of label printing equipment and consumables face yet another existential threat. A new printing technology is being used in various European countries to replace stickers on fruits and vegetables. The technology is a sort of direct to object technique, however this is not a new application of inkjet printing. Laser marking fans are calling it “natural branding” and it works by using a laser to mark foods. Although it has mainly been used for fruits with a robust skin, such as melons, laser marking can work even on soft fruits, like tomatoes. It’s a nonimpact technique that doesn’t affect the food or how long it lasts.Laser marking was developed by Laser Foods in Spain as part of the European Union’s (EU) Eco-Innovation programme. Laser Foods and its technology partners have come up with a coating that is applied to the image area. This coating changes colour when activated by a laser, so it does not penetrate the food. The process has various environmental benefits including doing away with the ink, plastic, glue and paper associated with conventional produce labelling. Laser marking also means no waste when conventional labels reach the end of their short lives. The GHG emissions associated with printing and transporting the stickers to their point of use also disappear, as do emissions related to getting raw materials to the printers in the first place.
There are other benefits to laser marking. It is claimed to be some ten per cent faster than sticking printed labels on to fruits, which could extend product shelf life. Laser marking also ensures traceability and prevents goods from being missold, since there is no label to get lost or switched. Labels can also be changed more readily and providers have more flexibility in the information they provide to consumers via the fruits and vegetables printed with laser marking.
The technology has been trialed by a Dutch supplier of fruit and veg and ICA one of Sweden’s leading supermarket chains. Marks & Spencer are using it in the UK, as are chains in Poland; companies in the US are also keen. Laser marking gives producers and brand owners many more creative options for adding extra information to products, such as suggestions for other foods that work well with the product, say chilies in addition to avocados or parma ham with melons.
Millions of sticky labels are used around the world on food produce, so laser marking has a massive market opportunity to both cut carbon footprints and save costs. It is also attractive because it creates a new platform for advertising, be that upselling or simple brand promotion. The creative possibilities are endless, so this technology will make a big difference for packaging design and cross channel promotions. We expect to see plenty of new applications coming out on the back of it.
Laurel Brunner
This article was produced by the Verdigris project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit, Ricoh, Spindrift,Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
Conventional label printers and sellers of label printing equipment and consumables face yet another existential threat. A new printing technology is being used in various European countries to replace stickers on fruits and vegetables. The technology is a sort of direct to object technique, however this is not a new application of inkjet printing. Laser marking fans are calling it “natural branding” and it works by using a laser to mark foods. Although it has mainly been used for fruits with a robust skin, such as melons, laser marking can work even on soft fruits, like tomatoes. It’s a nonimpact technique that doesn’t affect the food or how long it lasts.Laser marking was developed by Laser Foods in Spain as part of the European Union’s (EU) Eco-Innovation programme. Laser Foods and its technology partners have come up with a coating that is applied to the image area. This coating changes colour when activated by a laser, so it does not penetrate the food. The process has various environmental benefits including doing away with the ink, plastic, glue and paper associated with conventional produce labelling. Laser marking also means no waste when conventional labels reach the end of their short lives. The GHG emissions associated with printing and transporting the stickers to their point of use also disappear, as do emissions related to getting raw materials to the printers in the first place.
There are other benefits to laser marking. It is claimed to be some ten per cent faster than sticking printed labels on to fruits, which could extend product shelf life. Laser marking also ensures traceability and prevents goods from being missold, since there is no label to get lost or switched. Labels can also be changed more readily and providers have more flexibility in the information they provide to consumers via the fruits and vegetables printed with laser marking.
The technology has been trialed by a Dutch supplier of fruit and veg and ICA one of Sweden’s leading supermarket chains. Marks & Spencer are using it in the UK, as are chains in Poland; companies in the US are also keen. Laser marking gives producers and brand owners many more creative options for adding extra information to products, such as suggestions for other foods that work well with the product, say chilies in addition to avocados or parma ham with melons.
Millions of sticky labels are used around the world on food produce, so laser marking has a massive market opportunity to both cut carbon footprints and save costs. It is also attractive because it creates a new platform for advertising, be that upselling or simple brand promotion. The creative possibilities are endless so this technology will make a big difference for packaging design and cross channel promotions. We expect to see plenty of new applications coming out on the back of it.
Laurel Brunner
This article was produced by the Verdigris project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit, Ricoh, Spindrift,Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
According to the European Union over fifty percent of all goods in Europe are packaged with plastic. This amounts to 39% of the 57 million tonnes of plastics produced in Europe every year and works out at around 30 kg per person per year.
Worldwide the numbers are even worse in economic and polluting terms. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an NGO, 32% of plastic never makes it to recycling plants. Eight million tonnes of the stuff ends up in the sea every year and an astonishing 95% of plastic packaging value is lost to the global economy. This amounts to some US$80-120 billion every year. That is probably more than the global profits packaging generates.
Dealing with the environmental impact of plastic waste is not only about getting more of it into the recycling supply chain. Processing the waste that doesn’t get recycled carries a huge cost, numbered in the tens of billions of dollars. Packaging is necessary, however it doesn’t have to be evil. A couple of developers have come up with new forms of packaging based on sugar cane.
Tetrapak reckons that its Tetra Rex material is the world’s first fully recyclable packaging material. It has been successfully trialed for milk products at Valio, a Finnish dairy, and has been rolled out worldwide for dairy and nondairy liquids. The material combines a sugarcane based plastic that has complete traceability certified by Vinçotte a Belgian accredited inspection and certification outfit, with FSC certified board. Braskem, the Brazilian chemical company that produces the plastic, uses for its raw materials sugar cane grown on degraded pastures. Compared to conventional polyethylene, on a per kilo basis Tetra Rex polyethylene cartons have 4 kg less carbon. Because they biodegrade readily, costs associated with recycling and waste processing are also much lower.
Tetrapak is not alone in coming up with new ideas for plastic packaging. Hovis, a baker, packages bread in plastic bags that are also made from polyethylene created from sugar cane. Hovis has been working with Amcor Flexibles, the market leading Australian developer of packaging materials. Amcor has operations in 43 countries worldwide and their sugar cane based plastic has reduced the carbon footprint used in selected Hovis breadbags by 75%.
These alternatives biodegrade much more quickly than conventional plastics but you probably wouldn’t want to eat them. Even so, polyethylene based on harvested sugar cane is a sweet solution for cutting carbon in packaging.
Laurel Brunner
The Verdigris project is an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. It provides a weekly commentary to help printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
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According to the European Union over fifty percent of all goods in Europe are packaged with plastic. This amounts to 39% of the 57 million tonnes of plastics produced in Europe every year and works out at around 30 kg per person per year.
Worldwide the numbers are even worse in economic and polluting terms. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an NGO, 32% of plastic never makes it to recycling plants. Eight million tonnes of the stuff ends up in the sea every year and an astonishing 95% of plastic packaging value is lost to the global economy. This amounts to some US$80-120 billion every year. That is probably more than the global profits packaging generates.
Dealing with the environmental impact of plastic waste is not only about getting more of it into the recycling supply chain. Processing the waste that doesn’t get recycled carries a huge cost, numbered in the tens of billions of dollars. Packaging is necessary, however it doesn’t have to be evil. A couple of developers have come up with new forms of packaging based on sugar cane.
Tetrapak reckons that its Tetra Rex material is the world’s first fully recyclable packaging material. It has been successfully trialed for milk products at Valio, a Finnish dairy, and has been rolled out worldwide for dairy and nondairy liquids. The material combines a sugarcane based plastic that has complete traceability certified by Vinçotte a Belgian accredited inspection and certification outfit, with FSC certified board. Braskem, the Brazilian chemical company that produces the plastic, uses for its raw materials sugar cane grown on degraded pastures. Compared to conventional polyethylene, on a per kilo basis Tetra Rex polyethylene cartons have 4 kg less carbon. Because they biodegrade readily, costs associated with recycling and waste processing are also much lower.
Tetrapak is not alone in coming up with new ideas for plastic packaging. Hovis, a baker, packages bread in plastic bags that are also made from polyethylene created from sugar cane. Hovis has been working with Amcor Flexibles, the market leading Australian developer of packaging materials. Amcor has operations in 43 countries worldwide and their sugar cane based plastic has reduced the carbon footprint used in selected Hovis breadbags by 75%.
These alternatives biodegrade much more quickly than conventional plastics, but you probably wouldn’t want to eat them. Even so, polyethylene based on harvested sugar cane is a sweet solution for cutting carbon in packaging.
Laurel Brunner
The Verdigris project is an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. It provides a weekly commentary to help printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
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Next month CeBit opens its doors in Hannover to an international audience of tech nerds and their followers. Japan will have a big presence at CeBit, showcasing itself as a driving force in the digital transformation. The star attraction for the graphics industry will be PaperLab, Epson’s paper recycling system currently positioned for use in offices but with wider potential. PaperLab uses a mostly dry process to turn waste office paper into new printable sheets. The CeBit presentation will be the first time this technology has been shown outside Japan.
The machine looks like a large photocopier and pulverises printed sheets into individual fibres using a process Epson calls defibrating. The process removes inkjet inks and toners, reducing the printed sheets to their naked paper fibres.
PaperLab uses a dry process, so water consumption is minimal and the technology incidentally saves the trouble of shredding documents. There is a considerable carbon footprint attached to the shredding process, which generally involves secure and expensive transport to dedicated offsite shredding facilities. With the PaperLab, secure documents can be dealt with onsite with a managed process that is even more secure.
The recycled material is turned into new sheets of paper through the addition of a special binder and a little water. The binder adds strength and chemicals and can also colour the sheets or enhance their whiteness. The mix is pressed and calendared to produce new sheets, and can even be scented. PaperLab uses far less water than conventional papermaking and although it is initially intended for office environments, the technology can be scaled up.
Mr. Minoru Usui, Epson’s global president says that PaperLab will “…transform workplace behaviours and practices. PaperLab can recycle waste paper in the office using a dry process, therefore creating an office ‘eco-system’ that reduces CO2 emissions, increases savings on collection, disposal and logistics, ensures secure disposal of confidential documents and saves water, which is used in huge volumes in traditional recycling processes.”
It takes about three minutes for PaperLab to produce its first new sheet of paper once the machine is loaded with waste. When we first heard about the technology last year it was rated for 18 new A4 sheets per minute, but that figure is now 14, to produce 6,720 sheets per eight hour shift. The machine can also produce A3 sheets and in a variety of weights from office sheets to business card stock.
Epson reckon it will take a year or so to ready PaperLab for the commercial market, a market they estimate to be worth €2 billion. And that’s just in the office sector. The opportunities for Epson to deploy PaperLab in markets such as graphics where they have such broad expertise in substrates and inks, are surely vast.
Laurel Brunner
This article was produced by the Verdigris project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics,EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
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Green prizes are an excellent way to encourage improved environmental habits, but in the graphics business we aren’t exactly awash with them. That may be because sponsors find it hard to specify award winning criteria. Or it may be because not enough companies can be bothered to submit entries. Either way the upshot is that over the last couple of years some high profile environmental awards in the graphics industry have been quietly discontinued. Kodak is a notable exception with the Sonora Plate Green Leaf Awards, launched in 2014.
The Kodak awards recognise customers who can demonstrate exceptional progress in their efforts to cut the environmental impacts of their businesses. The awards are attract entries from all over the world and in 2016 year Kodak recognised eight printing companies from a range of sectors. These are all users of the Sonora processless printing plate, however the award is not based purely on use of Sonora. Instead it looks at a range of criteria including impact reduction initiatives and best practices. Huge CONGRATULATIONS to the 2016 winners! They are Reynolds and Reynolds (US), Informco (Canada), Groupe Estimprim (France), Royalpack (Poland), UVO communication (S. Africa), Ohshaika Printing (Japan), Kava Printing (China), and NPE Print Communications (Singapore).
These winners share some key characteristics in how they manage their operations. Most significantly, sound environmental practises are integrated into the businesses, with monitoring of water usage and energy, as well as working with their local communities to support sustainability principles. Being green is not mere lip service for these companies, so in judging for the Green Leaf Awards the use of environmentally desirable materials such as Sonora is only part of the evaluation criteria. And although the focus for Kodak’s Green Leaf Awards is currently Sonora, we would like to see the programme expanded. Perhaps the 2017 prizes could extend to the wider Kodak customer base to recognise how other technologies such as Flexcel or Nexpress have been used to reduce environmental impact.
It is worth remembering that the added benefit of environmental awards is that they give the industry something sustainable to shout about. The printing industry is regularly lambasted for its lack of sustainability credentials, and however unfair this may be it is a persistent charge. It’s useful and in the interests of the industry to be able to point to examples of how print is actually not so very bad. Processless plates, prepress automation and streamlined workflows, are all part of taking a more environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to media production. The more printers who can demonstrate the sustainability of print, the better.
Laurel Brunner
This article was produced by the Verdigris project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
Lees verder....
Green prizes are an excellent way to encourage improved environmental habits, but in the graphics business we aren’t exactly awash with them. That may be because sponsors find it hard to specify award winning criteria. Or it may be because not enough companies can be bothered to submit entries. Either way the upshot is that over the last couple of years some high profile environmental awards in the graphics industry have been quietly discontinued. Kodak is a notable exception with the Sonora Plate Green Leaf Awards, launched in 2014.
The Kodak awards recognise customers who can demonstrate exceptional progress in their efforts to cut the environmental impacts of their businesses. The awards are attract entries from all over the world and in 2016 year Kodak recognised eight printing companies from a range of sectors. These are all users of the Sonora processless printing plate, however the award is not based purely on use of Sonora. Instead it looks at a range of criteria including impact reduction initiatives and best practices. Huge CONGRATULATIONS to the 2016 winners! They are Reynolds and Reynolds (US), Informco (Canada), Groupe Estimprim (France), Royalpack (Poland), UVO communication (South Africa), Ohshaika Printing (Japan), Kava Printing (China), and NPE Print Communications (Singapore).
These winners share some key characteristics in how they manage their operations. Most significantly, sound environmental practises are integrated into the businesses, with monitoring of water usage and energy, as well as working with their local communities to support sustainability principles. Being green is not mere lip service for these companies, so in judging for the Green Leaf Awards the use of environmentally desirable materials such as Sonora is only part of the evaluation criteria. And although the focus for Kodak’s Green Leaf Awards is currently Sonora, we would like to see the programme expanded. Perhaps the 2017 prizes could extend to the wider Kodak customer base to recognise how other technologies such as Flexcel or Nexpress have been used to reduce environmental impact.
It is worth remembering that the added benefit of environmental awards is that they give the industry something sustainable to shout about. The printing industry is regularly lambasted for its lack of sustainability credentials, and however unfair this may be it is a persistent charge. It’s useful and in the interests of the industry to be able to point to examples of how print is actually not so very bad. Processless plates, prepress automation and streamlined workflows, are all part of taking a more environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to media production. The more printers who can demonstrate the sustainability of print, the better.
Laurel Brunner
This article was produced by the Verdigris project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
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There is much anticipation surrounding the new American president and the extent to which his actions match his rhetoric. One especially worrying set of decisions relate to the 45th president’s views on climate change in general and the Paris Climate Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) specifically.
As of December 2016 194 UNFCC member countries have signed this agreement which is now in effect. This comprehensive climate deal has several objectives which it hopes to achieve by 2020. The headline goal is to keep the rise in global average temperatures to less than 2° C above pre-industrial levels, ideally keeping the rise to no more than 1.5° C. The agreement also aims to help countries and regions adapt to climate change. This will be done by encouraging development that improves resilience to adverse climate conditions, alongside development that has low greenhouse gas emissions. Most crucial of all, and probably the reason that so many countries signed up to the deal, is to provide funding for development paths and technologies that cut greenhouse gas emissions and encourage low-carbon growth.
With a one time climate change denier heading for the Whitehouse, this could all come unravelled, so a large group of 630 companies and investors has sent a statement to the Washington wonks. The group has requested the new administration not to turn away from advancing the low carbon economy, and especially not to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The group includes major print buyers such as Unilever and IKEA as well as technologists such as HP and Sealed Air a manufacturer of packaging materials.
Industrial sectors take a wide range of positions when it comes to improving their carbon footprints. In the graphics industry we are faced with extremes, possibly as much as other sectors. On one hand we have the amazing sustainability of print media products, the fact that they have a one-off carbon footprint and that aspects of production with a potential environmental impact are carefully managed. On the other hand we have to accept that much of the environmental impact mitigation achieved in the printing industry has been achieved in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The environmental benefits of technological advances, say to reduce energy usage or the recycling of consumables such as printing plates, are driven not so much by environmental goals as the desire for a financial and competitive edge.
Without a clear commitment to the environment at the highest levels of government, environmental progress will stall and with it economic progress. The new administration in the US risks undermining the health of the country’s international reputation if it chooses to abandon existing low-carbon policies. Worse, a failure to invest in the domestic low-carbon economy or to work with partners overseas will create more uncertainty and undermine business confidence. Without US support for the Paris Climate Agreement that agreement is weakened and global warming will continue to increase. All of this is bad for the planet, and none of it will be good for the graphics industry.
Laurel Brunner
The Verdigris project is an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. It provides a weekly commentary to help printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
There is much anticipation surrounding the new American president and the extent to which his actions match his rhetoric. One especially worrying set of decisions relate to the 45th president’s views on climate change in general and the Paris Climate Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) specifically.
As of December 2016 194 UNFCC member countries have signed this agreement which is now in effect. This comprehensive climate deal has several objectives which it hopes to achieve by 2020. The headline goal is to keep the rise in global average temperatures to less than 2° C above pre-industrial levels, ideally keeping the rise to no more than 1.5° C. The agreement also aims to help countries and regions adapt to climate change. This will be done by encouraging development that improves resilience to adverse climate conditions, alongside development that has low greenhouse gas emissions. Most crucial of all, and probably the reason that so many countries signed up to the deal, is to provide funding for development paths and technologies that cut greenhouse gas emissions and encourage low-carbon growth.
With a one time climate change denier heading for the Whitehouse, this could all come unravelled, so a large group of 630 companies and investors has sent a statement to the Washington wonks. The group has requested the new administration not to turn away from advancing the low carbon economy, and especially not to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The group includes major print buyers such as Unilever and IKEA as well as technologists such as HP and Sealed Air a manufacturer of packaging materials.
Industrial sectors take a wide range of positions when it comes to improving their carbon footprints. In the graphics industry we are faced with extremes, possibly as much as other sectors. On one hand we have the amazing sustainability of print media products, the fact that they have a one-off carbon footprint and that aspects of production with a potential environmental impact are carefully managed. On the other hand we have to accept that much of the environmental impact mitigation achieved in the printing industry has been achieved in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The environmental benefits of technological advances, say to reduce energy usage or the recycling of consumables such as printing plates, are driven not so much by environmental goals as the desire for a financial and competitive edge.
Without a clear commitment to the environment at the highest levels of government, environmental progress will stall and with it economic progress. The new administration in the US risks undermining the health of the country’s international reputation if it chooses to abandon existing low-carbon policies. Worse, a failure to invest in the domestic low-carbon economy or to work with partners overseas will create more uncertainty and undermine business confidence. Without US support for the Paris Climate Agreement that agreement is weakened and global warming will continue to increase. All of this is bad for the planet, and none of it will be good for the graphics industry.
Laurel Brunner
The Verdigris project is an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. It provides a weekly commentary to help printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
That headline might suggest some major advance in printing methods, or perhaps some clever new substrates. But in fact the way packaging technology can reduce emissions is by taking a machete to waste volumes.
There is a lot that can be done in the supply chain to cut waste, and this is where packaging advances come into the picture. As much as 35% of food produced ends up being thrown away, either because it is too manky to offer for sale or because it has gone off while sitting on the shelf. According to the United Nations this amounts about 1.3 billion tonnes of food per year. Wasting food also wastes the resources used to produce it in the first place. Anything we can do to get more food to market and consumers in a fit state for use has to be a good thing. But it isn’t all we can do.
We can make much better use of the food we produce and do manage to get into the shops, especially in developed markets. For a start we can stop buying more food than we are likely to consume, so that we don’t let it rot in the fridge only to be thrown in the bin. Apart from being a waste of money, overbuying of foodstuffs encourages us to eat more than we need, so we get fat as well as being wasteful.
Time is a constant series of changing events so the graphics industry needs to keep up with advances in packaging and of how packaging is perceived. Contrary to popular opinion packaging is not necessarily a source of waste. The primary purpose of food packaging should be to protect and preserve foodstuffs, so that they last as long as possible. Shrink wrapping food prevents oxidation. Oxygen is a major cause of decay so if we can keep oxygen away from the food, it is likely to last longer. This applies to all types of foods from meat (which apparently gets tenderised as a result of being shrinked wrapped) and cheeses, through to vegetables packaged in individual portions. An increasing number of food retailers in developing markets rely on shrink wrapping to lengthen the selling window for perishable goods.
The process involves heat applied with a heat gun or more commonly in a heated chamber, to polyolefin. This polymer is extremely heat sensitive so there is no risk that the food it contains starts cooking. It can be applied in several layers which may or may not cross-link depending on the material. Either way the resulting package is robust, resistant to bugs and blocks exposure to oxygen, ensuring that foods is not contaminated.
With every tonne of food waste we produce, we increase the planet’s carbon footprint. Rather than seeing packaging as a source of waste, we should encourage people to recognise that it reduces waste and can ensure that more food reaches peoples’ plates. Something to chew on.
Laurel Brunner
The Verdigris project is an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. It provides a weekly commentary to help printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson,Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
With astonishing speed, Ricoh has gone from new entrant to market leader in many areas of the graphics business. It saw a three-fold increase in printing systems turnover between 2003 and 2013, and is the first digital press company to achieve certification to ISO 12647-2, the reference standard for colour quality. The company has however not forgotten its green committments or the People Planet Profit triple bottom line for social equity, economic and environmental factors. Ricoh has a goal for 2050 that 50% of all raw materials, used in its digital presses and associated materials, will be based on recyclates. In the UK, where one of Ricoh’s three Customer Experience Centres is located and where the company has extensive manufacturing and testing facilities, a new green consultancy service is on offer.
It is still early days but the consultancy is based on environmental impact mitigation steps Ricoh UK started taking a few years ago. Today the site is a zero waste-to-landfill site where carbon dioxide emissions are significantly down. Infrastructure accounts for 67% of the plant’s energy usage so this was the focus for the €100,000 investment which was paid back within seven months. Ricoh UK has installed high frequency lighting and uses LEDs instead of sodium lightbulbs. This has cut the lighting energy bill by some €30,000. A gas fired Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system heats water and work spaces and is helping to saved €0.5 million and over 4000 tonnes of CO2 per year. Recycling parts in its printers instead new manufacture has realised massive savings in parts costs and in Ricoh’s raw material usage.
Much of Ricoh’s Lean & Green offering is based on its Carbon Balanced Printing programme, however there is more to it. A ten step approach reengineers business processes and logistics for greater efficiency. This might be placing production machines in a more logical sequence, or storing substrates so that they are both convenient for deliveries and for use. This may all sound obvious but it is surprising how many companies fail to organise equipment and supplies logically. For organisations facing expansion, managing your space more effectively can make it easier to remain in existing premises rather than having to rent a larger facility. Based on Ricoh’s experience, around 30% more space can be gained with revamped lay outs and improved diagnostics. Another consideration is gaining an accurate idea of the overall capacity of a production plant. It’s often the case that machines can handle more work than they are getting, because the press is dictating processes, rather than processes driving the press capacity. Good process management can make an enormous difference and increase production volumes.
Laurel Brunner
The Verdigris project is an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. It provides a weekly commentary to help printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit,Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
Improving the green credentials of the graphics business can take many forms. Most motivations for doing so are economic rather than philanthropic, however the future of the printing and publishing industries depends on both social and economic improvements. Digital press and print consumables manufacturers such as Agfa, Fujifilm and Kodak have done much to improve print’s environmental economics, cutting their technologies’ power usage requirements for instance. These three have massively improved plate processing and associated chemistries and materials recyclability. They have reduced the use of VOCs, and improved production efficiency with clever software and artificial intelligence. But when it comes to social programmes, Kodak is leading the way.
Kodak’s Print for Good initiative was announced earlier this year to promote print and encourage its use, primarily through an ambitious literacy programme. Print for Good operates in the inner cities of Columbus, Georgia and Rochester, New York in the US and is being rolled out in Houston and San Antonio in Texas. The programme has three components: a children’s author willing to provide free content, a printer willing, with Kodak’s support, to print the books, and a distribution mechanism. This could be a publisher or a local community organisation or agency able to make the books available to children and young adults.
In the US, research has shown that two thirds of students who cannot read by the time they are nine years old will end up in prison. The same research found that over 60% of prison inmates in the US are functionally illiterate. American middle-class communities have around fifteen books per child, but in impoverished areas that number drops to about one book for every 300 children. Worldwide over 122 million young people, 60% of them women, are illiterate. Kodak’s Print for Good programme is about changing those downright shocking statistics, improving the Kodak brand and continuing in the company’s philanthropic tradition.
Print for Good provides books to young people to encourage them to read and engage with print. This is not only socially desirable, but it also encourages a future for print. The Print for Good programme also provides other geographies with a template that can be applied locally to help mitigate literacy problems. Kodak is supporting Print for Good with materials such as plates, and logistic support to help get the programme up and running. Printers are donating their presstime and paper costs. Publishers and community organisations are providing distribution mechanisms. Everyone is donating their administrative and project management support, which can carry a heavy overhead as no two situations are the same. Kodak is working on procedures that should help accelerate uptake and we are doing our best to spread the word. If you would like to participate in this programme, as an author, printer or publisher, please get in touch!
Laurel Brunner
The Verdigris project is an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. It provides a weekly commentary to help printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Epson, Fespa, HP, Kodak, Kornit,Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
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