Kristiane Wagner [10]
Project Manager Sustainability and Packaging, Der Grüne Punkt - Duales System Deutschland GmbH
Location: Köln, NRW, Deutschland
Role: Recycler
Major Category:
Material health
For a best-practice case study I am searching for “green” inks, laquers, varnishes that meet (to the greatest extent possible) cradle to cradle criteria. They should have a profen “green” eco-toxicological profile, be free of toxic heavy metals and organic halogen.
Application: printing of PP cup for joghurt and printing of aluminium lid.
Does anyone could give me advice where to start looking? Or investigates in the same direction? Or even has to offer a solution?
Thank you very much!
Kristiane Wagner
Hey Kristiane, I don't know of any cradle to cradle inks. However, there is a printing press in Venlo that supposedly very green, it's called Knoops. Here is the website:
http://www.drukkerijknoops.nl/index.php [11]
It's in Dutch so I don't know how much that's going to help you, but you might be able to find some contact information on there and then ask them about their inks. Venlo is trying to implement c2c in any way that they can so I think it would be a good place to start looking.
I hope this helps.
Viel Glueck!
Google has the capability to translate the web pages.
During Graph Expo 2008 I met up with Toyo Ink [12] global providers of eco-friendly vegetable oil-based, solvent-free, renewable resource-based inks. Their toll free number is 1.866.969.8696.
Knowing what your application is Kristiane facilitated today's discussion with Toyo Ink specialists. Not only are their inks vegetable based some are soy based.
So to answer your question, the inks used to print on plastics would be the TSP and TSG series inks. Toyo Ink can also print on aluminum. The team of specialists I spoke with are extremely customer focused so I would encourage you to open a dialogue with them directly.
I recommend http://www.toyoink.com/ also. I heard it from a friend. - Harv Ecker [13]
Dean, thanks for this information. I will contact Toyo asap.
Hello Kristiane
In my own research I have found that linseed oil based inks have lower toxicity than soy based inks due to the additional polymers needed to bring the soy oil to the right viscosity vs linseed oil. Not sure if you are getting recipe data from the ink providers (they are usally pretty skiddish about giving the keys to the kindgom out to the public beyond VOC PPM).
Regarding coatings, our general rule is aqueous when possible over UV. Of course, a majority of our work in on fiber based substrates vs Al and PP.
Please if you don't mind use this string to summarize your findings. I think we are all curious as to what you find.
Regards
Sean
Kristiane Wagner,
I am sending you a contact of mine who is very knowlegable in this area. He knows you are intersted and is waiting for you to contact him directly. Thanks, Cynthia
John D Serafano
Marketing Manager
Phone: 1-734-324-6056
Mobile: 1-734-624-8194
E-Mail: john.serafano@basf.com
Postal Address:
BASF Corporation
1609 Biddle Avenue
Wyandotte, MI 48192
USA
For many years offset packaging inks have been with vegetable oils such as Linseed oil, Tung oil and resins which use Rosin, a bio renewable material. Recently Hexion Specialty Chemicals has introduced a very high bio renewable rosin based resin system without any phenol content. This is a big advancement in all around green chemistry for inks. Eco-Rez™ and Eco-Set™ resins and varnishes are available for packaging sheetfed ink makers. By using these raw materials in offset ink making the inks are greener and more bio renewable.