Ink-xactly

What exactly?

Indeed, even the humblest sounding and appearing, ink is certainly worth a conversation. Bad inks could play the spoilsport apart from being harmful to our dear mother earth. Essentially, inks are composed of pigments for the required colour. However, there are other elements that are mixed with it. There is a binder to merge the ink with the substrate, solvent to dissolve the ink and special additives to tackle drying and cracking problems.

Now figuratively, the ‘red ink’ that underlines all of these are the carcinogenic VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These are released by various solvents during printing. This is where alternative inks come into play, like water-based or UV-treated varieties that remove the need for these deadly solvents. This clearly means less toxic printing and lower carbon emissions that we strongly advocate.

Conventionally, binders for the manufacture of inks were petroleum-based. Nevertheless, in the wake of sustainable practises alternatives such as soy, castor, tung, canola and safflower oil, to name a few have been put into use. Hitherto, to speak the truth, these new binders also derive from carbon-intensive monocropping operations. For instance, even though an ink utilises a soy-based binder, it will still have pigments, solvents and various other not-so-friendly additives.

A lesser Evil

Alternative inks can lower the carbon footprint linked to raw materials, reduce toxicity concerns during printing and also improve the recyclability of paper while de-inking is done. Printing with alternative inks increases the chance of recyclability, biodegradability and compostability.

Ifs & Buts

Due to the complicated and often misconstrued information on ink components, the chances of greenwashing are very high. Often termed as soy-based, some inks have negligible soy elements. Moreover, most vendors do not list such inks as they are not cost-effective and the market is slightly hesitant on upgrading. Be well-informed of what you are seeking and getting.

Getting Into The Roots

Did you know that wood certifications actually help in saving forests from being deforested? Therefore, there are several certifications that identify the different types of wood pulp used and qualify them as wood sourced from responsibly-managed forests. Such certified wood certifications are devised to ensure an environmentally-friendly, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management and its by-products. 

Globally recognised certification associations include Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Here’s a tad more info on them.

The FSC label sees to it that tree plantations conform to local laws, operate the land keeping sustainability in mind, and safeguards the rights of its local people. There are three levels within the FSC label itself:

• FSC 100%: It indicates that all of the pulp in the paper has been sourced from FSC certified forests.
• FSC Mix: This signifies that the pulp is a combination of FSC certified forests, recycled pulp and controlled wood. Alternatively, this level could also refer to wood from ethical sources that partially meet FSC certifications.
• FSC Recycled: This certification denotes that the material has been sourced from reclaimed materials.

Any Day Better

The FSC serves as a vital organisation and is a universally acknowledged environmental partner and watchdog in the realm of the paper and its by-product industry. FSC is the undisputed authority with uncompromised standards and high industry acceptance. Many companies often do ask for FSC certified products.

Pitfalls Remain

Honestly, not all responsibly-managed forests are FSC-certified. If you are optimising for local production to reduce transportation emissions, FSC-certified paper may not always be available. The easier alternative to reduce the net carbon footprint is to use locally-sourced recycled paper.

Also,  beware.. Instances of using the FSC logo without actually following the FSC principles are being widely reported these days. So, a double check is advised. The FSC mark may not be a top priority for some companies if other certifications or properties are more viable.

The Claim to (Environmental-Friendly) Fame

This is the simplest to define but the hardest to adhere to. Today, plastic is the most used material in the world and has been dominating the packaging industry hands down. In general, plastic production takes crude oil and polymerizes it into the various chemical structures that are commonly known as plastics. On the other hand, Plastic-free manufacturing  does not contain any form of petroleum-based plastics. Going plastic-free means straightaway negating the lasting and alarming footprint of packaging materials.

Try Not to Hit the Rock Bottom

Be cautioned! Plastics do not biodegrade. They can remain in the ocean for hundreds of years, and smaller particles even longer. Worldwide, only 14 per cent of plastic is gathered for recycling. Chances are high that in the next two-three decades, there will be more plastics (in terms on weight) in the ocean than fishes. That’s why plastic-free!

If You Still Insist

Well if you do, this is the ‘safe-ing’ grace. Plastic packaging is surely low weight and thus incurs a low carbon footprint in transit. If global warming is a concern, flexible plastic packaging leads to lower impacts as an option.

Peddle the Recycle

Isn’t that a buzzword these days? But don’t take it for a fad only. Seriously, genuine recycling is the need of the hour. To tell you more, recycling in this industry refers to the process of reusing recovered waste to produce new packaging materials and supplies. According to generic data, recycled packaging contains 50% recycled fibres for corrugated sheets and paper. As for plastic packaging, at least 20% is recycled content. Corrugated packaging materials, cardboard and paper are regularly prepared with a combination of recycled and virgin fibres. It is because paper fibres reduce and degrade in quality during the recycling process. Likewise, packaging made of plastic can be made with a blend of recycled and virgin resins.

Recycling Must Go On…

Be it paper or plastic, one can opt for recycled content to lessen their dependency and impact on virgin materials. As for recycled paper or corrugated packaging materials, compared to plastic, recycled paper is far more easier to source.

No Other Way Out. Recycled materials can sometimes defer you from attaining the desired colour, texture or structure. So, when you can’t obtain what you want, then perhaps give in to perfection over planet earth. Recycled resins can liquefy at diverse temperatures than virgin resins and do tend to discolour. Often, they do perform contrarily from virgin resins during the plastic manufacturing process. 

Even recycled papers or corrugated sheets can give inconsistent colour or texture. This excludes accomplished manufacturers who have in-house quality check parameters for testing and delivering consistent quality. 

Let’s Understand

While there is no global regulation to define the term ‘renewable’, common parlance projects it as anything being sourced from material streams that regenerate consistently on a human time scale or those that can be sustainably managed. Trees, crops and other beings that source their energy from the sun are considered renewable. In the same manner, paper pulps are also considered renewable. To put it simply, since oil reserves take millions of years to form, plastics derived from petroleum are thus NOT considered renewable.

Champion It Because…

By preferring renewable resources, you could sustain the source of the materials for aeons. If you have a heart for mother earth, by choosing renewable resources you are in fact avoiding depletion of limited resources. This could stop robbing the human race of essential materials.

Exceptions For ‘Excellence’

Some properties of certain non-renewable resources denote a lower carbon footprint than renewable resources. It is then advised to opt for these options if the material properties are better for their quality and the company’s need. Nothing is to be followed blindly, everything is case to case, so always choose wisely and also precisely.