DuPontADVANCING SUSTAINABILITY

Advancing Sustainability

PACKAGE PRINTING:

MEETING CONSUMER’S SUSTAINABILITY NEEDS

The quality improvements and continuous innovations in fl exographic printing - primarily in package printing - has slowed rotogravure growth, leading to an increasing over-lap between the fl exography and rotogravure markets.

Flexography’s evolution from a “craft printing technol-ogy” in the early 1970s through multiple innovations has been particularly remarkable considering the gen-esis of aniline printing - the ancient fl exo - and the se-vere constraints in the small fl exo community.

• Package Printing: meeting the consumer’s

sustainability needs

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for fl exographic

and rotogravure printing

• Rotogravure

• Flexography

• LCA fi ndings

• Sourcing Responsibly

Content

Modern Flexographic printing press

A culmination of almost four decades of concerted efforts by OEMs and passionate industry experts steered this technology towards a very respectful market position. This feat has consecutively creat-ed an atmosphere of optimism and lately many are coming to believe that fl exography may be the more sustainable choice when compared to other printing processes.

New environmental regulations and public pressure are demanding new standards which inevitably create new business conditions where consumers and com-munities are paying attention to the messages and to the actions of companies. Highly functional and eco-smart solutions will therefore drive product differentia-tion and give businesses the opportunity to compete on different sets of criteria.

In the printing and packaging industries, for example, there are a number of ways to provide printed pack-ages that reduce, or enable recycling or re-use of sub-strates or inks. These efforts and developments are very much in support of sustainability and should be applauded. “However, if we examine the trends across the printing supply chain: from material suppliers to re-tailers and how each one is addressing the sustainabili-ty issue from their own perspective, we will note there is a growing interest amongst the leading companies in evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and energy reductions across the entire supply chain. These inter-ests are more and more focusing on package printing or pre-press activities.

Retailers and brand owners that want to appreciate how the printing of their package could meet their cus-tomer’s sustainability needs are beginning to evaluate and capitalize on the future outlook for printing in a sustainable environment to expand it and make it work for their business.

Syntheticgases

Methane(CH4)

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Nitrousoxide(N2O)

GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG): The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) and the Kyoto Protocol defi ne the main greenhouse gases

Advancing Sustainability

Many retailers and brand owners are seriously address-ing environmental issues and all the debates go well beyond questions like, “Is sustainability desirable?” or “Does it pay to be green?” The question now is “what do we exactly need to know about package printing and what should each participant in the value chain do about it?”

Some top corporations are setting their own sustain-ability position and goals and the next inevitable step for industry leaders is to infl uence others. In package printing, the desire is to set new standards, collabo-rate with other OEMs and work with associations and educational institutions to further defi ne sustainability, innovate and solve specifi c package printing issues.

Reducing

Greenhouse

Gases

Reducing

Non-renewable

Energy Consumption

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LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) FOR FLEXOGRAPHIC

AND ROTOGRAVURE PRINTING

DuPont Packaging Graphics sponsored a third party comparative LCA for fl exographic and rotogravure printing in order to quantify the environmental perfor-mance of the two alternatives.

A straight LCA comparison of rotogravure cylinders and mounted fl exographic plates cannot be performed because they are not functionally equivalent. Mounted fl exographic plates are not able to be used on a roto-gravure press, and vice-versa.

The differences in the imaged and prepared printing surfaces are the source of the differences in printing. The fi rst functionally equivalent unit where a compari-son can be made between the two printing processes is at the area of printed substrates.

The study investigated the cradle-to-gate environmen-tal footprint of fl exo versus gravure until the fi nal print-ed fi lm at the end of press and the functional unit of comparison utilized is area of fi nal printed fi lm.

Preliminary results of this study were presented at Drupa 2008 in Düsseldorf and, although this is a lim-ited study, a critical review panel agrees that the meth-odologies employed allows us to view the fi ndings as indicative of fl exographic and rotogravure printing, in general.

Results from the LCA provided data regarding the con-sumption of non-renewable energy and the emission of greenhouse gasses (GHG’s), two key measures in assessing the environmental impact of a product or process.

In a life cycle assessment (LCA) the environmental performance of products and services is analyzed through all phases of their life.

Advancing Sustainability

ROTOGRAVURE

Rotogravure is a type of intaglio printing process that involves engraving the image onto a printing form (im-age carrier). In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a copper cylinder because the printing press is rotary. Rotary gravure presses are the widest presses in operation, printing everything from narrow labels to 12-foot-wide rolls of vinyl fl ooring. In packaging, the ro-togravure process today is used for printing of folding cartons, fl exible packaging made from paper, fi lm, foils, laminated wrappers, aluminum foil and labels.

The major steps considered by the LCA study of this printing process are:

• Refacing of the printing form: copper-clad cylinders (versus plates in fl exographic printing)

• Print form imaging• Substrates & inks and other solvents• Printing

In this cradle-to gate analysis, the environmental im-pact of re-facing and imaging of both virgin and used print forms is included. Lamination (conversion to the fi nal package), fi lling, product distribution, consump-tion, package reuse and package disposal phases are not taken into account.

The gravure cylinders are considered a part of the plant site and therefore, the production of the print cylinders is not included in the study.

FLEXOGRAPHY

Flexography is a form of rotary web letterpress, com-bining features of both letterpress and rotogravure printing, using relief plates comprised of fl exible rub-ber or photopolymer plates and fast drying, low viscos-ity solvent, water-based or UV curable inks fed from an “anilox” or two roller inking system.

The fl exible (rubber or photopolymer) plates are mounted onto the printing cylinder with double-faced adhesive. Plates are sometimes backed with thin met-al sheets and attached to the cylinder with fastening straps for close register or ink alignment. This adds ad-ditional cost to the plate and requires more makeready time, but when quality printing is critical this type of plate can make the difference.

In the typical fl exo printing sequence, the substrate is fed into the press from a roll. The image is printed as substrate is pulled through.

As with Gravure and Lithographic printing, the various tones and shading are achieved by overlaying the 4 basic shades of ink and/or spot colors.

The process of printing each color on a fl exo press consists of a series of four rollers:

• Ink Roller• Meter Roller• Plate Cylinder• Impression Cylinder

The fi rst roller transfers the ink from an ink pan to the meter roller or Anilox Roll, which is the second roller. The Anilox roller meters the ink to a uniform thickness onto the plate cylinder. The substrate then moves be-tween the plate cylinder and the impression cylinder, which is the fourth roller.

The impression cylinder applies pressure to the plate cylinder, thereby transferring the image onto the substrate. The web, which by now has been printed, is fed into the overhead dryer so the ink is dry before it goes to the next print unit. The fi nished product is then rewound onto a roll or is fed through the cutter.

Advancing Sustainability

LCA FINDINGS

To illustrate the inherent technology differences be-tween fl exographic and rotogravure printing, aligned models were developed based on printers only using plastic substrates (95% or more of their production).

After alignment, the Life Cycle Assessment fi ndings show that fl exographic printing reduces non-renew-able energy consumption and greenhouse gases by 50%, on average, when compared to gravure printing.

The average overall fl exography GHG emissions im-pact is 51% lower and the non-renewable energy use is 48% lower than the rotogravure impact.

There are differences in the printing processes that lead to the higher energy, ink, and solvent use in the ro-togravure process compared to fl exographic printing.

In general, gravure printers have a higher scrap per-

centage than fl exographic printers due to the more complex printing procedure in rotogravure.

Rotogravure printing also requires increased electric-ity most especially for drying than a comparable fl exo-graphic printing press.

The increased air for drying also leads to higher fuel use in the thermal oxidizers for rotogravure.

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Estimated Savings: Flexography

Scenario: 1 Million m2 Printed Substrate from

Gravure to Flexographic Printing

• Non-renewable energy savings equivalent

to 102,400 liters of gasoline

• Greenhouse gas emissions savings equivalent

to taking 69 average European passengers cars

off the road for one year

Data Source: European Automobile Manufacturers Association

Industry report September 2008 Based on DuPont Life Cycle Assessment

Estimated Savings: Flexography

Scenario: 1 Million m2 Printed Substrate from

Gravure to Flexographic Printing

• Non-renewable energy savings equivalent

to 102,400 liters of gasoline

• Greenhouse gas emissions savings equivalent

to taking 69 average European passengers cars

off the road for one year

Data Source: European Automobile Manufacturers Association

Industry report September 2008 Based on DuPont Life Cycle Assessment

Advancing Sustainability

SOURCING RESPONSIBLY

Recognizing that the Earth’s resources are limited and that conservation and innovation are both nec-essary, many people and organizations with diverse views are coming together to work on issues of com-mon interest.

Retailers and brand owners concerned for the global environmental and sustainability impacts of their sup-ply chain activities seek to mitigate risk and improve performance through sound sourcing decisions. They are reviewing their procurement processes, to under-stand how to embed sustainable procurement into their supply chain process. In addition, they also rec-ognize the importance of working in collaboration with their suppliers and customers to deliver a responsible procurement strategy. Lately, many have been actively

encouraging their suppliers to pursue good environ-mental practice and have implemented strict materi-als strategies. All this involves encouraging the use of sustainable supplies and materials from recognized certifi ed sources to ensure that their suppliers under-stand and deliver to their objectives.

Following a global survey in May of this year, The World Resources Institute (WRI) has concluded that there is a growing business interest in accounting for the “cradle-to-gate (supply chain)” and/or “cradle-to-grave (life cycle)” emissions of the products compa-nies manufacture or sell.

Driven by fi ndings like these, the WRI has engaged partners across the globe to collect additional up-to-date information – specifi cally focused on GHG accounting.

The WRI (along with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) and a group of stakehold-ers are planning a new globally recognized standard for products and supply chain GHG accounting and report-ing. At their kick-off meeting, they will review a series of case studies, including those provided by DuPont and Packaging Graphics, to understand current GHG accounting efforts. Due to the sense of urgency sur-rounding this topic, the WRI has committed to setting this new standard in a record two years, versus the typ-ical 4 - 5 years timeframe. (To learn more about these efforts visit: http://www.ghgprotocol.org/about-ghgp)

Sourcing

Responsibly

Retailers and brand owners should seriously consider embracing fl exography to responsibly respond to the environmental portion of their responsible sourcing objective. This may include working with both their upstream and downstream customers to form sus-tainable supply chains, and staying on top of the latest material and printing process innovations.

A sustainably printed package has to provide tangible benefi ts to the various “players” in the value chain as well as to the end consumer; and it is worth bearing in mind that sustainability implies sound economic return together with the respect of environmental quality, each reinforcing the other.

The DuPont Oval, DuPontTM, The miracle of scienceTM, Cyrel® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affi liates. (4/2008)

The information used to prepare this educational material was collected from a number of sources in the public domain which the author believes to be reliable. Some of its content may be proprietary and belong to DuPont or its licensors. The material shall not be used for any purposes other than those for which it has been compiled and made available to you by DuPont. Whilst every care has been taken by DuPont in compiling this educational material, DuPont excludes any liability whatsoever for any loss or any damage (including without limitation to direct or indirect losses and any loss of profi t, data or economic loss) caused to any person or for any damage, cost, claim or expense arising from any reliance on this information or any of its content. The information in this educational material does not constitute or form part of any offer, invitation to sell, offer to subscribe for or to purchase any shares or other securities and must not be relied upon in connection with any contract relating to any such matter.

ABOUT THE AUTHORPier Luigi Sassanelli is Europe MEA marketing manager for DuPont Packaging Graphics. Additional information and resources pertaining to sustainable packaging can be found at www.cyrel.eu or feel free to contactPier Luigi Sassanelli directly at pier-luigi.sassanelli@dupont.com

Copyright© 2008, Du Pont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH

Published in 2008 by: Marketing Department DuPont Packaging Graphics Europe MEA

Printed in Europe All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Du Pont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH.

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