The physical print industry continues to grow and change every year, but there is one key change that has affected print companies across the world. Everyone from small business owners to multi-national corporations are recognising the importance of taking responsibility of their impact on the environment and considering how they can make their business practices more environmentally friendly. Ink is a key area for environmental impact, and the rise in ‘green inks’ is a huge leap forward for printing and there are quite a few options in this department from soy ink, algae ink, water-based inks, vegan inks and even vegetable inks.
Why is traditional ink an issue?
Traditional inks with a plastic or petroleum bases usually contain harmful chemicals and materials that have a toxic impact on the environment. In addition to the toxicity of the actual ink, the ink cartridges that are sometimes used create a waste issue too. In the UK alone, 45million non-biodegradable cartridges are disposed of every year. This all leads to a rise in pollution and is incredibly damaging to the environment.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are carbon excluding compounds that evaporate at basic indoor temperatures and essential leaks harmful gasses into the atmosphere which contributes towards global warming. As traditional inks made from petroleum and plastic dry, the release VOCs into the atmosphere, and more VOCs are released during different processes in the process of printing such as washing down presses between runs. However, there is a solution to these issues in the form of green inks made from a variety of alternative materials of which we expand upon below.
Soy Ink
This type of ink is made from soybeans as opposed to petroleum or plastic, while still being available in a wide range of colours and shades. Not only is this a far more sustainable type of ink, but it also boosts the recyclability of the paper that it is used on.
Algae Ink
The pigment inside this ink is created from algae instead of petroleum, which is most commonly used, to create the black ink pigment. It then uses a water-based carrier to transfer the pigment onto the material it’s printing on thus creating a more environmentally friendly black ink without the need for any non-renewable resources.
Vegetable Inks
Made from Flaxseed, castor, corn oil or one of many other vegetable oils, vegetable ink is a very viable option for those looking for a greener approach to printing. The most common options for this ink is Flaxseed or the aforementioned soybeans. Again, the difference with this ink compared to traditional compound ink is the absence of plastic or petroleum, making vegetable ink much kinder to the environment.
Vegan Inks
If you sell a vegan product, or simply want to increase your organisation’s consideration of the environment. Traditional ink made with petroleum or plastic will often contain some animal by-products such as glycerine or gelatine from hooves. Of course, this deems traditional ink as far from vegan-friendly, which is something that green inks such as vegetable ink and soy ink combat with their alternative options for the consumer that wants to consume and purchase products that are vegan-friendly.
Water Based Inks
Water-based inks strive to reduce the number of harmful solvents that are included in the ink, and while it greatly reduces the VOCs we mentioned earlier, there are still some present in a water-based ink. Water-based ink may be the main solvent in the ink, however there is a small amount of ‘co-solvent’ that may be in the form of petroleum or plastic bases, but this is still a fraction of the amount that would be found in a paint that uses these solvents as its lone carrier.
Green Ink with Paper and Labels
The ink is only as green as the paper it’s printed on, so if you’re going to make the effort to ensure your print products use environmentally friendly inks, you’re going to want to ensure that the labels and paper follow suit.
Utilising label products that are biodegradable, sustainable, recyclable and ultimately eco-friendly should be the benchmark for companies moving forward, and with the amount of choice and versatility in the eco-label industry, there is very little to lose by making the move from traditional materials that are no longer viable in an increasingly environmentally-aware world.