Réduire, Réutilisation, Recycler: Le voyage vers des plastiques durables grâce à l’innovation des encres
La quête de plastiques durables est à l’avant-garde de nos défis environnementaux. Alors que les plastiques offrent de la polyvalence, durabilité, et commodité au quotidien, leur recyclabilité est devenue une préoccupation croissante pour toute une génération. Même si nous sommes loin d’un système circulaire, la question de la pollution plastique a accéléré la dynamique d’innovation, solutions durables, notamment dans le secteur de l'emballage.
Zeller Gmelin, manufacturer of high-quality inks and coatings, developed our EarthPrint™ inks product line as a resolution to plastic recyclability in rigid plastics and more. Dans ce blog, we delve into the plastics recycling process, how ink can impact sustainability, and how printers, brands, and consumers can work together for increased circularity.
Le Stain in Sustainable Plastics
Many of the plastic products we use every day can be recycled to create new items. So why isn’t all plastic material recycled? It is because there’s a stain in the sustainable plastics process that Zeller+Gmelin is determined to fix.
The Recycling Process
D'abord, let’s understand the plastic recycling process. Collected from households and businesses, recycled plastics are taken to waste facilities to be sorted. The plastics are separated based on their type and resin identification code, typically found on the bottom of plastic containers. These codes determine how each plastic is processed and what it can be recycled into. To learn more about resin identification codes and how to recycle each type of plastic, view our printable infographic!
After sorting, the plastics are cleaned to remove all contaminates such as inks, adhésifs, food, residue, and/or other debris. This step is crucial to ensure the quality and re-usability of recycled plastics. After washing, the cleaned plastics are shredded into smaller pieces or flakes for a more straightforward melting process. After melting, the plastics are forced through a die to create uniform pellets for sale and use in new plastic products.
The Recycling Problem
The most common plastics recycled are polyethylene terephthalate (ANIMAL DE COMPAGNIE), commonly seen as clear water bottles, and high-density polyethylene (PEHD), like milk cartons and shampoo bottles. Clear and white plastics are the most preferred when creating products from recycled materials since they can easily be altered to a variety of colors. pourtant, this versatility comes with more risks.
With recycled plastics, if the ink is left on the recycled material after the washing process, it will mix with the added raw materials and leave behind a dull or off-white product. This is a common occurrence and often leads to more raw materials being added for clarity or vibrancy, or worse, brands foregoing sustainable plastics altogether. Ensuring inks completely wash off is vital to a more sustainable plastics process.
Réduire, Réutilisation, Recycle with EarthPrint
Chez Zeller+Gmelin, we formulated EarthPrint™ printing inks for high recyclability, while maintaining advanced adhesion and pigment strength. This allows the ink to remain water and scratch resistant, yet fully wash off in a caustic soda wash without impacting the color of the recycled materials. Like most rigid plastics, such as HDPE, PP, etc., recyclability relies on being contaminate-free and “clean”. With EarthPrint™ inks, plastics are left more transparent, whiter, and brighter once washed, so they can be easily recycled into new products that require less raw materials.
EarthPrint™ is focused on the three principles of a circular economy: Réduire, Réutilisation, and Recycle.
REDUCE. EarthPrint™ inks reduce the amount of virgin plastics used to achieve a brilliant white or clear color in new products. It can also reduce ink consumption for thicker flood coats attempting to cover the off-color of the plastic.
REUSE. With EarthPrint™, the result is clearer, whiter sustainable plastics, allowing more recycled materials to be reused in the plastic recycling process.
RECYCLE. By reducing raw materials and reusing more recycled plastics, more packaging can use recycled materials and more plastics can be recycled. Printers can take advantage of EarthPrint inks to offer a sustainable solution in their plastic printed product offerings.
View The Understanding EarthPrint Dry Offset Inks (INFOGRAPHIQUE)
As the packaging industry continues to innovate eco-friendly solutions, recyclability should be considered every step of the way. From label design to colored plastics to printing inks, all packaging decisions make an impact on the recycling processes and throughout the product’s life cycle. Choose EarthPrint™ as your eco-friendly ink solution to close the loop on sustainable plastics. Contact a Zeller+Gmelin Ink Specialist to discuss if EarthPrint is the right solution for your print applications.