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The Next Step in Sustainable Packaging: Natural-Based Inks

April 22, 2019 Shane Bertsch
 

Naturally Clean

Beyond reducing regulatory risk, natural-based inks represent another aspect of sustainability: clean packaging, which is the principle of simplifying materials and chemistries for safer, more sustainable packaging. Clean packaging builds trust with consumers who are starting to demand more and more transparency from companies about what chemicals are going into their products and how they’re being made. 

According to a HAVI survey, 70 percent of consumers see clean packaging as equally or more important than clean food. The same survey found that consumers tend to associate clean packaging with “free from chemicals.” 

Product stewardship is critical to brands that are pursuing clean food and clean packaging because it enables a full understanding of the chemistries they’re using, backed by scientific data. They can use that data to make strategic business decisions about the health and environmental impact of their products, and to achieve their sustainability goals. 

Green Ink

The deliberate use of natural-based inks also allows companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. Using sustainable materials such as those found in natural-based inks help reduce a company’s ink-related CO2 footprint by 20 percent to 30 percent compared to standard aqueous inks*. Natural-based inks have already replaced over 2 million pounds of petro-based chemicals, waxes and additives annually. This equates to 5.6 million pounds of CO2 or the equivalent of 15.28 coal railcars. 
 

Sustainable Packaging? Think Ink

As brands look to the next phase in sustainable packaging – driven by increased consumer demands for transparency and environmentally safe materials — natural-based inks offer a way for companies to reduce regulatory risks, build trust with consumers and tell a stronger sustainability story.