Koenig & Bauer Durst has announced on 19 November 2020 that its food safety water-based printing inks have successfully achieved UL ECOLOGO Certification, demonstrating third-party validation of the products’ sustainability performance.
According to the company, the Durst WT food MP ink and the Durst WT food MP ink product lines meet rigorous lifecycle-based environmental performance criteria as defined in UL’s stringent ECOLOGO Standard (2801 – 2012 Standard for Sustainability for Printing Inks). Black, cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, and yellow inks have all been assessed and include no hazardous components defined by the ECOLOGO Standard.
The products achieved UL ECOLOGO Certification following the evaluation of multiple criteria throughout a product’s life, including energy use, waste disposal, and toxic reductions, among other areas. Using proprietary water-based ink technology, the inks are designed with core technologies to provide automated, productive, food-safe printing systems, it said.
The inks are used in Koenig & Bauer Durst’s Delta SPC Flexline Automatic 130 press. The WT food MP ink was designed for fast print processes on corrugated materials and is used for the single-pass print line. It can be used to realize high quality, odorless, abrasion-resistant, glossy, and light-fast corrugated products that precisely meet the requirements of the packaging industry. The WT food MP ink is used in multi-pass printing works to advance global sustainability, environmental health, and safety by supporting the growth and development of environmentally preferable products, services, and organizations.
Robert Stabler, managing director, Koenig & Bauer Durst, said, “We have always been focused on offering safe and sustainable solutions for our customers, particularly as food safety, sustainability and packaging are constant topics of conversations for converters and brand owners. Our water-based inks ensure food safety compliance for primary packaging. ECOLOGO Certification provides third-party verification that our products are manufactured in a way that minimize environmental impact.”
Stefan Kapaun, a member of Durst Group’s executive team who heads the ink business for all segments as executive vice president Inks and Fluids, said, “The assessment involved months of rigorous discussions and formulation assessments. We’re extremely proud to have earned the ECOLOGO Certificate for our Durst WT Food SP and Food MP ink product lines.”
Alberto Uggetti, vice president and general manager of UL’s environment and sustainability division, said, “By earning ECOLOGO Certification, Koenig & Bauer Durst has shown its dedication to a more sustainable way of doing business. Its accomplishment demonstrates industry leadership.”
Koenig & Bauer Durst is a young company in the digital printing systems market. The two-parent companies Koenig & Bauer and Durst Phototechnik hold 50% of the shares in the joint venture founded in 2019. The company develops, manufactures, and markets single-pass digital printing presses for folding box and corrugated board production. It brings together the technological focus and market expertise of the two parent companies – both in the development of digital printing systems and in mechanical and plant engineering.
