GERMANY – Global providers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels, Siegwerk has introduced an improved deinking, especially for rigid plastic packaging which substantially aids industrial mechanical recycling.
The move aims to improve packaging recyclability and foster circularity and sustainability with its UV- and water-based deinking primers.
The new deinking primer is suitable for pressure-sensitive and wrap-around labels, and shrink sleeves made of Polyolefin- and Polyester-based materials.
This development closes a gap as it now allows an inline printing of deinkable materials in a 100% UV- Flexo press setup.
The ecologically conscious customer of today demands higher levels of recyclable plastic packaging that is not thrown away into downcycling streams.
This sustainability-conscious demand has driven brand owners to rethink their packaging to switch to 100% recyclable packaging in the near future.
“Achieving this 100% packaging circularity requires a sufficient and consistent quality of recyclates,” explains Ralf Leineweber, Head of Global Technology Development at Siegwerk.
In mechanical recycling, deinking of printed packaging material is one – if not the most – viable technology to meet this requirement.
Only deinking can bring clean and clear recyclates with a suitable quality back into the packaging stream to consequently reduce the need for more virgin plastic material.
“That’s why we are committed to supporting customers with innovative solutions facilitating deinking and thus contribute to establishing deinking as industry-standard, further improving packaging recyclability and circularity,” adds Guido Lander, Vice President Narrow Web EMEA at Siegwerk.
Siegwerk’s deinking primers enable a smooth and reliable deinking at any hot washing condition currently used in the recycling industry.
They are compliant with different film materials like cPET, PE, or PP and do not require the use of a dedicated ink series to keep complexity for users rather low.
Besides, any printing process can be used in combination with its deinking primer portfolio – from flexo, offset, and screen printing to foiling, metallic and other decorative embellishments.
With the UV-curing deinking primer, the company offers a solution for converters who are using a pure UV flexo press and are not able to process a water-based primer.
Meanwhile, Siegwerk also offers its customers technical services along the value chain to support an optimized and consistent deinking process.
The company also provides optimized deinking chemistry based on systematic development to ensure fast deinking.
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