Misinformation in the market
By Robert Stabler, Managing Director, Koenig & Bauer Durst
Ink safety, security and standards – why they are so important!
On such an important topic as ink safety, security and recyclability, it is essential that all industry stakeholders – including our direct competitors – use facts and proof-points as the basis for their value proposition.
Sometimes this has not been the case. We know from first-hand experience that misinformation has been spread in the market, including about our own products and inks.
This can undermine confidence and the proactive work already undertaken by so many industry bodies, some of which we work with closely.
The reality is that inks have the potential to create ingredients and biocides that at certain levels of human consumption could be dangerous to health.
Regulatory standards are based on the latest scientific knowledge to define what is safe and what is not from a formulation perspective or how the ink behaves and migrates over its lifetime.
Rules are going to get tighter in the markets we serve – folding carton and corrugated. Without question, we know that converters need surety and confidence that their vendors are ahead of the regulatory change curve.
Our philosophy in developing our whole SPC digital printing system is to ensure that we can support converters to comply with the ever-changing regulatory environment by eliminating as many process steps with third party fluids as possible.
The design of the ink means converters can produce without using a priming fluid, if they chose, and there is no need for an additional overprint varnish fluid and process step. Our scientists have achieved this through adding a sealing step in the water-based ink to give abrasion resistance, gloss effect and anti-slip characteristics.
The ink is designed with a water-based polymer that is cross-linked and cannot migrate due to its molecular weight. As a result, converters are assured of being able to comply with all standards on ink formulation such Swiss Ordinance List and Nestlé standard and can comply to all major regulations related to migration for primary food packaging.
In the future, we are convinced that they will still comply as regulations tighten.
We – Koenig & Bauer Durst – will remain at the forefront of developments in technology and ensure that the highest standards are met.
In the coming months, in a proactive approach we will be sharing our global expertise – backed by two giants of packaging and printing – across the industry.
Let’s all work together. We can make a difference. Digital has a huge role to play for folding carton and corrugated board markets in the future.
