Every Color is Green

The printing business has long been one with a lot of external impact: oil-based inks, chemical solvents, makeready paper trashed for each job—all of these things done to make the best-looking printed parts. But at Lofton we’re working toward a greener future, and one of the ways we’re doing it is by switching inks.

We now buy our water-based ink from Environmental Inks, a local supplier of environmentally safe products for printers and converters. They are a member of both the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (mission: “to encourage and promote participation in the worldwide movement to reduce environmental impact and increase social responsibility of the graphic communications industry through sustainable green practices”) and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (mission: “to advocate and communicate a positive, robust environmental vision for packaging and to support innovative, functional packaging materials and systems that promote economic and environmental health through supply chain collaboration.”).

Typical flexographic printing ink has 60%-80% of its weight in solvents such as Ethanol, N-propyl Alcohol, Isopropanol, Heptane and n-Propyl Acetate. These are all Volatile Organic Compounds; they’re also flammable. Water-based ink offers an attractive alternative to these solvents, which helps to reduce pollution and ensure that Lofton Label is in line with regulatory requirements.