The global demand for greener products is growing year by year. Brand owners are responding by increased efforts to optimise not only their products, but also the sustainability of related packaging and other print material. For this reason, the market leading ink manufacturer hubergroup was by mid-2017 the first manufacturer to launch globally a wide range of Cradle to Cradle certified™ ink series and coatings for sustainable offset and gravure print products.
As part of Carlsberg’s ambitious sustainability programme “TogetherTowardsZERO”, the company is making its products more sustainable and ensuring that consumers can live more sustainable lives. To that end, Carlsberg looked at the entire value chain to improve every part of its packaging, and that also included the ink for their beer labels. To help with that, the company chose hubergroup as the main ink supplier for their beer labels in selected markets.
During an exclusive event held in Copenhagen in September, Carlsberg revealed a series of exciting innovations developed in partnership with hubergroup, and at the same time highlighted hubergroup for its great commitment to roll out better and more environmentally friendly inks in front of the gathered trade press: “Printing inks have major impacts on the recyclability of packaging because they are often recycled along with paper fibers. To improve the recyclability of Carlsberg labels in selected markets, we are using the hubergroup Eco-Offset Ink Premium Plus, which is Cradle to Cradle Certified™ at the Silver level,” say Carlsberg Brand Director Julian Marsili from the Carlsberg Group.
The Global Product & Portfolio Manager SF/UV of hubergroup Bernd Groh stated during an interview at the annual Cradle to Cradle Congress in Lüneburg: “As one of the first global ink manufacturers, we have taken up the challenge of re-designing our standard sheet fed offset and liquid ink portfolio to C2C certification. And with great success as you can see with the Carlsberg project, which was possible in no small part by the strong support of Healthy Printing Initiative, founded by EPEA in Hamburg, which is one of the most important platforms to enable sustainable printing for packaging manufacturers and printers. Print the change – print sustainability!”
