Guandong – Sustainability understood as safeguarding our planet is now a concrete need, perceived by everyone. People and companies have reached the awareness that it is necessary to move from great proclamations to actions. Brands dress “green” from production to communication. Hence the need for the visual communication supply chain to be increasingly eco-sustainable, starting from the technologies, inks, up to the materials chosen for the different applications. “If in the collective imagination many people blame plastic as one of the main causes of pollution on our planet, as experts on this polymer, we believe it is essential to make our contribution to the cultural adaptation process which must involve all players of visual communication, up to the end customers”, says president Edoardo Elmi.
Wanting to look at the positive side of critics directed at plastic, according to Guandong, these can contribute to accelerate the optimization of production and recovery and recycling processes. An example of this is the company’s Research & Development department, which for years has been working on the development of eco-sustainable printing substrates, the most striking results of these researches will be revealed at Fespa 2024. Precisely on the occasion of Amsterdam event, the Specialties Specialist, therefore, it is preparing to present an absolute preview of new media that respond to the need to respect the environment, starting from the production process up to disposal. “This is not a simple announcement. At our stand, visitors will be able to walk along the ‘Green Promenade’, experiencing new concrete and tangible solutions first-hand. A path dedicated to interior decoration with many innovative proposals presented in a real showroom”.
“The enemy of the environment is not plastic, but the way in which it is produced and disposed of”, adds Edoardo Elmi, specifying that it is possible to reuse it infinite times, simply by heating it up to the viscoelasticity temperature to be able to rework it into the desired shapes, as happens also for numerous substrates in the Guandong range, which are made with high percentages of recycled and regenerated plastic. Besides, at the end of the cycle, the plastic is transformed into an excellent fuel: it is, in fact, used for the production of pellets that can be used to power incinerator ovens, saving diesel fuel.
Plastic, therefore, according to Guandong, offers countless opportunities. “A topic that is essential to talk about in our sector too, with the aim of developing a better collective conscience”, comments Elmi. “If it is true, in fact, that in the world of visual communication we can no longer expect great revolutions, today more than ever what makes the difference are the trends of the moment, supported by producers who work for sustainable and ethical change like Guandong”.
Fespa will be an opportunity to present the latest innovations under the GreenLife brand, which since 2010 has identified Guandong’s commitment to sustainability. “We constantly develop new printing substrates that are increasingly recyclable and ecological, preferring materials such as PET and PP from recycled raw materials, all compliant with RoHS, EN71-3 and REACH regulations”, adds Fabio Elmi, Research and Development Director at Guandong. A commitment that not only concerns the production and life cycle of the products, but involves the entire company with virtuous behavior aimed at reducing the environmental impact of each process.
