HP Indigo digital printing inks have been certified by TUV Austria, which awarded the ‘OK Compost Home’ and ‘OK Compost Industrial’ marks to verify that HP ElectroInks can be used as printing inks1 for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation in accordance with leading standards, such as EU regulation EN 13432.
‘Demand for sustainable packaging solutions is driving converters to digital printing, allowing converters and brands to help significantly lower the environmental impact of printing,’ said general manager Alon Bar-Shany. ‘HP Indigo printing eliminates the need for plates or cylinders and offers the freedom to print smaller quantities, while helping reduce waste during production and unused inventory.’
In addition to TUV certification, HP Indigo has joined CEFLEX (Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging) as the first digital press provider for the flexible packaging market. CEFLEX is a European consortium of companies collaborating to advance the performance of flexible packaging in a circular economy, throughout the entire value chain.
Deinking tests conducted by Cadel Deinking, in Spain, verified that HP Indigo digitally printed flexible packaging, including coating, can be fully deinked. The results on a range of substrates open new ways for brands and service providers to work towards higher sustainability, where deinking is an essential stage in the recycling process.
HP-certified Michelman primers for flexible packaging recently passed extensive testing for ecotoxicity, heavy metals and fluorine content and conforms to leading industry standards including EN 13432 (2000) and ASTM D6400 (2012) for use in compostable packaging.2
1 Certified for certain HP Indigo inks and up to specified limits.
2 Organic Waste Systems Laboratories testing certified up to specified limits.
