Sun Chemical: Nitro-Free inks are born
A response to PPWR requirements, focused on sustainability, high performance, and safety
Flexographic and rotogravure printing technologies for paper and flexible film packaging are facing new challenges, but also new opportunities.
The new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which came into force in February this year, sets binding targets for the recycling and reuse of packaging. This means that all companies in the sector can seize opportunities for sustainable innovation and differentiation.
Sun Chemical, a company that has been at the forefront of Sustainability and Innovation for years, has recently developed high-tech printing products free from nitrocellulose-based resins, enabling its customers to comply with the new regulations on the mechanical recycling process that will come fully into force from mid next year.
Between innovation and service
Sun Chemical’s new Nitro-Free solvent-based ink and coating ranges, DURATORT and SOLVACYCLE, have been designed and developed to deliver value in terms of sustainability, safety and quality for both plastic and paper packaging applications. Supported by a dedicated technical service team, Sun Chemical enables printers to manage the significant industrial transition required by the PPWR simply and efficiently.
The NC-Free DURATORT series – designed primarily for lamination, but with broader applications – is compatible with most materials used in packaging and offers performance levels significantly superior to current nitrocellulose-based inks.
The NC Free SOLVACYCLE series, developed specifically for surface printing, delivers all the performance expected from a traditional ink system, but with markedly superior print quality and ease of handling.
Both series have been developed for use on the latest printing machines and equipment, fully meeting industrial requirements such as runnability, excellent dot discharge, high print yield, and very low solvent retention.
It is important to underline that, at Sun Chemical, innovation always goes hand in hand with product safety. The selection of raw materials used in the formulation of the DURATORT and SOLVACYCLE series was carried out in full compliance with the recent German Ink Ordinance (GIO), which regulates the use of printing inks for food-contact materials (FCMs). All products are manufactured in accordance with the relevant regulations and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
