Ahead of the next Dscoop Edge conference where PSPs, partners and brands converge, HP has announced HP Indigo digital printing inks are now certified for compostability in home and industrial. This is the latest in sustainability achievements allowing converters and brands to print smaller quantities, while helping to reduce inventory waste and improve their overall environmental impact.

TUV Austria awarded the “OK Compost Home” and “OK Compost Industrial” marks to HP, verifying HP Indigo 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. 2 

According to Grandview Market research, the “green packaging” market is poised to reach $237.8 billion by 2024, registering 5.7% CAGR during the forecast period.

“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 Alon Bar-Shany, general manager, HP Indigo. “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.”

At Dscoop Edge in PortAventura, Spain, June 19-21 and at Labelexpo in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 24-27, HP Indigo will present its portfolio of sustainable packaging solutions, certifications and samples. 

HP Indigo supports packaging printing with its portfolio of presses including the HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press, HP Indigo 8000 and HP Indigo 6900 for flexible packaging. In addition to TUV certification, HP’s growing set of sustainability achievements includes:

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• · HP Indigo 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 of 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.4

Packaging customers around the world are moving to HP Indigo digital printing to drive new sustainable packaging businesses:

ePac Flexible Packaging, an all-digital provider with locations across the US, is producing hi-barrier recyclable Polyethylene (PE) pouches on its HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press with solventless lamination. "ePac is also engaged in the testing of compostable films, and we expect to soon go to market with this as an added option," says Jack Knott, ePac CEO.

ePac is expanding to Europe, scheduled to open its first site in the UK later this year. “Europe can benefit from higher sustainability, using digital printing for on-demand production of its volume of SKUs and using recyclable film in a more eco-friendly process compared with conventional printing,” said Johnny Hobeika, Managing Director of ePac Holdings Europe.

Foxpak of Ireland has reinvented its business around sustainability, recently opening a new manufacturing plant in Collon, Ireland, using the HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press and HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Press, to produce digitally printed compostable and recyclable packaging.

Tuboplast Hispania  of Spain (a division of CTL-TH Packaging), well known in Europe for its high-end tube packaging, has won the prestigious ETMA Award in 2019 for its sustainable approach for producing 100% IML Polypropylene (PP) tubes, allowing for 100% recyclability. Using their HP Indigo digital press, Tuboplast can develop innovative tube packaging solutions with the highest standards of quality and sustainability. 

Ultimate Digital, operating two HP Indigo 20000 Digital Presses in the UK, has partnered with Kids Ink to promote a more sustainable solution for school lunch bags. Children across the country can design and print their personalized lunch bags via a web-to-print platform. The recyclable bags are printed by Ultimate and lined with antimicrobial protection for reuse.