Healthy and sustainable printing is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage. Demand for safe and recyclable print products is growing, particularly in packaging printing. As a partner to the folding carton industry, Heidelberg supports the holistic approach of the Healthy Printing Initiative. This offers a platform along the value chain for exchange and cooperation about healthy printing and improved recyclability. Recyclability makes an important contribution to an efficient circular economy and thus strengthens the competitiveness of the printing and, in particular, the packaging industry.

“The Healthy Printing mission is an excellent fit with Heidelberg's approach to the environment and sustainability,” said Rainer Hundsdörfer, Heidelberg CEO. “Together, we promote the production of print products that are healthy for people and the environment and profitable at the same time.”

“The Healthy Printing Initiative thrives on a committed exchange along the entire value chain of print products, and we are therefore delighted to welcome Heidelberg as another representative of press manufacturers in this network,” says Jenny Pfau of the Healthy Printing Initiative. “The new perspectives and experiences will enrich the Healthy Printing Initiative.”

New technologies contribute to environmentally friendly folding carton production

Heidelberg has firmly anchored the topic of sustainability in its strategic agenda. The company has also been a member of the international 4evergreen Alliance since October 2021. Energy efficiency, resource conservation, emissions reduction, and life cycle management are aspects that play an important role both in the manufacture of printing presses and in their operation. To this end, a holistic environmental concept is pursued. All stages are considered, from the development of products, through manufacture and operation at the customer's site, to recycling or disposal.

Committed to the environment, in addition to machines and aggregates, consumables such as Saphira Eco products in particular are manufactured on the basis of renewable raw materials wherever possible and/or contribute to the recyclability of the end products. The Saphira Eco label stands for lower emission levels than most comparable products. In addition to ecological benefits such as reduced emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia and particulate matter, Saphira Eco also stands for lower chemical consumption and less wastewater. With a market share of almost 50 percent, Heidelberg is - as they say - “the global market leader in sheetfed offset presses for folding carton and label printing”, among other applications, and offers solutions for the entire value chain including digital workflow integration.

About Healthy Printing

The international environmental research and consulting institute EPEA (Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency) has launched the Healthy Printing Initiative with the support of the DOEN Foundation. The basic idea of the initiative is to promote the implementation of the Cradle-to-Cradle design concept (C2C) in the printing industry. Preference is given to printing materials, printing inks, coatings and other printing aids that do not generate waste during their production. After use, the print products are to be consistently recycled. The residual materials produced during the recycling process should ultimately be returned to the cycle of nature as biological nutrients without polluting it.