Interest in sustainability from every member of the flexographic workflow, all the way to Consumer Product Companies and end customers, continues to grow.
The number of entries vying for the 2024 FTA Sustainability Excellence Award—the largest in the competition’s 20+ years—is the latest data point to support that observation.
These innovations in sustainability and sustainability programs show flexographic printers and suppliers putting sustainability front and center in their business’ day-to-day operations, in the products they produce, in their go-to-market strategies and in how they approach solving problems.
The award winners and honorable mentions in this year’s record-breaking competition are:
- Asahi Kasei: Winner, Innovations in Sustainability
- Chespa: Winner, Sustainability Programs
- Miraclon: Winner, Innovations in Sustainability
- MacDermid Graphics Solutions: Honorable Mention, Innovations in Sustainability
- Sun Chemical: Honorable Mention, Innovations in Sustainability
- Tempo Flexible Packaging: Honorable Mention, Sustainability Programs
“This year’s FTA Sustainability Excellence Awards have seen an unprecedented number of entries, showcasing the industry’s dedication to sustainability like never before,” said FTA Sustainability Committee Chair Justin Green of Comexi. “The sheer volume is matched only by the outstanding quality of submissions, reflecting the commitment of companies towards environmentally conscious practices. It underscores the vital importance of sustainability in our industry, driving innovation and responsible stewardship for a better future.”
Chespa’s Commitment
When Chespa examined how to apply sustainability and an environmentally friendly approach to its operations, the company left no stone unturned in employing everything from geothermal heating to underground tunnels. Its program also utilizes a heat recovery system, photovoltaic farms, a rainwater recovery system, electric vehicles, water and sewage management, a reuse system for ink packaging—even beehives, stork nests and bird houses added to the land surrounding its Chorula, Poland offices.
Quantifying the results of Chespa’s sustainability program reveals large drops in the consumption of oil and energy in several areas:
- Geothermal heating savings:
- Ventilation: 30,000 liters of oil/facility
- Heating: 49,000 liters of oil/facility
- Cooling: 800 liters of oil/facility
- Heat-recovery savings: 21,000 liters of oil/year
- Photovoltaic farms savings:
- 300 kWp ≈ 25% of energy consumption of HQ/cliches facility
- 500 kWp ≈ 20% of energy consumption of inks facility
- Rainwater recovery system savings: 15 m3/month savings
“Chespa is unique in itself, as it is the only company producing all three essential tools for packaging—inks, plates and cutting dies. Therefore, the concept of sustainable development is three times more complex,” says Marek Siekiera, CEO of Chespa. “Nevertheless, we manufacture in energy-efficient buildings, use renewable energy and heat recovery systems, recycle our own wastewater and recover rainwater. We are the first to test and implement automated production lines and robots from industry leaders. Sustainability is embedded in our philosophy and driven by care for our employees, our customers and the local community.”
Speaking to those three “essential tools,” Chespa outlines how it has sought out technologies to support its sustainability program:
- Inks: Utilizing biodegradable and eco-friendly inks made from renewable raw materials, comprised of up to 40 percent dry content and 35 percent less eCO2/kg
- Plates: With a fully automated and integrated flexographic plate making line, waste of light elements is reduced 92 percent while 41 percent less energy is consumed
- Die Cutting: An automatic rubbering machine and automated assembly of the stripping section streamline diecutting production
“A wonderful effort using low-hanging fruit to make a big impact on the environment. Chespa seems to have real green DNA in its business model,” notes one competition judge. “This is a good move for the manufacturer to invest in equipment and processes that yield toward an ESG solution. And the company went the extra mile to quantify their activity for market use toward North American sustainability goals,” adds a second judge.