BRYAN, OH–In a recent study conducted by Anderson & Vreeland’s premier partner, Toyobo Corp., the Cosmolight photopolymer plate was proven to reduce emissions by 70 percent, compared to the traditional solvent wash photopolymer plate. This revolutionary plate eliminates the use of dangerous hydrocarbon and hazardous washout solvents from the plate making process to produce a press-ready plate in less than one hour. It is the world’s first flexographic plate that allows processing by “water” and is still durable to water-based, solvent-based and UV inks.
Being committed to water sustainability within the flexographic printing industry, Anderson & Vreeland works hard to ensure equipment and supplies leave a greener carbon footprint to save water, which is a finite and priceless natural resource. As part of this mission, it has turned to Cosmolight as one of the top photopolymer solutions due to it being solvent-free, toxic-free for the operator; along with its ability to be processed using just tap water with a minimal amount of mild detergent.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Source reduction/reuse is the most preferred method of solid waste management, followed by recycling/composting, and lastly, combustion and landfilling.”
“Source reduction involves altering the design, manufacture, or use of products and materials to reduce the amount and toxicity of what gets thrown away.” Since Cosmolight plates do not contain any non-woven cloth materials and are processed with common soap and tap water, the waste water can be solidified and collected as non-hazardous waste. Furthermore, printers can use a filtration system like the Anderson & Vreeland’s Orbital X Whirl-A-Way to remove polymer residue, allowing for extended and repeated use of the water washout solution.
“We see a lot of our label and narrow web customers using thermal plates to reduce their GHG emissions. However, with thermal processing, GHG emissions end up being 50 percent less than solvent wash, and Cosmolight has shown as much as a 70 percent reduction in GHG emissions when compared to solvent processing,” explains Tyler Thomas, regional manager for Anderson & Vreeland. “We are eager to help improve the working environment of our customers while helping to protect and preserve the planet with this newer technology that provides great highlights, superb densities, no cracking, a consistent manufacturing process, and doesn’t leave a black mask residue in processors.”
*The referenced case study is based on Toyobo Manufacturing Corporations internal calculation and was conducted using 5 plates per case, 900mm×1200mm. Calculated using IDEA ver2 values according to ISO14040.