Siegwerk unveils next generation of sustainable water-based inks for paper & board applications

Siegwerk, one of the leading global providers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels, is now offering a new generation of sustainable water-based inks for paper and board applications: UniNATURE. The new product range is formulated with renewable and natural components, providing an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional inks without impacting the recyclability of paperand board packaging taking a step towards reducing the microplastics which can be found in inks.

"UniNATURE is our third generation of sustainable water-based inks and coatings for paper and board applications meeting the requirements of brand owners and packaging converters,” said Hanns Martin Kaiser, Vice President Business Units Paper & Board EMEA and Liquid Food Packaging at Siegwerk. "With its launch we again deliver on our commitment to enabling the development of new packaging innovations in line with a circular economy.” The new water-based ink and coating solutions are formulated with a high Bio Renewable Content (BRC) measured according to the ASTM 6866 method. Products in the UniNATURE range incorporate up to 50% renewable carbon content – often eight to nine times more compared to standard water-based inks.

Siegwerk’s new sustainable water-based ink range comes along with excellent ink performance and colour strengths offering similar levels of resistance as current water-based technologies. User tests have shown improved dot shape, comparable dot gain, high resolubility, and easy cleaning on press, meaning it can be easily exchanged with current products without the need to change equipment, processes or colour matches. Furthermore, high printing speeds runs on both coated and uncoated papers can be achieved with UniNATURE. The new ink and coating series is applicable for many paper & board applications including corrugated board boxes, trays and displays, fast food packaging, sacks and bags, as well as cups and wraps. It supports various printing applications whilst meeting the highest market and regulatory standards.

"Paper is not only already one of the most recycled packaging materials globally, but it also holds great potential to offer a viable substitution for plastic for several packaging uses,” explained Paul Pain, Head of Waterbased Technology at Siegwerk. "And with UniNATURE we concretely support the defossilisation of fibre-based packaging by reducing the use of fossil based raw materials in inks.” Together with Siegwerk’s sustainable and functional barrier coatings, UniNATURE forms a solution for the development of innovative and circular fibre-based packaging solutions. With the Finnish paper and paperboard manufacturer Kotkamills, Siegwerk has already been able to prove the high performance of UniNATURE utilised on a fully recyclable paper cup made of Kotkamills’ innovative ISLA^® Duo barrier board – to just name one best practice usage of the newly launched product series.

Designed for use with Siegwerk’s Unibase and Uni T coloured bases UniNATURE inks can be supplied as ready to use inks directly from Siegwerk. However, UniNATURE extenders and Unibase or Uni T colorbases are more frequently supplied to customers to be mixed on demand at dispense equipment directly at the customer. "We provide our customers with clear formulation guidelines compliant with relevant regulations for the end use of the packaging,” added Pain. "Training and support provided to customers through our OPS programme enables the most efficient use of our products in their operations.”

By providing a combination of best-in-class ink performance, high product safety and extensive sustainability know-how linked with a holistic understanding of packaging, Siegwerk is always supporting its customers to address upcoming trends by meeting their individual needs with cutting-edge solutions and services.