In talking with ink manufacturers, sustainability is an important talking point when meeting with their customers. Understandably, ink formulators are looking for sustainable solutions from their raw material suppliers.

In talking with key raw material producers, developing sustainable solutions is essential in every industry they support.

Dr. Courtney Thurau, head of Global Market Segment Printing Inks for Evonik, observed that sustainability has grown in importance over the last years, and ink formulators are placing more effort and resources on this topic than ever before.

“Even though the sustainability goals of ink formulators can differ significantly based on their end-use application or region, sustainability is the first topic our customers typically want to discuss with us,” Dr. Thurau noted. “The top strategic objective of our printing inks business at Evonik is to transform our portfolio towards the highest level of sustainability. We consider this a key differentiator in the market and a service to our customers.”

Dr. Thurau reported that Evonik is asked about three areas encompassed within sustainability.

“The top three aspects that we are approached about include bio-based additives to support carbon footprint reduction, biodegradable or decompostable additives, and recycling friendly solutions for packaging,” Dr. Thurau said. “As in the past, consumer and food safety also continue to be of paramount importance for our packaging ink customers.”

Greg Orange, industry specialist at Munzing, pointed out that while companies are interested in sustainability the message is clear: no additional cost.

“The two are in conflict with R&D investment, new raws and technology providing the same quality, dependability and technical capabilities,” Orange added. “Munzing has made a significant investment in developing products that are sustainable, biodegradable and microplastic free. We are committed to that end.”

Nature Coatings is an interesting case in point, as it uses wood waste to formulate carbon black. Founder and CEO Jane Palmer said that Nature Coatings is seeing plenty of interest in sustainability.

“Our key selling points are our quantifiable carbon negative footprint (through a third party and peer reviewed LCA) and non-detected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzene,” Palmer said. “They also like the story of recycled wood waste, being 100% bio-based and being made in the USA.”

Prior to starting up Nature Coatings, Palmer worked in pigments and dyes for more than 20 years.

“I’ve seen the destruction of the environment from pigments first-hand and have also met people who have gotten sick from benzene from pigments in paint and textiles,” Palmer added. “I believe so strongly that we can get what we want, a black pigment for example, without making ourselves and the environment sick. That doesn’t make any sense to me at all.

“So about eight years ago, I decided I wanted to develop a new, cost competitive and high performing pigment that is better for us,” she added. “I was fortunate to receive a National Science Foundation Award around the same time, which gave me some time and resources. Since then, Nature Coatings has worked really hard to be data driven and not green wash. Personally, I need BioBlack to create real change and impact and not be just a marketing tactic.”

Interest in Sustainability

While the topic of sustainability has been in the forefront for a few years, the interest in environmentally friendly products and saving energy by being more efficient is not a new one. Dr. Thurau said that 2019 can be seen as a milestone for Evonik in sustainability, because in that year the company adopted its Sustainability Strategy 2020+.

“With this strategy, sustainability became the backbone of Evonik’s purpose,” Dr. Thurau noted. “In 2022 we again updated our sustainability targets as part of the Next Generation Evonik strategic transformation. Sustainability is always at the forefront of our corporate, business line and market segment strategies.”

Palmer said that the negative carbon footprint seems to be the biggest driver right now, along with the non-detected PAHs and regulations.

“We are finding that being made in the USA is a big selling point to ensure sustainable supply chains post-COVID,” Palmer added. “And of course, the first question is about pricing. We have worked very hard to be competitive in the market, especially with our dry pigments.”

“For several years investments have been made for Munzing to be CO2 neutral, and new products have been made for various markets,” Orange said.

Sustainability Initiatives

Companies are creating some important initiatives toward sustainability.

“One of our most important initiatives is measuring CO2 impact,” Palmer noted. “To do that, we are focused on scaling our manufacturing in the southeast USA. We have one plant in place, and we are looking to expand. Our plant is within 60 miles of the forest where the wood waste comes from, and we are fully vertically integrated. This is important to keep costs down and reduce our carbon footprint. By scaling our manufacturing, we will be able to increase our capacity, product offerings and therefore increase our impact.

“Another initiative is developing partnerships with companies that are creating a lot of waste from paper manufacturing, for example, and turning their waste into pigment for their use,” added Palmer. “We are also speaking to several US states to use wood waste from forest thinning to prevent forest fires, which can create an even larger picture of sustainability.”

“Our sustainability strategy is focused on three core processes,” Dr. Thurau said. “The first process, Next Generation Solutions, focuses on the market perspective, and ensuring our products have a clear sustainability benefit for our customers and downstream users.

“The second process, Next Generation Technologies, is about the asset perspective and focuses on greenhouse gas emissions management. We continue to expand processes that save energy and greatly reduce CO2 emissions at all of our sites. The aim of the third process, Next Generation Culture, is to establish sustainability at all levels of the human resources process.”

Orange noted that Munzing is developing alternatives that are equal or better than existing products, including scratch and rub resistance, surface slip, anti-blocking, consistent particle size distribution and are microplastic-free.

Sustainable Products

Sustainability is a key facet when developing new products.

“The majority of our product developments target waterborne or radiation-cure technologies, which are traditionally seen the by the industry as being more sustainable. All our new products also target having the highest level of safety and food contact compliance,” Dr. Thurau said.

“A specific example of an innovation targeting bio-content would be TEGO Foamex 8820 and 8850 – new defoamer concentrates with high bio-renewable content for waterborne printing inks and varnishes,” Dr. Thurau added. “In addition to their high bio-content, they comply with the highest regulatory standards and global food contact regulations. While not yet launched, we also have numerous innovation developments ongoing focused on supporting our customers’ goals in the area of Circular Packaging.”

Among the products that Munzing has launched that help ink companies meet their sustainability goals are CERETAN MBP 20220 biobased wax; LUBA-print WBP 1021, an alternative to paraffin which is recyclable; LUBA-print WBP 2700 next generation for LUBA-print SC5700; and CERETAN MA 7020 and 7050 (V) vegetable-based matting agent.

“We have two BioBlack water-borne dispersions, known as BioBlack TX and BioBlack DP,” said Palmer. “Both are 100% renewable and carbon negative. BioBlack TX is perfect for mass tone applications, and BioBlack DP has a higher tint strength for applications like paint. We also have two pigment powders, known as BioBlack 13 and BioBlack 7. Again, both are 100% bio based and carbon negative. The difference between the two is also tint strength. We are a drop-in replacement that is easy to use and doesn’t require any capex at the factory level. We made it easy to adopt, and we hope ink companies will adopt it.”