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Bobst making the connection

Bobst, an impressive Swiss company founded in the nineteenth century, is one of the world’s top suppliers of finishing systems for labels, flexible packaging, corrugated and folding carton industries. It has production facilities in eleven countries across the globe and has been making gradual steps into digital systems for a few years. Increased investment into digital technologies is boosting the company’s capacity to provide digital support and options for its customers, including more environmentally friendly products.

The circular economy could be the next greenwash

Or may be not. The circular economy is a huge concept so it is understandably attractive to marketers who don’t really expect target audiences to do more than be impressed by the phrase. But if companies are at least aware of circular economies that has to be a good thing. Just to remind you, a circular economy is one where the waste from a process becomes the raw material for another related process. That is an admittedly simplistic definition, but hopefully it is enough for you to get the idea. If you want a more grown-up definition, The Ellen MacArthure Foundation calls a circular economy a “systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution”.

Nordic Swan Taking Note

One of Europe’s best known eco labels is the Nordic Swan. In the Nordic countries there are over 25,000 products bearing its logo. It’s awarded for products that meet the label’s strict environmental requirements throughout its life cycle, with requirements for chemicals used. It’s about encouraging sustainable development of goods and services, and there is a certification dimension to the label, for which obviously entail.

Xeikon is doing more with less

Xeikon has recently introduced a new program for its digital press customers, to help them improve production efficiencies. This is a hands on effort that users of Xeikon digital presses can implement in order to cut production time, ink and toner consumption, materials waste and energy usage. The idea is to help customers to better cope with cost increases in electricity and the increasingly worrying spectre of materials shortages. Overall the plan should also cut environmental impacts, by making businesses more efficient.

Understanding sustainability reporting

Sustainability reporting is a big deal for brands who buy a lot of print, especially those serving consumers. Those brands need a lot of packaging for their goods, much of it plastic and too little that is recyclable, so anything positive they can shout about is a plus.