Koenig & Bauer Durst food-safety inks earn UL EcoLogo Certification

Koenig & Bauer Durst (Würzburg, Germany) has announced that its food safety, water-based printing inks have successfully achieved UL (Underwriters Laboratories) EcoLogo Certification – thus demonstrating third-party validation of the products’ sustainability performance. Durst WT Food SP Ink and Durst WT Food MP Ink product lines meet rigorous lifecycle-based environmental performance criteria as defined in UL’s stringent EcoLogo Standard (2801 – 2012 Standard for Sustainability for Printing Inks). Black, cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta and yellow inks have all been assessed and they include no hazardous components as defined by the EcoLogo Standard. The products achieved UL EcoLogo Certification following the evaluation of multiple criteria throughout a product’s lifecycle – including energy use, waste disposal, and toxic reductions, among other areas. Using proprietary, water-based ink technology, the inks are designed with core technologies to accommodate and provide automated, productive, food-safe printing.

The inks are used in Koenig & Bauer Durst’s Delta SPC Flexline Automatic 130 Press. The WT Food SP Ink was designed for fast print processes on corrugated materials, and is used for the single-pass print line. It can also yield high quality, odourless, abrasion-resistant, glossy and light-fast corrugated products “that precisely meet the requirements of the packaging industry,” said the OEM. The WT Food MP Ink is used in multi-pass printing. UL works to advance global sustainability, environmental health and safety by supporting the growth and development of environmentally-preferable products, services and organizations.

“We have always been focused on offering safe and sustainable solutions for our customers – particularly as food safety, sustainability and packaging are constant topics of conversations for converters and brand owners,” said Robert Stabler, Managing Director at Koenig & Bauer Durst. “Our water-based inks ensure food safety compliance for primary packaging. EcoLogo Certification provides third-party verification that our products are manufactured in a way that minimize environmental impact.”

Dr. Stefan Kappaun, a member of the Durst Group’s Executive Team who heads the ink business for all segments as Executive Vice President of Inks & Fluids, said: “The assessment involved months of rigorous discussions and formulation assessments. We’re extremely proud to have earned the EcoLogo Certificate for our Durst WT Food SP and Food MP ink product lines.”
Alberto Uggetti, Vice President and General Manager of UL’s environment and sustainability division, added: “By earning EcoLogo Certification, Koenig & Bauer Durst has shown its dedication to a more sustainable way of doing business. Its accomplishment demonstrates industry leadership.”