Siegwerk‘s next-generation water-based inks for paper & board

By launching the new sustainable ink and coating range UniNATURE, Siegwerk builds on its proven track record of innovative inks containing biorenewable carbon, introducing a new generation of inks with renewable content as part of its strategy to develop circular packaging solutions.

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 paper, and 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,” says Hanns Martin Kaiser, vice president of 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. As a result, products in the UniNATURE range incorporate up to 50% renewable carbon content – often 8 to 9 times more than standard water-based inks.

Siegwerk’s new sustainable water-based ink range comes with excellent ink performance and color strengths offering similar resistance levels as current water-based technologies. User tests have shown improved dot shape, comparable dot gain, high resolubility, and easy cleaning on the press, meaning it can be easily exchanged with current products without the need to change equipment, processes, or color matches. Furthermore, high printing speeds run on both coated and uncoated papers can be achieved with UniNATURE. The new ink and coating series is applicable for many paper and 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 while 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,” explains Paul Pain, head of Water-based Technology at Siegwerk. “And with UniNATURE, we concretely support the defossilization of fiber-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 developing innovative and circular fiber-based packaging solutions. With the Finnish paper and paperboard manufacturer Kotkamills, Siegwerk has already proved the high performance of UniNATURE utilized on a fully recyclable paper cup made of Kotkamills’ innovative ISLA Duo barrier board – to name one best practice usage of the newly launched product series.

Designed for use with Siegwerk’s Unibase and Uni T colored bases, UniNATURE inks can be supplied as ready-to-use inks directly from Siegwerk. However, UniNATURE extenders and Unibase or Uni T color bases are more frequently provided to customers to be mixed on demand at dispense equipment now at the customer. “We provide our customers with clear formulation guidelines compliant with relevant regulations for the end use of the packaging,” adds Pain. “Training and support provided to customers through our OPS program enable 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.