The most recent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study conducted by SÜDPACK, in collaboration with Sphera and aligned with ISO 14040/44 guidelines, establishes a clear conclusion: Companies transitioning their package printing to SÜDPACK’s sustainable SPQ printing technology can achieve a remarkable reduction in CO2 emissions from printing, reaching up to 18%. This reduction is applicable to both PP- and PET-based packaging materials. Notably, even under the worst-case scenario for SPQ (utilizing the grid mix), its carbon footprint remains up to 11% smaller than the most favorable scenario for the flexo print process, which employs green electricity.
The acronym SPQ stands for Sustainable Print Quality, which aptly reflects the technology’s purpose. Through this advanced printing process, SÜDPACK minimizes ink and solvent usage, film waste, and energy consumption in both flexographic and rotogravure printing due to a standardized color palette. An innovative color management system ensures consistent and precise reproduction of all print designs, enhancing automation while preserving superior print quality and exceptional color brilliance.
Robust Data
The sustainability potential revealed in SÜDPACK’s internal assessments has been firmly supported by the LCA, backed by concrete data. These findings are consistent with industry trends, considering that traditional printing processes inherently demand significant material and energy resources, particularly during color changes, cleaning procedures, and proofing stages.
The certified LCA clearly highlights the benefits of SPQ compared to the conventional flexo print process across various print carriers. “From an environmental standpoint, all feasible printing processes should transition to this new technology. Only specific orders that require spot colors continue to justify the conventional flexo print process,” states Carolin Grimbacher, Managing Partner at SÜDPACK.
SÜDPACK provides its clients with a diverse array of printing processes tailored for food and drink packaging. In the latest LCA study, the environmental impacts of the SPQ printing process were evaluated against the conventional flexo printing method for both OPP and PET substrate films.
The functional unit (FU) for comparison was defined as 1 m² of printed OPP or PET substrate film, excluding the application of spot colors. Various scenarios were analyzed for both SPQ and flexo print processes, including 20 μm OPP film and 12 μm PET film as the print mediums. Additionally, the study assessed the influence of different energy sources on production at SÜDPACK. Key impact categories such as climate change, fossil raw materials consumption, and the implications of photochemical ozone formation on human health were evaluated across all scenarios.
Clear Findings
The study’s findings underscore that adopting SPQ printing technology can reduce CO2 emissions by 18% for both PP and PET print carriers. Even when considering the best-case scenario for the flexo print process (which utilizes green electricity), its carbon footprint remains 11% larger than the worst-case scenario for SPQ (using the grid mix). Consequently, the recommendation is straightforward: wherever feasible, shift print products to SPQ technology, reserving the conventional flexo print process exclusively for orders requiring spot colors that cannot be replicated with SPQ.
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