David Spratt, Head of Business Systems at Epson UK looks at the environmental impact of label waste in the supply chain
Organisations are increasingly concerned about how their working practices and supply chain impact the environment. With goods and materials often travelling hundreds of miles, this includes trying to reduce the detrimental effects of packaging, its production, use, and disposal. But damage inflicted by the labelling aspect is often overlooked, perceived as insignificant, even though the statistics are damning.
Estimates indicate that as much as 120,000 tonnes of label waste are sent to UK landfill sites every year. That’s not just redundant and overstocks of labels, it’s also consumables. Many of the materials including adhesives, ribbons, and inks, are non-biodegradable, making them resistant to recycling. It all totals up to a staggeringly large heap of scrap and waste of money. What’s more, it has burnt a significant amount of energy to produce, polluting the atmosphere with tonnes of unnecessary greenhouse gases.
Reducing the number of labels that end up in landfill
Modern day, on-demand, colour label printing technology enables businesses with small to mid-range label volume requirements to make significant reductions in waste as well, provided they’re willing to take control of their label production by switching to on-demand inkjet. Essentially, this is reducing not only the logistical CO2 footprint of shipping labels to your business from offsite label production sites, but it is reducing the waste accrued from changing the requirements of label volumes and designs.
Cutting out needless printing would prevent around 180 million square metres of labels annually ending up in landfill. If that’s difficult to visualise, think of an area large enough to cover 25,264 football pitches! Such a saving could reduce CO2 emissions by 6.7 million tonnes per year according to independent researcher Smithers, equivalent to lighting 95,960 homes. Effectively, reducing energy requirements for European businesses by up to 28.7million kWh annually.
To get an idea of what this could mean to your organisation, take a look (or work with your reseller) at how work out for your industrial label printing costs and emissions, and the savings that could be achieved.
It’s not always easy to establish the environmental impact your organisation has – especially for smaller businesses. But, with new changes to the Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) legislation expected next year, businesses will be under more pressure to measure and meet carbon footprint goals.
Committing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Making a commitment to sustainability in labelling can also contribute towards broader environmental strategies, particularly those relating to the UN’s Supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although voluntary, these globally-agreed objectives are being integrated into regulations by governments worldwide, and informing industry best practices. They encourage companies to align with SDGs by using sustainable materials in label production, reducing waste, and minimising environmental impact. Also, directing that industrial operations should provide clear information about label lifecycles and eco credentials.
These goals reflect mounting consumer demand for sustainable practices throughout the supply chain. Companies may find it hard to ignore growing pressure, unless they want to risk reputational damage or even financial penalties where governments have incorporated SDG principles into their own environmental legislation. With modern printing technology already up for the task and bringing much-needed cost savings, choosing the right industrial label printer will have a positive impact on the environment as well as an organisation’s pocket.
On demand is the way forward
To eradicate massive overstocking of labels and pre-printing errors, on-demand is the way forward. In addition to cutting down on waste, it also reduces expensive storage costs and eliminates delays waiting for new stocks. But print quality mustn’t suffer as a result. It needs to be high resolution and reliable, plus use inks that are kinder to the environment and reduce throw away consumables.
One of the key sustainability challenges in the traditional thermal transfer printing of labels remains ribbon usage. For every square metre of label printed, a significant amount of ribbon is also used regardless of the ink coverage. A legacy from the past when environmental concerns were not considered so vital, ribbon can only be used once and is not easily recycled. Today, businesses and society want products that are better for the planet, and better for users.
This fits well with Epson’s own commitment to sustainability throughout its entire electronics range. Designing products that meet its enduring philosophy of Sho Sho Sei – efficient, precise, compact – ensures these qualities are tuned to bring technological advancement in an economical way.
Time-saving, colour label printing
The company’s latest innovation in digital printing is the ColorWorks C8000e. Specifically developed to meet higher volume, colour label printing requirements, on demand, it uses less energy and produces less carbon emissions compared to older label printers. Advanced printhead technology ensures high definition, accurate colour label printing at a resolution of 1200 x 600 dpi and a fast run speed of 300 mm per second, enabling efficient on-demand production on a variety of media types. Effective use of high-capacity ink pouches further reduces waste, with each one containing 75% less plastic to recycle than typical standard cartridges. ColorWorks is not void of emissions due to, for example, its consumption of energy and its comprehensive manufacturing life cycle. However, it goes a long way in reducing waste and minimising emissions as much as possible for an industry that is traditionally highly unsustainable.
In this more enlightened era of environmental responsibility, sustainability and efficiency have become paramount, and the label printing industry is playing its part. Organisations can take advantage of modern, digital technology to increase productivity while at the same reducing waste and energy consumption. However, addressing the environmental impact of commercial activities must include issues that often receive less attention. This will help to ensure processes like industrial labelling are called out as an individual element of green strategies and company policies.
