Lightning Labels Blog

New Bioplastic Made from Native Grass

Switchgrass, a type of grass that is native to the North American prairie is being converted into plastic by Metabolix, a company based just outside Boston. They just recently concluded a greenhouse trial where switchgrass yielded significant amounts of what is called PHA, a polymer that can be used to make bioplastics.

The most common form of bioplastic available today is EarthFirst PLA which is made from corn, which we stock here at Lightning Labels. However, PLA is not an ideal replacement for petroleum based plastics because it takes away from the food supply. Corn that is used for ethanol and bioplastics has been partly responsible for the large runup in food prices recently.

There are many benefits of switchgrass. It is a native prairie grass that is easily grown in many areas of this country and it grows well in hot, dry conditions. So it needs much less water and fertilizer than corn and unlike corn it is a perennial. And of course, switchgrass is not an integral part of the food supply.

It may be a while before we will be able to order label material made from switchgrass, but it is an interesting development nonetheless. Right now, PLA from corn is the only viable alternative to petroleum based plastics, but that will likely change in the near future.

A Pavilion Made From Labels

Last year I wrote about the bridge in France, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, which was made from label waste material. Well I was reading my copy of Label & Narrow Web magazine (a leading label industry publication) last night and I discovered he has now gone one better.

In partnership with leading label material supplier UPM and Artek, a Finnish design house, Ban has created what is known as the Artek Pavilion.  This 132’ x 16’ (over 2,000 sq feet) structure is manufactured completely from self-adhesive label waste. The waste came from UPM label manufacturing plants and was converted into a wood-plastic composite product called UPM ProFi.

Ban, UPM and Artek decided to auction off the structure (which can be taken down and reassembled easily) at Sotheby’s and donate the proceeds to charity.  It was sold for $500,000 to an unnamed New York gallery owner who planned on using it as a mobile exhibition space.

It is great to see creative recycling initiatives like this one being undertaken by a major industry player like UPM. The label industry has only recently begun to embrace sustainability, and Europe is certainly far ahead of the United States on this issue. I hope and expect to see more initiatives like this one as label printers start demanding more action on sustainability from their suppliers.

Digital Label Printing Creates Less Waste

One of the biggest advantages of digital label printing over traditional flexographic label printing is that less waste is created during a print run. This aspect is rarely considered by label end users, most people focus on just three things - quality, turnaround time and price. But if you are looking for label printing that is environmentally friendly then you really need to consider digital for the small amount of waste that is created.

Allow me to illustrate with an example of a typical job we print here. We receive an order for five different labels, a quantity of 500 each, and a size of 2" x 6". We print on material that is 12" wide, so we can print 5 labels across the roll which means for a total of 2,500 labels, allowing for a small 1/8" gap between labels the total material needed for this job is around 260 feet. We would produce 30-40 feet of waste to setup the press, so the total job would require less than 300 feet of material.

Now, let's assume this job is run on a traditional flexographic printing press. With an experienced operator you are looking at around 200 feet of waste to get the first label setup. Then probably around 100 feet of waste between jobs for a total of around 600 feet of waste. And that is with a good operator. It wouldn't be unusual for a job like this to create waste in excess of 1000 feet of material. This waste material typically goes straight to the landfill.

So, for a job that actually requires 260 feet of material, a best case scenario for flexographic printing is waste of 600 feet. Less than a third of the material is actually used productively. If the consumer knew how much waste was being created by traditional label printing, they would demand these customers switch to digital.

For very long runs of tens of thousands of feet of material, traditional label printing can make sense. But how can we justify using a printing process where the majority of the material used goes to waste. If you don't have a large label order and you are concerned about the environment, there is only one responsible choice: digital label printing.

Wal-Mart's Sustainable Packaging Scorecard Begins

This week Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, began using its Sustainable Packaging Scorecard that was announced back in 2006. The scorecard rates suppliers on their progress towards developing sustainable packaging as well as their ability to help Wal-Mart reduce their environmental impact. The goal is a 5% reduction in packaging by 2013. That seemingly modest goal could help reduce carbon emissions by 700,000 metric tonnes according to Greenbiz.com.

More than 97,000 products from over 6,000 vendors are now part of the scorecard. The scorecard rates vendors packaging on several different metrics: greenhouse gas emissions, product-to-packaging ratios, space utilization, innovation, the amount of renewable energy used in packaging production, and emissions related to transportation. Wal-Mart is committed to working with vendors, trade associations and other organizations to ensure the scorecard remains equitable for all parties. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out over the coming months.

Consumers are becoming more aware of the impact that product packaging has on the environment. So the packaging industry is tackling this issue head on. Here at Lightning Labels we launched our corn-based material last year because we want to be at the forefront in sustainable packaging. There are many more initiatives we are working on this year in this area and we will share them with you here as we implement them.

A Bridge Made from Labels

The bridge in the photo above was built over the Gardon River in the south of France this summer and was designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. The structure itself is made from recycled cardboard tubes held together by steel joints. But the steps of the bridge is what I find most fascinating. The steps were made from a material call ProFi, which is created from paper and plastic left over from the manufacture of self adhesive labels.

Now you might wander how safe this bridge is? Well apparently the bridge could comfortably withstand a load of 20 people. It was surprisingly easy to assemble - it took a team of architecture students only a month to complete the installation. The only problem with this bridge - the cardboard tubes meant that it was not very durable. The bridge was open to the public for just six weeks until it was dismantled in August before the rainy season.

However, ProFi the new material from UPM, one of the world leaders in the manufacture of label material and paper products, is quite durable. ProFi is being used now to make outdoor decks for patios, playgrounds and pool areas. It is weather proof and highly durable. But if you are looking to buy this new product in the US you will be disappointed. It is currently only available Europe.

The label industry has been slow to embrace sustainability but this new initiative from UPM will hopefully spur new growth in this area. There is a great deal of waste in the manufacture of self adhesive labels and so there is plenty of opportunity for new ideas like UPM ProFi. Here at Lightning Labels we are committed to sustainable practices and we will continue to keep you informed of initiatives like this one.