Whatever your requirements, Sun Chemical has your folding carton covered – inside and out, with the most sustainable product solutions available for sheetfed offset inks and coatings.
Brand owners and print converters are looking for solutions to enable the reduction, or ideally, the elimination of plastic-based components present within fiber-based packaging, such as folding cartons for food.
As an example, this could include the replacement of a polyethylene (PE) laminated layer acting as functional barrier on carton board – currently not printable when used on the inside or direct food contact (DFC) surface of the carton.
The good news is solutions are available from Sun Chemical that not only provide a viable ‘printable’ alternative to PE laminated layers that deliver the functional elements required, but also offer the additional benefit of enabling the opportunity to bring color to the inside of the carton with special direct food contact inks. These inks can be used:
To forward additional information
For marketing and promotional purposes
To give a background contrast color to the food/confectionary
Ultimately to ‘enhance’ the consumer experience
Download your free copy of SunPak DirectFood Plus Ink Series Overview & Infographic
Our ‘Inside’ Solution
Direct food contact needs a lot more caution with respect to inks and coatings. Standard low migration / low odor inks and coatings are not sufficient.
Sun Chemical can offer SunPak DirectFood Plus, a unique ink that offers direct food contact printing opportunities when used in combination with SunSpec SunStar aqueous direct food contact overprint varnishes.
This innovative technology:
Enables food confectionary packaging to be printed internally with DFC inks that are fully compliant with EU regulations
Contains special pigments that are suitable for direct food contact with safe migration levels
Exhibits very good organoleptic (low odor) properties
Does not dry by oxidation and therefore does not contain a drying catalyst based on heavy metals such as cobalt and manganese
Color Scope
The pigment range of these special DFC inks is more restricted than ‘standard’ conventional pigments due to the purity required. That said, we can still achieve over 70% on the Pantone library with a Delta E Tolerance of <2.00.
To support designers and converters, Sun Chemical has developed unique software tools, including ‘Gamut Viewer,’ which provides a quick-check to see if your target color is achievable. This tool can predict achievability based on your exact requirements (color target/substrate).
Reducing your carbon footprint
Print knowing you are using a product designed with the highest level of bio-renewable content possible, as verified by Beta Analytics, the world leader in Carbon-14 measurements since 1979.**
Sun Chemical collaborated with Qualvis and Homen Iggesund to develop a folding carton package for direct food contact with chocolates. The package was created for interpack 2023. The fully recyclable package was printed on the inside and outside by Qualvis using Sun Chemical’s direct food contact inks and overprint varnish. The board, supplied without plastic content, came from Holmen Iggesund.
Our ‘Outside’ Solution
Just as with SunPak DirectFood Plus inks, by utilizing the industry-leading performance of Sun Chemical’s SunPak FSP low migration inks, the highest possible bio-renewable content is achieved.
SunPak FSP inks are designed to provide the best possible stability at extreme high printed speeds (up to 20,000 inches per hour) without any compromise on print quality, ensuring minimal press stoppages that results in reduced waste and downtime costs.
This highly efficient performance can be further enhanced when applying the extended color gamut process using SunECG to reduce the need for special Pantone/spot colors. Part of Sun Chemical’s SunColorBox color management solution, SunECG’s unique gamut viewer software offers an opportunity to reduce the need to change inking units by utilizing up to seven process colors. The result is reduced downtime, waste, energy and solvent through reduced washing.
Based on Sustainability
SunPak DirectFood Plus, SunStar Direct Food contact coatings, and SunPak FSP are all part of the SunEco umbrella of sustainable inks, coatings and adhesives — backed with the confidence that supports sustainable solutions.
For a fully globally compliant and complete offering for printing inside and outside the carton in the most sustainable way while also delivering the highest possible productivity, look no further than Sun Chemical. Our R&D leadership brings the very highest level of expertise in application, regulatory support and product stewardship.
*Product is tested, safe and compliant with current European Union regulations.
**Beta Analytics measured the ratio of radiocarbon in the ink set relative to a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) modern reference standard (SRM 4990C) and the results were accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation, the highest level of recognized quality any testing or calibration laboratory can attain.
Resources
Transform Your Folding Cartons
The Power of Folding Carton-Guide to Sustainable Packaging
Folding Carton Industry Magazine Article: "Getting the Balance Right-Responding to Customer Demands"
