Itoen adopts Asahi’s AWP water-washable flexo plate

Itoen, a Japanese multinational drinks company specializing in tea production, distribution and sales, has adopted Asahi’s AWP water-washable flexo plates for printing the packaging of its barley tea bags. 

In collaboration with Sagawa Printing, headquartered in Muko City, Kyoto, and Shizutoku, headquartered in Fujieda City, Shizuoka, Asahi’s product has contributed to approximately 14 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional petroleum-based gravure printing and dry lamination methods, claims Itoen. 

The company reports that water-based flexo printing has lower VOC emissions compared to gravure printing, which uses a large amount of solvent-based inks. Additionally, water-based inks dry at lower temperatures, reducing energy consumption during the drying process, thus cutting CO2 emissions. 

Furthermore, water-washable plates use a water-based developing technology, avoiding the use of organic solvents containing VOCs, thereby reducing associated CO2 emissions even more.

The use of solvent-free adhesives in lamination allowed the company to cure at room temperature, eliminating the need for a drying process, which reduces CO2 and VOC emissions even further

According to Asahi, most domestic Japanese packaging printing relies on petroleum-based gravure printing. However, growing environmental awareness has led to increased interest in flexographic printing, particularly water-based flexo printing, which does not use solvents in the platemaking or printing process. 

Water-based flexo printing, enabled by water-washable AWP plates, was adopted for the ‘healthy mineral barley tea bag 30-pack’ packaging, which had previously used petroleum-based gravure printing.

In calculating the reduction in carbon footprint and VOC emissions using this water-based process, Asahi used data from The Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO), the Japan Flexographic Technical Association (FTAJ) and the Japan Printing Ink Makers Association. 

For processes not specifically included in SuMPO databases, calculations were performed using secondary data provided by SuMPO. Additional calculations were made based on the respective electricity consumption of machinery and the type and number of solvents used. 

Asahi said that when comparing total emissions over the product life cycle, from raw material to disposal, the water-based flexographic product achieved a reduction of approximately 14 percent compared to petroleum-based gravure. When considering only the printing and lamination processes, using water-based flexography achieves a reduction of approximately 58.8 percent as compared to petroleum-based gravure. Production of six batches of this packaging per year results in a reduction of CO2 emissions equivalent to the annual CO2 absorption of approximately 724 Japanese cedar trees. 

In accordance with its group mission to contribute to ‘life and living for people around the world,’ Asahi will continue to promote water-based flexo printing with water-washable AWP plates, aiming to eliminate solvents from the packaging printing process and reducing the environmental impact of printing operations, thereby contributing to the realization of a more sustainable society.