HP Inc. recently announced its investment in the next generation of water-based ink solutions in a press release.
The company has committed $200 million for over five years to develop water-based ink technologies for printing digitally on corrugated packaging and textiles. The World Resources Institute estimates that approximately 20% of industrial water pollution comes from garment manufacturing.
“We will be dedicating resources toward continued innovation and industry disruption to accelerate safer, simpler and more sustainable water-based printing technologies that meet the quality, performance and economics needed by these markets” said Santi Morera, general manager and global head of graphics solutions for HP.
In 2017, HP manufactured ink cartridges made from more than 1 million lb of plastic bottles recycled from Haiti, reported GreenBiz. In the past 19 years, the company has converted about 199 million lb of plastic into 3.9 billion printer cartridges.
“HP believes that investing in water-based ink solutions for the corrugate and textile printing markets will have beneficial effects along the entire product lifecycle, for the people who operate our printing systems, for the end users of the printed product, and ultimately for the final reuse, recycling, or disposal of that product,” according to the press release.
Currently, HP’s line of true water-based inks for corrugated packaging are verified as easily recyclable, according to Packaging News. The company’s announcement aims to adhere to the goals of HP’s Sustainable Impact strategy, which primarily focuses on reducing the company’s carbon footprint by creating sustainable, quality printing products.
In Oct. 2018, HP joined NextWave Plastics, alongside other worldwide businesses committed to scaling the use of ocean-bound plastics.
“Water-based inkjet inks are a technology differentiator in corrugated packaging, enabling us to confidently address a broader range of applications from food and beverages to personal care products” said Robert Seay, general manager of Georgia-Pacific Hummingbird.
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