As an industry, environmental concerns have always been a part of how we have grown over the last few decades, as we see in this article from 1997
FlexoTech: May/June 1997
Terpenes in Flexographic printing
Industry is being made more aware of the potentially harmful effects of chemicals to the environment. Solvent legislation is getting tighter and scientists have issued worrying data on Phthalates which may have implications for flexo and gravure ink makers. There are naturally occurring alternatives that address some aspects of these problems, one of which is coniferous terpene technology developed for flexo plate washouts.
Concern for the environment and an awareness of the potential risk to the health of employees is reshaping many of our ideas on working practices within the flexographic printing industry, and indeed elsewhere.
Whether out of genuine concern for the environment or fear of legal action, printers need to weigh up the consequences of what happens to solvents when they are exhausted into the environment at large.
Apart from the quality and general cost of the product, printers will have to take into account the cost of environmental compliance as mandated by a growing list of worldwide government regulations.
