Environmental Initiatives

How Miyako Printing Ink the Environment

We have a duty to manufacture products that consider the environment.

As environmental degradation advances on a global scale, a movement is growing throughout society to protect the environment and transform into a recycling-based society.
As a member of society, Miyako Printing Ink works hard to manufacture products with low environmental impact and bring them to market.
In particular, we are committed to creating products that conform to the Ink Green Mark standards and NL regulations, such as our plant-oil inks.

Miyako Printing Ink is committed to meeting the applicable standards. We are determined to fulfill our corporate responsibilities, recognizing our duty to develop environmentally friendly products.

What are Plant-oil Inks?

Background

Soy inks came into widespread use in the mid-1990s.
Although these products enjoyed some success, developments such as the unusual weather patterns caused by global warming have resulted in poor cereal harvests worldwide, as well as growing demand for biomass fuels as substitutes for fossil fuels.
These trends have led to great volatility in the prices of soybeans and other cereals.
Under these circumstances, it is becoming undesirable to use soybeans as a raw material for environmentally friendly inks; indeed, restrictions are being placed on the use of soy oil, which is made from soybeans, a foodstuff.
Accordingly, it is important to expand the use of other, non-food plant oils.
In December 2008 the Japan Printing Ink Makers Association (JPIMA) established plant-oil inks that include soy oil.

Definition

Plant Oil Content of Inks

  • ・Rotary offset inks for newsprint: 30% or more
  • ・Non-heat rotary offset inks: 30% or more
  • ・Paper inks: 20% or more (10% or more for inks in the colors gold, silver, pearl and white)
  • ・Business-form inks: 20% or more
  • ・Heat rotary offset inks: 7% or more
  • ・UV inks: 7% or more
  • ・Flexographic inks: 3% or more proteins derived from plant oils

What is the Ink Green Mark?

The Ink Green Mark is a new environmental marking, established by the JPIMA in September 2015.
Currently, companies supply products that conform to the Plant Oil Ink Mark and the Eco Mark in an effort to reduce environmental impact. Approximately 95% of the market for environmentally friendly inks consists of products that conform to these two standards.
To reduce environmental impact still further, marking systems are being introduced with the biomass content and suitability for recycling and energy-saving performance used as a major index of environmental performance for offset inks and UV inks respectively.

What are the NL Regulations?

The NL regulations are autonomous regulations governing printing inks. Established by the JPIMA, these regulations aim to prohibit the use of chemicals in printing inks as unsuitable raw materials for this purpose, to enhance printing-ink safety, and to promote the supply of safe printed matter.
Products that do not use restricted chemicals are identified with markings indicating conformity with the NL regulations.

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