Flint Group has solidified its reputation as a sustainable ink supplier after announcing that all its Sheetfed process ink series are now mineral oil free.
The full range of Flint Group’s K+E process series is now exclusively made from more sustainable formulations, under plans to increase the use of environmentally friendly raw materials and make packaging easier to recycle.
From July, mineral oil has also been phased out as a raw material during Flint Group’s Sheetfed bulk manufacturing processes, meaning Flint has eliminated the substance across its operations. The announcement follows an internal review by Flint after the company acknowledged that mineral oil use does not contribute to a sustainable future.
Roy van der Pijl, Commercial Director, Offset Packaging Solutions, Flint Group, said, “At Flint Group, we pride ourselves on supplying sustainable Sheetfed inks to the print industry, aiming to support our customers’ environmental objectives while reducing our own impact on the planet. Although most of our Sheetfed ink ranges were already made from sustainable, bio-renewable raw materials, we recognised that using mineral oil in the remaining few was hindering our sustainability efforts. That’s why we’ve conducted this review and why I am delighted to announce that our remaining mineral oil-based Sheetfed process inks are now being produced from more sustainable raw materials.”
Flint’s announcement supports the growing regulatory movement away from mineral oil in printing inks while supporting the de-inking process by preventing residual oil from adhering to paper fibres during recycling.
