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DuPont Packaging Graphics has published two peer-reviewed environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies that indicates significant non-renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions from the use of its Cyrel flexographic print and thermal platemaking processes are possible.

The two LCAs compare the environmental footprints of flexographic printing to gravure printing, and the footprint of thermal platemaking to solvent platemaking for flexography. 

Data comparing flexo and gravure printing indicate that use of the flexo process alone result in significant reductions in both non-renewable energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 50% when converting flexible packaging plastic films. 

In simple terms, for every one million square meters of printed plastic substrate switched from gravure to flexo, the resulting savings in non-renewable energy would be equivalent to approximately 102.4 litres of gasoline and savings in greenhouse gas emissions would be equivalent to removing approximately 69 typical European passenger cars from the road for one year. 

The results of the second study comparing thermal platemaking to solvent platemaking for flexo indicate that thermal imaging results in a reduction in non-renewable energy of around 60% and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 51%.
  
Lisa DiGate, global business director, said: “DuPont has a long heritage of developing sustainable products for the packaging industry, and a Life Cycle Assessment is one of the most rigorous ways to examine our business’ environmental footprint,” said.  “We chose to use the LCA process, which is based on ISO standards, because of its broad industry acceptance and the rigor and objectivity of its external peer review requirement.” 

The LCAs were conducted in accordance with ISO 14040 and 14044 guidelines and peer-reviewed by a panel of five independent experts coordinated by Five Winds International, a global consultancy recognised for its expertise in sustainable development.

The company has also has launched a new European Sustainability website, www.cyrel.eu/sustainability, to provide useful and detailed information tailored to the needs of the flexographic industry.

DuPont Packaging Graphics is a global leading supplier of flexographic printing systems in digital and conventional formats,