When it comes to creating beautiful, high-quality letterpress cards, our goal is to do more than just impress with our designs. We strive to make an impact on the planet by minimising our environmental footprint. That's why we carefully choose every material and process to ensure sustainability without compromising quality. In this post, we'll explain our eco-friendly approach to printing, focusing on our use of vegetable oil-based inks and biodegradable water-based adhesives.
The Importance of Eco-Friendly Inks
Traditional inks often contain mineral oil, a non-renewable resource derived from petroleum. While these inks can be vibrant and durable, they come with a significant environmental cost. The extraction and refinement of petroleum have harmful effects on the environment, contributing to air and water pollution.
To reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and embrace sustainability, we use eco-friendly inks that contain vegetable oils instead of mineral oils. These inks are derived from renewable sources, such as soybeans, linseed, or other vegetable oils. Here's why we chose them:
Reduced Environmental Impact: Vegetable oil-based inks are more biodegradable than mineral oil-based inks, reducing their impact on the environment. They also produce fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to air pollution.
Sustainable Sourcing: By using vegetable oils, we support sustainable agriculture and reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources.
Quality and Durability: Our eco-friendly inks don't sacrifice quality. They provide vibrant, long-lasting colours that retain their brilliance over time, ensuring our cards remain as beautiful as the day they were printed.
The Choice of Colorplan Paper
For our letterpress cards, we use Colorplan paper, a high-quality option that aligns with our commitment to sustainability. The paper's defining characteristic is its triply 900gsm thickness, achieved by laminating three layers of the FSC certificated paper together. What makes Colorplan paper even more eco-friendly is its use of biodegradable water-based adhesives.
Traditional laminating adhesives can contain harmful chemicals and are often derived from non-renewable sources. In contrast, biodegradable water-based adhesives are made from renewable materials, reducing their impact on the environment. Here's why this matters:
Reduced Chemical Exposure: Biodegradable adhesives contain fewer harmful chemicals, which benefits both the environment and the people involved in the production process.
Sustainability: Water-based adhesives are derived from renewable resources and break down more easily in the environment, contributing to a more sustainable product lifecycle.
Strength and Durability: Despite their eco-friendly composition, these adhesives are strong and durable, ensuring that our triply 900gsm thick cards are robust and long-lasting.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
By using vegetable oil-based inks and biodegradable water-based adhesives, we're taking meaningful steps toward sustainability in our letterpress card production. We believe that beautiful, high-quality cards can coexist with a commitment to protecting our planet.