At the request of its printing customers, Belgian printing consumables manufacturer Eco3 (ex-Agfa) has had the environmental impact of its offset plates assessed.
The study, carried out by the independent German organization Telusio, includes a comprehensive assessment of emissions. "Our carbon footprint calculation uses an activity-based approach, which captures greenhouse gas emissions throughout the product lifecycle from birth to customer, eco3 details . This includes all relevant stages from raw material extraction, manufacturing to product delivery."
75% of offset plate life-cycle emissions come from aluminum
For a standard 0.3 mm sheet, the carbon footprint is estimated at 7.66 kg of CO2 equivalent (kg CO2e) per m square metre . It ranges from 5.01 kg CO2e for a 0.15 mm thick plate to 9.58 kg CO2e for a 0.40 mm plate.
Nearly 75% of these emissions come from aluminum production, an area over which the manufacturer has no direct control. However, it stresses that it gives preference to suppliers certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), which imposes environmental and social criteria.
In addition, several years ago, the Belgian company set up the Net-of-Aluminum (NoA) program. This scheme is based on a particular model: the aluminum contained in offset plates remains the property of Eco3, with printers paying only for the photographic emulsion. Once the plates have been used, the manufacturer organizes their collection and recycling. Up to 99% of the aluminum is recovered and reused.
And Eco3 offers the Eco3 Chem-Free plate, which reduces its environmental footprint compared with a conventional offset plate. On an average volume of 30âeuros000Â m 2 per year, this chemistry-free plate completely eliminates the need for water, i.e. 15âeuros000Â liters of water, and reduces energy consumption from 960 kWh to 314.
When can we expect evaluations from other producers so that we can compare the different solutions on the marketâeuros?
