Itoen Adopts Asahi Kasei’s AWPTM Water-Washable Flexo Plate for its “Healthy Mineral Barley Tea Bag 30-Pack” Packaging

The parent company of Asahi Photoproducts, Asahi Kasei Corporation, headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, announced that in June 2024, its AWPTM water-washable plate was adopted by Itoen, Ltd. for printing the packaging of their barley tea bags.

In collaboration with Sagawa Printing Co., Ltd., headquartered in Muko City, Kyoto, led by its Chairman & CEO, Muneaki Kinoshita, and Shizutoku Corp., headquartered in Fujieda City, Shizuoka, led by its President, Toshihiko Oiri, Asahi Kasei’s solutions contributed to approximately a 14% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional petroleum-based gravure printing and dry lamination methods. This includes:

• Establishing Printing Technology that Combines Water-Based Flexo Printing and Water-Washable AWPTM Flexographic Printing Plates

Water-based flexo printing has lower VOC emissions compared to gravure printing, which uses a large amount of solvent-based inks. Additionally, water-based inks dry at lower temperatures, reducing energy consumption during the drying process, thus cutting CO2 emissions. Furthermore, water-washable plates use a water-based developing solution, avoiding the use of organic solvents containing VOCs, thereby reducing associated CO2 emissions even more.

• Using Solvent-Free Adhesives in Film Lamination
  The use of solvent-free adhesives in lamination allows for curing at room temperature, eliminating the need for a drying process, which reduces CO2 and VOC emissions even further.

Currently, most domestic Japanese packaging printing relies on petroleum-based gravure printing. However, growing environmental awareness has led to increased interest in flexographic printing, particularly water-based flexo printing, which does not use solvents in the platemaking or printing process. Water-based flexo printing, enabled by water-washable AWPTM plates, was adopted for the “Healthy Mineral Barley Tea Bag 30-Pack” packaging, which had previously used petroleum-based gravure printing.

In calculating the reduction in carbon footprint and VOC emissions using this water-based process, data from The Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO), the Japan Flexographic Technical Association (FTAJ), and the Japan Printing Ink Makers Association are used. For processes not specifically included in SuMPO databases, calculations were performed using secondary data provided by SuMPO. Additional calculations were made based on the respective electricity consumption of machinery and the type and number of solvents used. When comparing total emissions over the product life cycle, from raw material to disposal, the water-based flexographic solution achieved a reduction of approximately 14% compared to petroleum-based gravure. When considering only the printing and lamination processes, using water-based flexography achieves a reduction of approximately 58.8% as compared to petroleum-based gravure. Production of six batches of this packaging per year results in a reduction of CO2 emissions equivalent to the annual CO2 absorption of approximately 724 Japanese cedar trees.

In accordance with its Group Mission to contribute to “life and living for people around the world,” Asahi Kasei will continue to promote water-based flexo printing with water-washable AWPTM plates, aiming to eliminate solvents from the packaging printing process and reducing the environmental impact of printing operations, thereby contributing to the realization of a more sustainable society.