02 Mar Durst Inks – UL Greenguard & Nordic Swan Environmental Certification
Imaginators operate predominantly Durst large format digital presses across our business to provide exceptional output quality and maximum service uptime but also exceptional environmental credentials, in particular ink.
UL GREEN GUARD GOLD CERTIFICATION
At Imaginators, sustainability is deeply embedded in our DNA. We use Durst Rho Premium Rigid DM30 and Durst Rho DM30 inks which are compliant with the UL Green Guard Gold standard.
To obtain Greenguard certification, the Durst inks we use have to fulfill chemical emission criteria for more than 360 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Certified products are regularly subjected to retesting and verification in order to retain their Greenguard certification.
The Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) is a cross-industry, independent certification organisation which decorates products boasting especially low chemical emissions. Certified products are qualified for green building programs and fulfill ecological regulations and special RFP guidelines for indoor air
quality. With this level of certification, even greater requirements are placed on the products to ensure the safety of more sensitive environments such as school and hospitals. If a product features a Gold certificate, it is suitable for use in schools and health care facilities.
Durst provides Imaginators the Greenguard logo since we use the specified Rho inks in their printers. This provides us with a pro-active way to communicate their commitment to the environment and the sustainability of their production and products.
NORDIC SWAN CERTIFICATION
Additionally, the Swan is the official Nordic ecolabel. It was created in 1989 by the Nordic Council of Ministers for Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, with the purpose of providing an environmental labelling system that would contribute to a sustainable consumerism. It was also initiated as a practical tool for consumers to help them actively choose environmentally-sound products. In the case of inks, the Nordic ecolabelling covers the following classifications: environment hazard, toxicity, problematic substances and volatile organic substances (VOCs).
Imaginators, from the outset of our printing business, has only been concerned with environmentally friendly printing processes. That is why we have exclusively followed the UV curing ink route. All our Durst Rho inks contain no VOCs and strictly conform to the “Restriction of Hazardous Substances” (RoHS) Directive 2002/96/EC and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2002/96/EC. This means that Durst’s Rho inks do not have to carry the symbol of the “dead fish” or “dead tree”.
Many other printing companies are often unaware of the fact that UV curing inks with “very low” solvents, or VOC free inks which include photo initiators, can still contaminate the water table and therefore have to carry the mark of the “dead fish” or the “dead tree”. They might believe that by just using UV inks they are fully conforming to the growing requests from their customers who are, in general, becoming much more environmentally aware. Only Durst inks carry the Nordic Swan Certification standard.