As we emerge from the pandemic crisis, we’ve seen the acceleration of a few important trends. Customers made more of their purchases online, companies made and sold products out of urgent necessity that they didn’t imagine before, and more local production has placed new regulatory demands on labels and packaging. Consumers have taken a closer look at their impact on the environment: how their goods are made, by whom, where, how the goods are packaged, and the materials the packaging is made from, as well as what happens to it after first use. Pressure from these customers to be more responsible stewards is increasing, and tighter regulations are already under review.
These seminal changes create a new opportunity for the proliferation of digital, on-demand package manufacturing, and printing with inks that foster a healthier work environment, minimize waste, and enable low-cost recovery and/or recycling. We understand, yet still have much to learn about how the shift to digital printing improves the sustainability of printed products – instantly enabling waste reduction by eliminating plate preparation and make-ready waste to producing shorter runs and better matched supply and demand. OEMs choose to incorporate Memjet’s digital inkjet technology for its fast, efficient, high-quality printing. Though, our technology goes significantly further addressing our deeply ingrained responsibility to a sustainable future. From its modular design that enables our partners to build equipment to upgrade their customers’ press capability, rather than scrap their existing printing solutions, to our water-based inks which can reduce costs associated with environmental regulations (air emissions permitting, EHS risks, wastewater discharge, etc.), Memjet technology provides OEMs with the resources they need to combine market success with environmental leadership. Today, we are building on our efforts with the Memjet Sustainability Initiative. By taking this leadership role in sustainability, we will revolutionize the printing industry.
Commitment to a Sustainable Future
The Memjet Sustainability Initiative addresses several critical areas across our value chain: materials, waste reduction, environmental footprints, our manufacturing footprint, supply chain social responsibility, printed products lifecycle, and customer worker environment, health, and safety. Together with our past technological developments, these initiatives create a holistic approach to sustainability, making a positive impact on our communities while allowing our OEM partners ― and their customers ‒ to prosper in an environmentally responsible way and differentiate their business.
The Acceleration of Digital Printing
Industry analysts expect that the permanent shift in behavior brought on by the pandemic has hastened the shift away from offset to digital by at least two years. Marco Boer of IT Strategies says, “All of a sudden, we’ve accelerated that decline [of offset] much faster than the trajectory that we were on. “For anyone concerned about the environment, the adoption of digital printing is good news. Compared to analog printing technologies, digital printing streamlines the production process. Printers can digitally produce the right materials, at the right time, in the right locations. Waste from print overages or out-of-date materials is significantly reduced, as is the time and energy needed. Memjet’s technology is sustainable by nature – a modular design that provides upgrade capability to existing capital equipment, and an all water-based ink technology portfolio that not only provides a safer work environment for employees, but also enables a higher degree of recyclability of printed materials.
We are firmly committed to embracing digital printing technology that eliminates waste, creates safer work environments, meets the most discerning customer safety and purity requirements and moves us all to a low-carbon circular economy. Together, we can change the industry – and the world. Learn more about our digital inkjet technology.
