The events will mark the arrival of the range in those countries, followed by a phased rollout initially in France and Spain, and then other countries in the coming months.

Fujifilm Business Innovation is said to be the number one supplier of A3 multifunction printers in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to the European launch, none of these devices had been available under the Fujifilm brand except in the Asia Pacific region.

Fujifilm will be offering the A3 multifunction printers, Apeos series, with a focus on productivity, reliability, and growing demands in the work environment. The printers are explained to provide uncompromising usability, enhanced security, with quick and simple operability to support user’s success in Europe.

Built on Fujifilm’s decades of print knowledge, the Apeos range is designed for the modern workplace. From remote/mobile printing capabilities to security features, including its BLI security validation (Keypoint Intelligence) and sustainability credentials, Apeos is a multifunction printer range capable of supporting digital transformation to meet the rapidly changing and diverse demands of the post-Covid environment.

A described key feature of the Apeos series is its quality. The series has a print resolution of 1200 x 2400dpi, capable of printing on versatile media with speeds ranging from 20-70 pages per minute. The range’s IReCT, digital image adjustment technology, minimises colour mis-registration. The useability/reliability of the range means accelerated operations with no wait time, supported by its described easy navigation with UI and attention light.

The series has adopted IH fusing technologies that reduce energy consumption. Also equipped with LED printheads that enables energy saving design, means the range of printers is sustainable. The developed super EA-Eco toner contributes to reducing power consumption achieving low-temperature fusing.

Advanced scanning functions support the digitalisation process with features including searchable OCR, automatic orientation of scanned page to upright position and correcting the skewed page or removing blank pages.

Taku Ueno, senior vice president, device technology division of Fujifilm Europe, commented, ’It’s hugely exciting to be entering the European office printer market after our entry into the toner production printer business in Europe in 2021. We’ve had tremendous success in the last three years introducing high quality Fujifilm branded production printers to the market, and the launch of our office printers is the natural next step.’

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The one-day virtual conference, which is free to attend, will showcase how businesses can adopt connected packaging to create engaging customer experiences, gather valuable first-party data and drive increased sales. Attendees will gain insights into the evolving landscape and discover new strategies to enhance their brand’s competitiveness in our digital world.

The Global Connected Packaging Summit 2024 will feature discussions and presentations from Ivan Gonzalez, CEO at online recycling platform Recycl3r, Thomas Vollmuth, head of brand owner management at developer of print technologies Koenig and Bauer, Gavin Ger, CEO and founder at Australian technology company Laava, and Mohamed Bassyouny, business development manager at packaging solutions supplier SIG.

Other speakers include Steve Wardle, senior manager for design operations and process at sustainable food company Kellanova, Rachel Sheldon, sustainability and innovation manager UK & IRE at sustainable plastic packaging specialist Greiner Packaging, Gregor Murray, from brand advisors Digital Commerce Global, Alice Rackley, CEO at QR code company Polytag and Katie Livesley, managing partner for digital display at customer growth agency Dentsu UK.

The speakers will share insights and expertise on key topics including QR codes, NFC, RFID, AR, AI, sustainability, reuse, innovative packaging approaches and how to effectively implement connected packaging. With more speakers to be announced in the next few weeks, attendees will also have the opportunity to network with a diverse range of industry professionals.

Last year’s event saw over 400 attendees including brands such as SIG, Kelloggs, Amazon, Tetra Pak, Danone and The PackHub. Attendees this year include Tetra Pak, Nestle, SIG, Laava, Recycl3r, Amazon and Greiner Packaging among others.

According to research from creative technology studio and conference organiser Appetite Creative in its third annual connected packaging survey released earlier this year there has been sustained interest in connected packaging over the last 12 months, with 82% of those surveyed stating they have used connected packaging, slightly more than the 81% that said so in the survey released in 2023, and considerably more than the 54% that stated this in 2022.

The conference will be presented by Jenny Stanley, managing director at Appetite Creative, who will seek to help attendees explore the value connected packaging can deliver across meaningful, unique and personalised customer engagement.

Ms Stanley commented, ‘We’re pleased to once again host the Global Connected Packaging Summit, and to welcome a wide range of experts to share their invaluable perspectives on the future of connected packaging and its impact on consumer engagement and brand experiences.

‘Our recent research shows the perceived value of data collection through connected packaging rising, especially in the context of the imminent demise of third-party cookie data. I’m looking forward to uncovering new ways brands can tap into this evolving technology.’

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Reconomy combines technology and skills to enable businesses to better manage their resources, helping to reduce waste, optimise their supply chains and contribute in a meaningful way towards the circular economy.

While this involves working directly with print companies, Reconomy has also partnered with several leading manufacturers and distributors, supporting its customers with textile waste management. One such partnership is with Soyang Europe, whereby printers using materials from Soyang Europe can responsibly dispose of their waste.

This partnership came about three years ago with the support of Fespa UK. Reconomy was working on sustainability initiatives with Fespa, while Soyang Europe is a long-term member of the association.

The process works with Reconomy providing customers with a baler to prepare their textile waste. Soyang Europe then collects the bales when delivering new products to customers, with the waste taken to its facility in Altham in Lancashire ready for bulk collection and transportation to a recycling facility for processing.

‘It was a perfect fit,’ said Reconomy’s director Jon Hutton. ‘Soyang has always been proactive in wanting to offer their customers, and the wider industry, waste management solutions for their products.

‘Sustainability is a hot topic for several reasons. Brands and consumers are looking down the supply chain for environmental credentials, so it’s therefore a driving factor in how to not only maintain and gain business, but how a printer positions themselves for the long term.’

Mark Mashiter, managing director at Soyang Europe, added, ‘It provides our customers with an outlet for their waste. This works well with local customers when we deliver orders to them; we can bring any textile bales back with us and store them in our yard until they are collected.’

Originally, Reconomy had sourced a solution for recycling PVC banner and polyester fabrics at a UK site, whereby waste was blended with other polymers to produce low grade products. While this process ended when more desirable material became available to the market, a recovery route was soon set up and, with the support of Wheeldon Brothers, waste could now be diverted from landfill to renewable energy.

However, recycling has since been re-established and material is again being used in manufacturing processes. Coupled with its use for renewable energy, all of this is helping work towards a circular economy.

An additional benefit to the service is that Soyang Europe is willing to take other supplier’s waste textiles along with its own. This option is available to customers using their own transport within a set radius of Soyang Europe’s facility and when making deliveries.

‘Soyang Europe wants to be part of the environmental solution and not the problem,’ Jon said. ‘The take-back scheme provides a platform for printers to demonstrate their sustainability by providing customers with an outlet for their recycling waste.

‘Several customers have engaged with Reconomy further and are now collecting their own clients’ end-of-campaign textiles, integrating this with the collection of their materials. All loads are tracked, and Certificates of Recycling can be issued once the material has been processed.’

The work does not stop here for Reconomy, with Mr Hutton saying the company will continue to work with Soyang Europe, Fespa UK and its wider membership base to provide more sustainable solutions to the UK industry. 

‘It’s our aim to continue to be a driving force in educating the industry on the importance of recycling and developing circular economies,’ Mr Hutton said. ‘This, with the continued support of Soyang Europe, will ensure more customers take up this service.’

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As part of the partnership with The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity, Roland DG has printed and applied printed artwork, created by designer Emily Twomey, for use within three treatment rooms and the waiting area of the Neurophysiology Department.

Anna Shepherd, deputy director for The Grand Appeal, said, ‘When Roland DG approached us with the offer to makeover spaces in our hospital, we couldn’t have said ‘yes’ faster! Bringing colour and light into the lives of unwell children will make such a difference in what can be dark times.’

It is suggested that individuals spend 80-90% of their time indoors where pollutant levels are said to be higher than those found outside, with this time heightened for those spending time in hospital. This is a situation Roland DG has aimed to address with its TrueVis AP-640. The machine is a water-based resin/latex printer, suitable for indoor applications in sensitive environments such as hospitals and schools. The TrueVis resin inks are Greenguard Gold certified, meaning they meet standards of low chemical emissions. 

The printer also has a concentrated colour pigmentation to allow heavier saturation than conventional resin inks for impact on applications including paper, fabric, canvas, wallpaper, non-PVC materials. Additionally, the True Rich Colour preset is described to take advantage of the high colour saturation of new TrueVis Ink to maximise vibrancy. 

Stephen Davis, marketing director EMEA and managing director for UK and Ireland commented, ‘We understand the importance of colour for children, particularly in aiding those who are unwell or recovering, and we wanted to help make a difference in any way we could. We’re always looking for new opportunities to implement our technology to create real impact, so to be able to give to such a worthwhile cause has been incredibly rewarding.’

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This being a drupa year we’re expecting all sorts of new technologies to be presented in Düsseldorf in May. And not to be outdone, Fespa in Amsterdam is the site of a bevy of new technologies this month. Ricoh will introduce a new flatbed roll-to-roll printer and there will be many more new products to explore. There is certainly no lack of innovation, but we aren’t seeing enough being done when it comes to sustainability developments.

The problem isn’t so much with commercial print waste, since most of this is still paper based. Paper recycling is well-established in developed economies and although the paper industry is slacking when it comes to digital print deinking and recycling investments, the model is at least there. At some point the necessary upgrades will be made.

Press technologies are also readily recycled and here too a model is in place. Ricoh, Canon, HP and Xerox have long since reused skins and other components from devices they have reclaimed for reuse. And printing presses have very long lifespans, assuming parts and consumables are still available. But more seriously we have new inks and substrates that cannot always be easily parted. This compromises paper recycling and will undermine the considerable advances made in the industry’s environmental sustainability in the last few years. That said, in the commercial print sector we have an established foundation and supply chains for improved sustainability. The same cannot truly be said for the packaging sector where innovation, particularly in materials science may be spurring more problems than it solves.

In the last few years we have seen some gorgeous innovations in shapes and sizes of packaging, thanks to innovation in substrates, inks and packaging systems. There has been a trend towards smaller packages and multipacks, packages within packages which suits the market but drives excess packaging consumption. This inevitably generates waste, much of which gets burned rather than being put into established recycling streams.

According to data from the European Union (EU), each European generated an average of over 188kg of packaging waste, ranging from 73.8kg per person in Croatia to more than 246kg per person in Ireland. The EU’s goal is to recycle 70% of packaging waste by 2030, from all sources but perhaps we shouldn’t be generating so much of it in the first place. That is much easier said than done, but as with judicious use of print which is now a commonplace, we can all think more carefully about the packaging waste we generate. 

Laurel Brunner

This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Miraclon, Ricoh, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.

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Through this initiative, Clean Agency also developed an LCA tool that EFI customers can use to analyse their CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions as part of overall packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR).

According to the LCA, printing corrugated materials on an EFI Nozomi digital press reduces global warming potential (GWP) by approximately 50% when compared to analogue printing technologies.

Seri McClendon, CEO of Clean Agency, said, ‘No printing plates, less energy, less waste, and just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing all contribute to CO2e reductions for corrugated printing on EFI’s Nozomi digital press.

‘Packaging is a major contributor to Scope 3 emissions, so we not only partnered with EFI to conduct the LCA but also to build a calculator that enables users to quantify related kilograms of CO2e for specific packaging printing volumes and applications.’

Evandro Matteucci, EFI’s vice president and general manager of building materials and packaging, stated, ‘The insights substantiate digital print’s positive impact on sustainability as well as our overall commitment to our own and our customers’ sustainability goals.

‘The LCA tool is a key value proposition for all users, as the ability to demonstrate clear footprint reductions not only aligns with ethical values but also enhances brand reputation and competitiveness in the market.’

In 2023, UK converter Caps Cases has claimed to have saved 300,000kg of CO2e when compared to analogue production methods, following its investment in the world’s first EFI Nozomi 14000 LED single-pass UV LED inkjet press.

Trevor Bissett, CEO of Caps Cases, commented, ‘According to our calculations, our largest customer avoided 60,000kg of CO2e by switching to Nozomi digitally printed packaging in 2023. To have the ability to communicate this calculation and its impact provides a strong testimonial for our digital print solutions and indicates our commitment to being a sustainable manufacturer.’

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The book, created in collaboration with Wrexham AFC, HP and Nabu for World Book Day on 7 March 2024, was created to celebrate the richness of Welsh culture and language present in Wrexham, while promoting mother-tongue literacy among children aged 6-10. 

Peter Jolly, HP’s industrial UK and Ireland country manager, commented, ‘This project is a great example of how we’re effectively working with Wrexham AFC as their global tech partner, to enable and create meaningful impact for the local community.’

Isabel Sheinman, Nabu’s co-founder, stated, ‘Since 2020, we’ve partnered with HP to close the digital divide by accelerating literacy for children globally. Nabu provides children around the world with equal access to original, high-quality, mother-tongue, bilingual content for free via the low-bandwidth Nabu reading app and web reader.

‘We’re excited to collaborate with HP, Wrexham AFC, and Pureprint for the creation of The Lucky Dragon, our first Welsh-English book, which will further our mission while inspiring a generation to be the heroes of their own story.’

Mark Handford, CEO of Pureprint, added, ‘Working on The Lucky Dragon project exemplifies our capacity to expedite print runs and work with greater flexibility, all while advancing our sustainability aims.’

Using the HP Indigo 100K, Pureprint was able to create different samples and short trial run productions of the title before the final artwork and translation was complete. This allowed it to meet quick turnaround times and work through several iterations seamlessly. 

Pureprint’s HP printers and materials are also described as being carbon balanced, and by maximising imposition efficiencies, the company can reduce the number of sheets and impressions required per job, making processes more sustainable. Using sustainable materials doesn’t compromise the quality of print and has allowed Pureprint to further its sustainability goals by saving on print wastage.

Mr Jolly concluded, ‘We know that flexibility, productivity and sustainability are top-of-mind for Pureprint, and we’re excited to support on all three of these fronts with the implementation of our HP Indigo 100K digital press.’

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The HP Wrap Camp will take place at the new PressOn facility in Whitstable on 13 March 2024, while the HP Sustainability Bootcamp will run on 14 March 2024 at the nearby PressOn Chatham site.

The HP Wrap Camp will offer attendees insight into the vibrant market of vehicle wrapping. The event will aim to help visitors learn about the entire wrapping process, from printing via laminating and cutting to applying graphics onto vehicles.

Paige Walton, founder and CEO of The Vehicle Wrapping Academy, will be in attendance and carrying out live demonstrations of wrapping, offering further guidance and advice to visitors.

The second event, in Chatham, will focus on the value of sustainability for the modern wide-format print and signage business. Hosted by the Make it Happen signage consultancy, on behalf of HP and PressOn, the Sustainability Bootcamp is a workshop that hopes to bring together corporations, companies and individuals to learn, discuss and share knowledge and ideas. In addition to highlighting how HP Latex print technology could support visitors with their long-term environmental goals.

Sarah Magee, the marketing manager of the Make it Happen signage consultancy, and Steve Lister, formerly head of sustainability at HH Global and now founder of Rethink Retail, will both speak at the event about the importance of the environment and offer advice to attendees about how their businesses can become more sustainable.

Jane Rixon, business development manager of large format production at HP spoke on the importance of teaming up with PressOn and other companies. She said: ‘We are delighted to be teaming up with our long-term partner PressOn to host these two special customer events.

‘While the events are very different in subject matter, both are equally important in terms of the value they offer to visitors.’

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Hollywood Monster is the first company to complete an installation using the completely PVC free product from Contra Vision. Tasked with developing signage for the front of the Nottingham Universal Cinema for an upcoming film release, Hollywood Monster used Contra Vision Advance as an aesthetically pleasing and sustainable solution. The new graphics and signage will be used across 11 Universal cinema sites.

The Contra Vision Advance product serves as a lower carbon footprint alternative to PVC signage. With years of research into this product, Hollywood Monster was certain that working with Contra Vision was the best decision for the project.

The company is actively committed to implementing sustainable products and partnering with companies with the same values. The latest product from Contra Vision, used in this application produces less CO2 because of its PET films whilst maintaining durability and affordability. Additionally, with perforated window films, solar heat gain is minimised in buildings such as cinemas, meaning a decrease in air conditioning requirements.

Adam Paget, head of sales of EMEA and APAC at Contra Vision said, ‘We’re excited to work with Hollywood Monster on the launch of our first PVC Free one-way vision film.

Having developed Contra Vision Advance over a number of years, we see its first use as a positive step towards a more sustainable display graphics market.’

Faye Ganderton, internal project delivery manager at Hollywood Monster had this to say about the project, ‘We’re proud to have been selected for this project and look forward to bringing sustainable signage across Universal Cinemas. The result was a combination of beautiful graphics and the innovative new product from Contra Vision.’

Available in two transparencies (30% or 40%), Contra Vision Advance is a product that offers a blend of practical benefits and environmental sustainability for Universal Cinema.

The Contra Vision Advance was supplied to Hollywood Monster by Premier. In addition, Hollywood Monster elected to Carbon Capture its Contra Vision Advance purchases, further enhancing the sustainability of this project.

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A solar array with 1276 photovoltaic panels was connected to the electricity grid in February 2024. It was installed on the roof of SwissQprint’s main production hall and according to the company, will produce approximately 613,000kWh of electricity a year. This corresponds to more than half of the electricity demand at the Schützenwiese business park.

The installation will also power eight newly constructed charging stations for electric vehicles. Reto Eicher, co-owner of SwissQprint and project coordinator explained the benefits of the installation commenting, ‘The solar project brings us a big step forward in terms of sustainability and self-sufficiency.’

When the business park was built in 2013/14, the construction clients including SwissQprint emphasised the importance of sustainability. Tasks such as building services were dependent on fossil fuels, interiors were heated and cooled by groundwater, plus there was need for electric pumps to drive the heat exchange system. This will now be powered by the solar panels.

The Schützenwiese business park is described as exceeding the standard for industrial buildings. An objective throughout the business park was optimised temperature management. The insulation R-value of the building envelope and windows, as well as automatic sun blinds is key to achieving this.

Other factors aimed at achieving more sustainability within the entire building complex is the use of energy-saving LED lighting. Furthermore, both SwissQprint production halls have saw-tooth roofs that admit ample natural light into the building interior. As a result, artificial lighting becomes more unnecessary and further reduces electricity consumption.

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