International printing ink manufacturer hubergroup participated as a main participant in the Cradle to Cradle Congress, which was held in Berlin, and in doing so highlighted the importance of the topics of sustainability and environmental protection.
“We are aware of our social responsibility and see it as our task to not only optimise our own products and processes, but also to pass on this knowledge and to do a bit of educational work,” said Heiner Klokkers, the chairman of the hubergroup’s board of management.
The international Cradle to Cradles Congress (C2C) was held for the sixth time this year, and is increasingly becoming a mandatory stop for all who want to establish a real circular economy according to the C2C set of rules.
In C2C, hubergroup clearly defined its claim that Cradle to Cradle should increasingly become the industry standard. The company has also received the Cradle to Cradle Material Health certificate for the offset inks produced at its Indian plant in Vapi and is working on the full certification. hubergroup Italy is also already certified with a wide range of Cradle to Cradle gecko inks.
hubergroup presents a practical example of the oft-mentioned circular model, building a water treatment plant that recovers 95% of the water from wastewater flow. It also compensates for water loss through evaporation during recycling, and only 5% of freshwater needs to be supplied.
In Germany and some European regions, the manufacturer takes the water that accumulates during the washing process of coating units back from its customers and also processes this. 25% of this water is used in a purified form for the production of non-food coatings.
“Sustainability is an issue that affects us all. We can really do something if we all pull together and change the market permanently. The C2C Congress was an important platform for us to communicate and network with strategic partners. We see ourselves not only as a technology leader that deals with its competitors in the world of printing inks, but also as an influencer that has followers in all areas of society and not just in the printing industry,” said Bernd Groh, global product & portfolio manager SF/UV hubergroup.
