FMN | February 15th, 2021

FMN | February 15th, 2021

Vol. 23 No. 4 An N.V. Publication Market News FLEX Serving The Flexographic Printing Industry For More Than Two Decades ®

February 15, 2021

FPA Releases LCA Case Studies

FLAG Introduces Two New Programs FLAG (Flexo Label Advantage Group LLC) has introduced two new programs to facilitate Member and Vendor Partner communication and connections in 2021. The first program is a series of monthly Round Tables, which were first introduced at the FLAG Virtual Summit in October, 2020. Round Ta- bles provide a way that independent converters can share business chal- lenges and opportunities in a frank and open setting.Although FLAG has been offering Peer Groups for years, the new Member-only Round Tables are ad hoc and require no long-term commitment. They were reportedly so popular at the Virtual Summit that FLAG has made them a regular part of their ongoing programming. Round Tables The first monthly Round Table took place on January 28 and was attend- ed by 14 individuals from 11 FLAG Member companies. The second program enables FLAG Vendor Partners to share new prod-

by Greg Kishbaugh

T he Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA) Sustainability Life Cycle and Economic Impacts of Flexible Packaging in E-com- merce Report has been released, providing a holistic view of the sustainability benefits that flexible packaging offers in e-com- merce and quantifies the environmental and economic ship-

ping impacts by comparing flexible packaging to other formats across a range of products. For the report, FPA partnered with PTIS, LLC, and five different LCA case studies were developed using the EcoImpact-COM- PASS LCA software, which allows for quick life cycle compari- sons between different package formats, including peanut butter packaging; cereal packaging; shoe packaging; laundry detergent packaging; and e-commerce mailer. All primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging, including dun- nage from the packages,were used for the assessment. Dunnage

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APR, Fathom Optics Sign Technical Support Agreement All Printing Resources (APR) and Fathom Optics have signed an exclusive US technical support agreement. Fathom Optics, a software development company spun-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technol- ogy (MIT), has introduced a software platform that brings printed 3D and motion graphics to packaging without requiring specialty inks or substrates and without the need for additional materials, such as len- ticulars or foils. Fathom Optics’ algorithmic technology leverages existing press innovations to add depth, motion, and chromatic effects to a wide range of print applications including prime labels, shrink sleeves, and product au- thentication. The software platform fits into standard design and pre-press workflows. It is based on light field technology, originally developed for digital 3D displays, and currently works with offset and roll-to- roll narrow to mid-web printing. The company also plans to expand to digital and other applications in the near future. Through this technical agreement, APR will be a source for process certification, platemaking, produc- tion orders from onboarded/certified converters, and design services.

LCA Case Studies (Cont’d from Page 1)

may be either paper or plastic based, and includes crumpled paper, corrugated inserts, air pillows, and bubble wrap. A dimensional weight and economics comparison for e-commerce was also developed to highlight that the flexible packaging formats demon- strated clear and distinct advantages in reducing the dimensional weight across the product categories. Additionally, the product-to-package ratio, as well as the amount of packaging that is landfilled for 1,000 kg of each product, was determined. The amount of packaging landfilled was based on the recycling rates for each material while assuming none of the flexible packages were recycled. However, most flexible packaging used in e-com- merce applications, including bubble dunnage or poly mailers, are made of LDPE,which can be recycled with grocery bags and other films as part of the store drop- off program.These materials can qualify for the How- 2Recycle store drop-off designation if they go through the certification process. The results from many of the case studies show that flexible packaging has more preferable environmental attributes for carbon impact, fossil fuel usage, water usage, as well as material disposed of when compared to other package formats, according to the report.

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Flexo Market News February 15, 2021 3

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FTA Launches New Training Course

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FTA has launched a new training course, designed to provide a detailed understanding of color theory, color formulation, and how to work with flexographic color. The course, “Flexographic Color Fundamentals,” is comprised of three 90-minute classes taught by FTA Director of Education Joe Tuccitto and SmileyColor & Associates’ Steve Smiley. Each class focuses on a specif- ic color discipline.Those who attend all three classes will receive a certificate of completion. Classes are taught live on specific dates and times through FTA’s Virtual Campus, where thousands of flexographers have earned FIRST Individual Certifica- tion over the past decade.The classes and their focuses are: • Essentials of Color Theory :The fundamental logic of color structure, color terminology, the evolution of color theory, how color systems are applied in flexog- raphy, the 3-D structure of color, and more ( February 22 ); • Principles of Color Formulation : Process color reproduction in connection with FIRST Methodology and CGATS TR012 2020, spot color formulations com- pared to industry-specific recipes,how to use measure- ment instruments to manage process and spot color output, using various types of >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16

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