As part of Certina Packaging's (CP) one-stop-shop service to brands, the group offers a range of sustainable packaging decoration options to ensure a polished finished look for its jars, bottles and closures but without negatively impacting on the environment.

It is well known that packaging needs to look good in order for the consumer to make a purchase, and that the functionality must be impeccable from fast to final use for the product to be purchased again. In addition, Millenials and Gen-Z are demanding that active measures are taken to ensure that products are ecologically friendly and purposefully seek out products that align with their ideology.

Solvent-free inks

One of the most popular decoration techniques offered by CP, silk screening offers a precise print that can be very cost-effective when just one or two colours are required. Water-based inks don't damage habitats in the way in which solvent-based inks can as VOC's (volatile organic compounds) are very significantly reduced.

Also popularly requested is hot foil stamping, a dry solvent-free process for packaging decoration. This process requires very little energy to create a dynamic visual which will capture the eye of the consumer, with no detrimental environmental impact.

Carbon black-free

As the name implies, this packaging is black coloured, but free from carbon black, a typically petroleum-based colorant used for absorbing UV radiation in PP products as well as coloring purposes. While offering a rick dark colour, carbon black stops detectors from being able to determine the composition of a product when it is sent for recycling and this results in plastic being sent to landfill instead of being recycled.

Certina Packaging's carbon black-free packaging benefits from the same rich, dark shade, however when the consumer recycles the product after use, the plastic can be detected and recycled, ensuring that the material is used once again and not wasted.

Special effects 

Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) resin is an ideal way for brands to support the circular economy and limit waste, however, it can prove challenging for inexperienced manufacturers to guarantee that a product matches the quality, finish and colours of product lines previously manufactured with virgin resin. CP has worked with PCR for many years and ensures that the finished look always exceeds brands' expectations.

The most recent addition to CP's green decoration capability is a brand new frosted finish which utilizes a technique that does not require lacquering, so customers can achieve an eyecatching frosted effect but without the emission of solvents and VOC's into the environment.

Working closely with colour suppliers, CP achieves unique decorative effects for its clientele. Whether glossy or matt, a metallic look or frostbatch, Certina Packaging delivers.

"There are so many different ways in which brands can now adopt sustainable packaging. Certina Packaging has its 5R Greenline offering of packaging, however, brands should also be aware of other ways in which their choice of packaging can impact the environment. Sustainable sourcing and low impact manufacturing are key, as too are choices made for packaging decoration and logistics. The full impact of packaging on the environment is the sum of all of these things; therefore many careful considerations should be made in order to realize a product that both looks stunning on shelf, and is respectful of sustainability."

With so many green packaging options available, Certina Packaging can help brands to easily incorporate sustainable products into their lines, whilst guaranteeing an incredible finished look.