Synthogra launches ALL NATURAL brand new synthetic paper – from renewable sources
Synthogra is the first on the market to launch a brand new synthetic paper entirely from renewable sources. The material is ideal for tags, tickets, self-adhesive labels, loop labels and much more.
The new PURE-DURABLE is 100% bio-based material where more than 70% is based on sugar cane. The remaining 30% comes from natural minerals.
Along with PURE-DURABLE, PURE-DURABLE SEAL is also launched at Labelexpo which is a paper-like synthetic paper with a sealing layer for packaging. This film is also based on sugar cane and natural minerals and consists of 83% renewable material. The sealing layer cannot yet be produced from renewable sources. It is, however, an ongoing process and Synthogra aims to develop a sealable film made entirely from renewable sources.
“I have developed this product to meet the requirements of a green, non-fossil film, but without compromising the recycling stream or by using a product that could otherwise be used as food”, says Nanette Thomas, CEO of Synthogra.
“During the past 25 years I have developed numerous films, so this one required a lot of thought and attention, as I wanted to make sure that what we were working on did not subsequently prove to be flawed. At Synthogra we believe it is important we consider the full life cycle of our products, and that we behave and act responsibly and with respect for the environment.”
The environment as the reason behind this film.
As a company, we are not generally against plastic as it protects our food and has many other practical utilities. We are, however, vehemently against littering, so we have to start at the individual level and make sure that we do not use more than we really need to. The challenge is that most people do not think about using as little as possible.
“When people say no to plastic and use more than 10 times the amount of paper to accomplish the same thing, I get a bit upset”, says Nanette Thomas. “It is not very often that you reuse your paper bag, and if you have a lot of groceries the supermarket often double-bags for you. Where is the idea then?”
Is it really renewable - and why sugar?
Yes, it is completely renewable and natural, and the reason we picked sugar cane is that from our perspective it is one of the most responsible renewable, non-fossil, natural plastics currently available. The plastic is made from the waste product from sugar production, so we use an already existing bi-product and do not make use of anything that could be used to feed any of the millions of people who go hungry.
We do also need to consider the farming and we are still waiting for a complete picture when comparing sugar or other renewable plastics with fossil-based ones.
Does PURE-DURABLE have the same properties as normal films?
The film is still brand new, so we may make a few tweaks along the way, but we are very satisfied with how this product turned out. The idea was to make an equivalent film to our SYN-DURABLE that is used all over the world and to be able to offer a more green solution with all the same properties – and we accomplished that.
Synthogra stand at Labelexpo
Environment, packaging and synthetic papers are the main focus this year and in the years to come. We think it is important to discuss the environment and the impact we have on it – it is the only way to change anything. Our stand was therefore ready to meet and help with ideas and understanding of this very important topic.
Synthogra was the first company in 2013 to launch packaging material at Labelexpo, so this is quite an important opportunity for the narrow web industry to be able to also offer direct printing on films along with labels.