What is EPA's DfE Program?
EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) Program is
located within the Economics, Exposure and
Technology Division of EPA's Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics. DfE projects help businesses
design products, processes, and management systems
that are cost-effective, cleaner, and safer for workers and
the public. DfE's goals are to:
Encourage businesses to incorporate environmental
information into their decision criteria, and
Facilitate continuous environmental improvement.
To accomplish these goals, DfE and its partners use
several approaches, including cleaner technology and
life-cycle assessments, environmental management
systems, formulation improvements, best practices and
green supply-chain initiatives. In addition to flexogra-
phy, DfE has forged partnerships with a variety of
industries, such as other types of printing, the automo-
tive industry, industrial laundries, and electronics.
The DfE Flexo Project is a voluntary collaboration
between representatives of the flexo industry and EPA,
to help businesses help the environment. The Flexo
Project has developed a variety of materials, including a
two volume technical report known as a cleaner tech-
nologies substitutes assessment (CTSA), a summary
report based on the CTSA, a flowchart for ink formula-
tors, and other documents to help you practice pollu-
tion prevention.
For printed copies of this or any DfE document,
contact the National Service Center for Environmental
Publications:
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom
telephone: 1-800-490-9198
DfE publications are all available for downloading from
our website:
www.epa.gov/dfe
For more information about the DfE Program, call
202-564-8780 or send e-mail to dfe@epa.gov.
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7404)
April 2002
EPA 744-F-02-004
* Options for
UJ
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Cleaner Flexo Inks
Highlights from the
Flexo CTSA
What is the Flexo CTSA?
To protect workers and the environment, print-
ers and ink formulators need more information
about all aspects of inks, especially their chemi-
cal hazards, exposures, and risks. Flexographic
Ink Options: A Cleaner Technologies Substitutes
Assessment (CTSA) evaluated solvent-based,
water-based, and ultraviolet-cured ink systems as
printed on wide-web film substrates. This study
assessed the performance, environmental,
human health, and cost aspects of 45 ink formu-
lations. The CTSA provides information to help
printers and formulators make responsible ink
choices and consider a variety of factors when
choosing or evaluating ink systems or specific for-
mulations.
A few highlights of the study's findings follow.
No ink system was superior across perform-
ance, environmental, health, and cost criteria,
but each system had advantages.
All ink systems contained chemicals of clear
concern for health risks to flexo prep- and
pressroom workers, although none showed pre-
dicted risks to nearby residents.
Some water-based and UV-cured ink formula-
tions demonstrated improvements over
solvent-based inks in worker safety, reduced
concerns for health and environmental risk,
and lower material costs.
Press speed, not the ink system, was the main
determinant of overall cost.
UV-cured systems consumed the least ink.
Water-based systems used the least energy.
Goals of the Flexo Project
Identify and inform industry about
comparative chemical risks in inks,
including unregulated ones that
present opportunities for proactive,
voluntary risk management.
Facilitate the use and formulation of
Encourage adoption of workplace
practices that minimize exposure to
chemicals of concern.
Flexo Project Partners
California Film Extruders and
Converters Association
Film and Bag Federation
Flexible Packaging Association
Flexographic Technical Association
National Association of Printing Ink
Manufacturers
Printers
RadTech International
Suppliers
University of Tennessee
Western Michigan University
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More Help for Formulators: The DIE booklet, "Developing Cleaner Ink Formulations: A Flowchart
for Ink Formulators," provides ideas for how to develop and implement a process for assessing inks. You
can download the booklet from the DfE website (www.epa.gov/dfe). To order printed booklets, contact
NCEPI at the address on the back of this brochure.
What's in the Flexo CTSA?
The Flexo CTSA contains a wealth of informa-
tion to help guide ink choices, including
toxicity, estimated exposure, and predicted risk
information on about 100 flexographic ink
chemicals.
health concerns relevant to press- and prep-
room workers and their management.
aquatic toxicity information useful in the event
of an inadvertent release to water.
performance of each of the ink formulations on
18 different tests.
material, labor, capital, and energy assessments
of the three flexographic ink systems.
other costs to consider when evaluating inks,
including disposal, storage, and clean-up.
options to increase the efficiency and control of
environmental emissions from flexo printing.
Which Ink System Was the
"Cleanest"?
The CTSA studied solvent-based, water-based,
and UV-cured ink systems. The study found that
each of the ink systems had different advantages
as well as health and environmental concerns.
Even within a single ink system, different inks
showed a wide range of results. Interestingly, some
water-based and UV-cured formulations had lower
environmental and health hazards and risks.
Specifically, the CTSA found that
Although all ink systems showed dermal risks,
these can be effectively managed by requiring
workers to wear appropriate gloves when handling
inks.
Solvent-based inks had relatively high levels of uncap-
tured VOC emissions, leading to inhalation risk con-
cerns for workers that were not addressed by using
oxidizers. Solvent-based categories with chemicals of
concern for workers included certain alcohols and
propylene glycol ethers.
Even without oxidizers, most water-based formula-
tions showed less than one-fourth the VOC emissions
of the solvent-based inks. Categories in the water-
based inks that contained chemicals with worker
health concerns included certain alcohols, amides,
and ethylene glycol ethers.
Fewer UV-cured formulations showed concerns for
worker health risks than did solvent- or water-based
formulations. UV ink categories of acrylated polyols
and amides or nitrogenous compounds did contain
chemicals of inhalation concern for workers.
Over half the chemicals in the CTSA showed a high
or medium hazard to aquatic environments.
The concerns identified by the CTSA varied by formula-
tion, and were related to the specific chemicals in the for-
mulations. To work safely with flexo inks so that workers
and the environment are protected, you need to learn as
much as possible about the hazards, exposures, and
risks of ink chemicals.
How Can You Reduce Health
and Environmental Impacts?
Responsible use of flexo inks requires reducing or elimi-
nating environmental discharges, supporting research
on untested and inadequately tested ink chemicals, and
implementing changes in workplace practices, technol-
ogy, and materials. Here are some tips for reducing risks,
supported by the CTSA findings.
Tips for Flexographers
Different formulations may pose different worker
health and environmental concerns. Also, each print-
ing facility operates with a unique combination of
customers, equipment, product specialties, and labor
resources. Just changing ink formulations within the
same system may help your facility operate more
cleanly, ^tbu may also consider another ink system if
you have evidence that it will be cleaner for your
facility.
Reduce inhalation risks by providing good ventilation
in prep- and pressrooms, and by creating and enforc-
ing mask and respirator policies.
Minimize your workers' dermal exposure to inks.
Gloves are an economical and simple way to signifi-
cantly reduce health risks.
Ask your ink supplier for recommendations on appro-
priate gloves, and take all other safety precautions.
If you use solvent-based inks, keep your oxidizers in
prime working condition.
If you use water-based inks without an oxidizer, select
inks containing the lowest possible percentage of
VOCs and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
Minimize the use of press-side solvents and other
additives.
Talk with your supplier, who can help you make fully
informed ink choices.
Tips for Ink Companies
Encourage your customers to use cleaner inks.
Train your sales force on environmental and worker
health issues.
Conduct and support research on environmental and
health risks with the goal of developing cleaner ink
formulations, and make improved ink safety a top
goal of research and development.
Set up partnerships to help you obtain expert infor-
mation and analysis about ink chemicals. Find part-
ners within your company, as well as among your
suppliers, customers, trade associations, even the
community in which your business is located.
Worried about Cost Who Isn't?
The CTSA found that press speed is likely to be the
single most significant factor in determining the cost-
competitiveness of ink systems, since it influences labor,
capital, and energy costs. At equal press speeds, the
water-based systems had lower operating costs than the
solvent-based and UV-cured systems.
An important point is that inks with fewer and less
serious environmental and worker risk concerns can have
lower costs in many categories, such as
regulatory requirements,
insurance needs,
air emissions,
wastewater releases,
solid waste disposal, and
liability, mediation, and litigation.
To accurately determine the overall cost of any ink
system, you need to analyze each step of the printing
process, starting with ink systems and additives. It is
equally important to include the costs of protecting
your workers and the environment.
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