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                                                      Partnership
 Dear Colleague:                         :
                                        i

    The Flexography Partnership's Steering Committee is pleased to present the enclosed new information
 tools for flexographic printers. As you may know, the Flexography Partnership is a voluntary
 collaboration between representatives of the flexographic industry and the U.S. EPA's Design for the
 Environment (DfE) Program. The major effort conducted by the partnership was an evaluation of the
 environmental; human health, performance, and cost aspects of solvent-based, water-based, and ultra-
 violet cured ink systems. The results of this study were published last February — Flexographic Ink
 Options: A Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment (CTSA).
    Key information elements from the CTSA have been condensed into shorter outreach pieces to pro-
vide printers with quick, practical information. These new outreach pieces are designed to help printers
include environmental, health, and safety considerations into their everyday decisions in the shop.

    We hope these materials become valuable tools in your efforts to protect worker health and the
environment while running a successful printing enterprise. For more information, please contact a
participating association or the Design for the Environment Program. All of the Flexography Partnership's
materials are available on the DfE website gt http://www.epa.gov/dfe/projects/flexo.

Sincerely,
Stephen L. Johnson
Assistant Administrator
Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and
  Toxic Substances
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
             .  XI
;CoBert''Bateman                  :
(representing California Film Extruders &
  Converters Association, and the Film
  & Bag Federation)
Roplast Industries
George Fujchs
Manager of Environmental Affairs and
  Information Systems
National Association of Printing Ink
  Manufacturers
              Doreen M. Monteleone
              Director of Membership &
                Environmental Services  . •  •;.'--
              Flexographic Technical Association
                                                 Gary M. Cohen
                                                 Executive Director
                                                 RadTech International, N.A.
                                   Ram Singhal
                                   Director, Technology & Regulatory
                                     Affairs
                                   Flexible Packaging Association
Norma S. Fox
Executive Director
California Film Extruders & Converters
  Association
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                 www.napim.org  www.radtech.org  wWwJplasticbag.com

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