31 Mar 2020 • 8 minute read
Adding embellishments to a card design for aesthetic or security reasons sometimes raises questions from our customers about the environmental impact. Namely, ‘Will adding foil impact the green credentials of our cards?’ To ensure we can respond to this question with – ‘no, there is no negative impact’ we work with Foilco as leaders in this space to help us.
Many people may not know but foil embellishments used on product packaging is recyclable. The metallic ‘effect’ of foil can sometimes be mistaken by end users, believing that the foil renders the product non - recyclable but as long as the substrate which the foil is applied is itself a recyclable material, then the product can still be included within the process. Our cards are of course recyclable.
The process to apply the foil effect to one of our cards is the same as packaging. The hot stamping foil is such a thin layer that it dissipates in the repulping process during recycling.
The only environmental challenge of foiling a paperboard product is in fact the ‘carrier’ in which the foil lays before it is applied, which is made of a polyester and is a contributor to UK Landfill.
Foilco’s initiative, the first within the foil industry, ensures the polyester carriers no longer end up at landfill but they are in fact reused as an energy fuel, contributing toward sustainable energy supplies. This is achieved by ensuring all carrier waste is collected at the point of application and returned to Foilco.
The Foilco scheme is the first to be accredited (and certified) as Zero2LandFill, in line with the Prismm Zero Foil 2 Landfill Scheme. The Scheme is run by Prismm Environmental Limited and sponsored by the British Printing Industry Federation (BPIF).
The process
Foil waste (foil, polyester and cardboard) created as a result of re-reeling/slitting/re-work of foil, is ‘bailed’ into cubes. These bails are delivered to a specialist plant that shreds the bails into extra fine shavings. Those shavings are then used at the plant (due to the higher calorific value of polyester) as an energy fuel (incinerated) that gets transferred into sustainable energy.
Outcomes
Foil & the environment
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Will hot stamping foil affect recycling of paper and board?
Foil provides a high-quality method of printing using very thin coatings. The coating weight is often less than conventional inks. Therefore, board can be recycled in conventional board recycling plants. As stated in PIRA Report: September 2008 – Tested samples sheets caused no problems in the re-pulping process.
Q2. What is the metal in the foil?
The bright effect of metallic foil is achieved by an ultra-thin coating of aluminium. This does not affect recycling processes.
Q3. Why can you not recycle the coatings on the polyester film?
The coatings are so thin that the cost is far higher than using new material. Attempting to recover the coatings has a greater detrimental effect on the environment than processing the film by slow release incineration.
Q4. Are there any other films that could be used to make hot stamping foil?
A strong, heat stable film is required to produce foil. Using polyester enables much lighter, thinner films to be used.
Q5. I have seen cartons covered in metallic effects. Is this foil?
Some metallic effects in large areas are created by using a metallised film adhered to board. The resulting board and film are not suitable for recycling, as the film cannot be separated from the board. In addition, heavy weights of ink are used to blank out the metallic area where not required.
Using hot stamping foil means you will only put the metallic effect where you need it, ruling out the need for extra inks. This will also ensure that the board is also repulpable.
Q6. What do I do with the left-over foil after I have printed from it?
Small quantities of foil can be safely included in the normal waste streams.
Q7. How do I minimise my own foil waste?
We supply foil in customer specific widths (design to manufacture), therefore minimising the left-over foil.
Q8. Why would I use black, white and other pigment foils instead of ink?
Foil provides greater opacity of print in a single pass than conventional inks. Printing of inks may require several passes, particularly for white, black and dark colours which would require a greater use of energy and materials.
Q9. Is slow release incinerating the waste film safe for the environment?
Incineration takes place in controlled conditions. Any ash can be spread on farmland as valuable soil nutrients. Also, the process does not have any detrimental effects to the environment or the atmosphere.
Degradable and biodegradable aspects of hot stamping foil
Hot Stamping foils are created by gravure printing extremely thin layers of inks. Metallic foils have an even thinner layer of aluminium.
The wax-based release layer is considered to be biodegradable.
The lacquer layer, aluminium and adhesives layers are degradable, due to the very thin layers.
Materials printed by hot foil stamping are repulpable in normal paper and board recycling. The print is achieved by no more weight than inks and therefore meets the requirements of recycling methods.
To learn more about how we can help you be more creative with your card designs using foil, please just ask.
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Introducing our range of plastic-free cards
Since 2006 we have been innovating and disrupting in the card market to develop what is a leading range of environmentally-friendly card solutions. So what sets us apart?
Well that’s the thing, there’s a number of reasons why Green Gift Cards are renowned in the world of card production. It is the material we use for our cards and the certification that the cards come with. It is also the compelling environmental story (we urge you to watch the video) that is behind all of our cards and the fact that, once finished with, our cards are compostable and can be recycled in normal household waste streams. Oh and we’ll say it again – being environmentally-friendly doesn’t mean they are more expensive. In fact they offer great value compared to plastic cards.
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