A part of the company’s environmentally friendly philosophy includes returning the paper waste generated from the production of folding boxes and labels to the recycling loop. Unlike the options available with other types of printing, packaging materials cannot be reduced to simple, square shapes. First of all, adhesive flaps, dust and tuck-in flaps not to mention a variety of lid, base and closing designs all have to be separated from the rest of the sheet using punching dies. Even if optimum use is made of the sheet, there will always be waste paper. And quite a few sheets are lost in the set-up process during printing, finishing, sticking and additional processing. About 7,500 tonnes of waste paper and cardboard are generated each year.

The cardboard and paper waste is a sought-after material for recycling, since it contains a high percentage of virgin fibre. And since the long-established company only uses paints which are free of mineral oils and lacquers which are suitable for foodstuffs, the waste paper is also free of harmful substances. The waste material is taken directly from the machines and collected centrally. Before the new machine arrived, the company had been using container presses for the waste.