Mejoel: What are the environmental advantages of UV varnish printing compared to traditional printin

1.Zero VOC emissions: eliminating air pollution from the source
Traditional printing processes, such as solvent based inks, rely on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as carriers. After printing, solvents need to be released through high-temperature drying or natural volatilization, causing harmful substances such as benzene and toluene to diffuse into the air. These substances not only exacerbate the formation of haze, but may also cause respiratory diseases and neurological damage in workers.
In contrast, UV varnish printing uses photopolymerization technology, which mainly consists of oligomers, monomers, and photoinitiators, and does not contain any volatile solvents. During the printing process, the varnish instantly solidifies into a film under ultraviolet radiation, with no VOC emissions throughout the entire process. This feature makes it compliant with global stringent environmental standards such as EU RoHS and US EPA, making it the preferred process for packaging, labeling, and other fields.
 
2.Chemical pollution sharply decreases: reducing the burden of industrial wastewater treatment
Traditional printing requires a large amount of diluents, dampening agents, and cleaning agents. These chemicals mix with ink to form high concentration waste liquid. If discharged directly without treatment, it will seriously pollute water bodies and soil. According to statistics, a medium-sized printing factory may generate hundreds of tons of VOC containing wastewater each year, with high treatment costs.
UV varnish printing does not require solvent dilution, and the water consumption for equipment cleaning is reduced by more than 80%. The varnish composition is stable, and the pollutant content in the waste liquid is extremely low. For example, a certain food packaging company has reduced the cost of wastewater treatment by 60% after adopting UV varnish, while avoiding legal risks associated with illegal discharge.
 
3.70% reduction in energy consumption: the core breakthrough of low-carbon production
Traditional printing thermosetting inks require high temperature drying above 150 ℃, which accounts for more than 30% of production costs in terms of energy consumption. Taking a printing factory with an annual output of 100000 tons as an example, it consumes approximately 12000 tons of standard coal and emits 30000 tons of CO ₂ annually.
The curing energy consumption of UV varnish printing is only 20% -30% of traditional processes. The UV lamp system adopts high-efficiency reflector and cooling technology, which increases the energy conversion rate to over 80%. After a printing company in Dongguan introduced UV varnish, the annual power consumption of a single device decreased from 240000 kWh to 70000 kWh, which is equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by 50 tons.
 
 
4.Zero generation of dust and waste: purification workshop and recycling chain 
Traditional printing requires a large amount of powder coating (such as corn starch or synthetic materials) to prevent paper adhesion, resulting in excessive dust concentration in the workshop, and residual powder coating will reduce the paper recycling value. Data shows that 1-2 kilograms of powder coating are required per ton of printed material, of which about 30% is dispersed with exhaust gas.
 
UV varnish printing eliminates the need for powder coating due to the instantaneous solidification of the ink layer. This not only improves the working environment for workers (reducing dust concentration by 90%), but also makes it easier to recycle substrates such as paper and metal foil. For example, after a tobacco and alcohol packaging factory adopted UV varnish, the waste paper recycling rate increased from 65% to 92%.
 
5.Material adaptability expansion: reducing resource waste
Traditional printing has poor adhesion to low absorbent materials such as plastics and metals, often requiring pre-treatment or composite processes, resulting in material waste. For example, when printing PE film, corona treatment is required first, which increases the cost by 15%.
UV varnish can be directly cured on various material surfaces without the need for pre-treatment. Through formula optimization, its adhesion has reached ASTM D3359 standard 5B level (the highest level). This feature reduces material loss and contributes to a circular economy. As a result, a cosmetics packaging company reduced material waste by 30% and saved over 2 million yuan in annual costs.
 
UV varnish printing has reshaped the environmental landscape of the printing industry through core advantages such as zero VOC emissions, low energy consumption, minimal pollution, and easy recycling. Although the initial equipment investment is relatively high, its long-term economic benefits (such as reducing pollution fines and improving material utilization) and social benefits (improving worker health and contributing to carbon neutrality) are accelerating the industry's popularization. In the future, with further breakthroughs in water-based UV varnish and digital UV technology, this process will become a benchmark for sustainable development in the printing industry.
 
If you also want to purchase high-quality UV varnish or have any related questions to consult, please feel free to contact us.
 
Welcome to contact us！
Email：jsmeiqiao@outlook.com
PhoneCall/Whatsapp：+86 18915326856
Web：www.imejoel.com