If I remember correctly, it was in the 80s that people began to seriously talk about threats to the environment, which is when the word “ecology” became popular. We spoke about holes in the ozone and acid rain, but nothing really seemed alarming. In Quebec, we were just coming out of an economic crisis and we were about to experience major technological breakthroughs. Our priorities were elsewhere. But we had no idea that technology would make so much progress so quickly, or that there would be as many consequences as advantages.
Respect for the environment
Today, technology occupies a special place in our lives and the environmental question inevitably returns to the forefront, and stronger than before. The increase in electronic devices and components is at the heart of the topic because of their shorter and shorter lifetimes. Companies have a major role to play, obviously, but wanting is simply not enough. The truth of the matter is that research and development for environmentally-friendly products is only in its early stages.
Compatibility with equipment
We receive more requests from our clients for these kinds of products. We regularly look for more “green” products (recyclable, reusable, recycled, etc.) and we perform many tests. As a matter of fact, in my last blog post I spoke about tests that we did with recycled labels. The same goes for inks and printers. Unfortunately, environmentally-friendly inks remain too expensive and don’t necessarily meet all the needs of our clients. Few suppliers recover their thermal ribbons, for example, and the cost for this service is very high.
Another issue is compatibility with equipment. Though biodegradable inks seem like a great idea, they don’t work well with all printers or with all media types (paper, vinyl, etc.). It’s important to perform tests first by making different ink/support/printer combinations. A painstaking task, but we’re persistent. What’s important for us is to keep offering quality products, and as the environment is a growing global concern, there will continue to be developments in the sector and we’ll be there to help you take advantage of them.
Do you manufacture or use effective environmentally-friendly products in the product identification sector? Contact me or send me a sample. We’re always open to testing new products and offer them to our clients.
