Sustainability and Environment
Responsible action by each individual makes a difference. This idea is at the very core of our beliefs. As a company, we bear a special duty to care for people and the environment. We harness synergies between our different locations to ensure that all production processes are focused on sustainability and the greatest possible reductions in energy and resource usage. We also constantly seek to improve and refine our organisational structures and processes based on these concerns. Among other distinctions, Christiansen Print has earned the FSC® quality seal for its responsible and sustainable work in the paper industry.
Use of sustainable and environmental FSC®-certified papers
A seamlessly controlled, sustainably designed process chain from the tree to the finished packaging – nearly all Christiansen Print’s paper processing plants have been awarded the FSC® quality seal. Available papers include certified craftliners made from fresh fibres and testliner recyclable papers. Aesthetics, resilience, functionality... each paper type has its own individual qualities and is selected depending on customer preferences, requirements and use. And of course special provisions are also possible – for example, we have also already printed on grass paper.
New benchmarks for sustainability and the environment: Water-based printing inks
In May 2019, Christiansen Print debuted a special ink series developed especially for water-based flexo printing. Its inks are based in part on natural resins and represent an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional inks.
Beyond these environment benefits, the inks also deliver excellent colour strength, viscosity, abrasion resistance and print performance.
Special inks and finishings
Water-based and free of mineral oil: All special inks, as well as metallic and pearlescent inks, used by Christiansen Print fulfil the same strict requirements for environmental protection and sustainability as CMYK standard inks do. The environmental standard is no less lofty for print finishing, which uses a wide range of varnishes. This includes gloss, matte, effects, protective, anti-slip and many other options.
Sustainable economic activity and energy management
Christiansen Print has been ISO 50001 certified for energy management at both its German sites in Northeim and Ilsenburg since 2015. Our mission is to design every single production step to be as sustainable as possible through the use of the most innovative technologies. This is how we have continuously reduced our energy consumption of electricity, gas and liquid gas at our plants.
We also review the overall situation responsibly, for example by efficiently coordinating the use of resources such as papers and inks on a Europe-wide basis. To do this we take advantage of the synergies from the different, complementary corporate sites and profiles.
Christiansen Print places great importance on defining its energy management objectives with a long-term vision. The current Sustainability Report of THIMM Group provides detailed information on the measures already implemented and those in planning.
Conserving resources using tesaTwinlock® sleeves:
Sustainable flexo printing at the Ilsenburg location
Always more than you’d expect: Christiansen Print holds to its performance promises by deploying new technologies that innovate in the areas of resource conservation, process efficiency and sustainability. For example, the central cylinder flexo printing machines at the Ilsenburg location employ the unique tesaTwinlock® technology. It allows for gluing of printed forms onto cylinders or sleeves without the use of adhesive bands.
On the one hand, self-adhesive sleeves are beneficial for their high degree of standardisation and related potential for process optimisation. Beyond this, the technical innovations also lend themselves to improved printing performance and reduced waste, allowing for more sustainable production.
This activation station, unique worldwide and developed specially for tesaTwinlock®, went into active production in 2019. It can clean and activate two sleeves at the same time, fully automatically. This represents enormous time savings. Compared with standard activation times of 20 minutes for one sleeve, Christiansen Print now requires just eight minutes for two sleeves - a five-fold reduction!
Christiansen Print certificates
Christiansen Print is certified based on ISO 9001 and ISO 50001 and has also been awarded the FSC® quality seal for responsible, sustainable paper production.