Quality and sustainability packed into one solution

Sustainability is one of the core values of Helsinki Mills Ltd, a Finnish producer of grain products, and this value directs all of its operations. This is proven by the company using green electricity in its production plants, as well as its choices of packaging materials. Now, sustainability is also a part of printing the packages for the newest products in the Myllärin range: they are printed with EGP™, Expanded Gamut Printing. In this new method, manually mixed inks have been replaced with standardized, digitally separated primary colors.

Minna Anttonen, Brand Manager at Helsinki Mills, says that the company's original reason for switching to EGP™ was to make print quality more consistent. With the new method, the colors on the packages for gluten-free oat products are uniform and bright. When inspecting the first print batch, the brand owner spontaneously commented: "now these packages look like they always should have looked." While the company originally adopted EGP™ for technical needs, Anttonen sees the benefits of the printing method on a larger scale:

We were happy to move on to EGP™. It suited our policy of operating sustainably. We also wanted to act transparently and show how we have concretely increased sustainability in our operations.

Transparency is increased by having the GreenerPrinting™ label on the packages, which is a sign of a more sustainable printing method. The label will be visible on the Myllärin bags printed with EGP™. Anttonen believes the label is an advantage that signals the sustainability of the brand.As the importance of environmental values grows in the field of packages and packaging materials, we also need to focus more on the environmental impact of printing:

Consumers are highly aware and active regarding the materials and recyclability of packages. There is still less focus on the environmental impact of printing, but awareness of this area is also constantly increasing.

Anttonen believes that EGP™ could be a part of Helsinki Mills' corporate responsibility program:

It's great that we can use solutions that are as environmentally-friendly as possible for our packages. After all, packaging is an essential part of our products. 

The company has started to use the EGP™ technology in co-operation of its prepress partner, Marvaco. Marvaco is the European pioneer in EGP™, and it is also responsible for monitoring the criteria for GreenerPrinting™. Currently, both Finnish and international brand owners are moving on to EGP™.

Source: Marvaco