CCL ASEAN held its first “Sustainability Day Southeast Asia” at its Bangkok headquarters on January 21, bringing together industry leaders, brand owners, and innovators to discuss sustainability in packaging and printing. Asahi Photoproducts, a subsidiary of Asahi Kasei and a specialist in flexographic photopolymer plate development, participated as a key partner.
The event featured discussions on Thailand’s approach to plastic management, interactive sessions, and demonstrations of sustainable packaging technologies. Reinhard Streit, Vice President and Managing Director for Food & Beverage at CCL, delivered the opening remarks.
Ronnapop Viraratt, General Manager at CCL Label Thailand, highlighted the event’s goal: “Our aim was to showcase sustainability across the packaging value chain, from raw materials to recycling. Asahi continues to push the boundaries of sustainable plate-making, and we hope attendees found the event both educational and engaging.”
Asahi Photoproducts presented findings from a study comparing the environmental impact of flexographic and gravure printing. The research showed that flexo printing with water-wash plates and water-based inks can reduce carbon emissions by up to 35 times compared to solvent-based gravure printing. While flexo dominates in the U.S. and Europe, accounting for 70% and 50% of the market respectively, gravure remains widespread in Asia, particularly in China, where it holds over 90% market share.
Asahi’s water-washable AWP plates, featuring CleanPrint technology, eliminate the need for solvents in platemaking, aligning with the company’s “Roadmap to Solvent ZERO.” Tomohiro Ikawa, Marketing Director at Asahi Kasei, stated, “With rising demand for environmentally responsible printing solutions, our CleanPrint technology offers a pathway to lower carbon emissions without compromising quality or productivity.”
Asahi Kasei has set a target of achieving carbon neutrality across its operations by 2050. The event also featured insights from other industry players, including Avery Dennison Thailand, Krones Thailand, Envicco, and Kurz, focusing on sustainable packaging and recycling solutions.
Attendees concluded the day with a guided tour of CCL’s production facilities, followed by closing remarks from Geoffrey Martin, CEO of CCL.