Our Sustainability Initiative

Privateer Ltd. / Label One is committed to minimizing our carbon footprint via our:

• Generation of electricity to heat, cool and operate our facility.
• Generation and consumption of natural and LP gas.
• Generation and production of water used by our business.
• Transportation of all employees to and from work.
• Transportation of sales staff.
• Delivery methods.
• Production of the labels, ink, printing plates, plastic bags, copy paper, computers and everything else used and consumed to produce our product.
• Waste disposal.
• Efficiency.

As a flexo printer, we here at Privateer/Label One already operate on a smaller footprint than offset printers due to the fact that we can offer smaller, more custom runs resulting in less overall waste. Additionally, we use water- and UV-based inks; both of which have advantages for pressrooms looking to go greener. 

In a 2002 study, the Environmental Protection Agency found that both water-based and UV inks offered a number of advantages towards reducing environmental impact at the press. Both water- and UV-based inks are comparable in energy use and ink-related emissions, while being significantly lower than solvent-based inks in both categories. Additionally, water-based inks require half the amount of materials than solvent-based, and UV-based half that number again (“An Evaluation of Flexographic Inks on Wide-Web Film”, 25-26). Our pressroom has also considered making the switch to UV-based inks entirely as the curing process consumes less energy than the dryers required to evaporate other inks, and as the inks itself won’t dry up on the press, wash-ups are made easier and less time-consuming while also producing less waste.

We are also working with our substrate vendors towards similar goals. We source from vendors who make effort to reduce their environmental impact by responsibly sourcing their materials, reducing overall material usage, improving recyclability, and increasing recycled content in the end product. We are looking into ways to address PET plastic recycling by using water-based adhesives that breakdown and can be separated cleanly, reducing landfill waste and increasing pure PET flakes for recycling. Both our main paper supplier (Avery Dennison/Fasson) and our film supplier (Flexcon) has initiatives that focus on sustainability Flexcon has initiatives dedicated to developing environmentally friendly products using environmental friendly materials and water-based adhesives, reviewing packaging options to minimize waste, focusing on the reuse of pallets and packaging supplies, and being active in raw material recycling programs.

Lastly, we work with our customers to help them achieve their own initiatives for sustainability. At request, we can reuse the cores we supply you. By routinely picking up used cores from facilities and putting them back into the product cycle, we reuse thousands of cores annually. Additionally, on request, we can send electronic copies of our Certificates of Compliance, eliminating paper waste. 

At the request of customers, we are currently in the process of investigating environmentally friendly alternatives to some of our practices, including:

• Using more eco-friendly liners
• Re-purposing options for waste matrices
• Recycled materials used for boxes, cores, and core labeling
• Substitutes towards plastic bags
• Linerless labeling
• And more...!

Privateer LTD. / Label One recycles its paper, plastic, and cardboard waste.