Greater sustainability with organic-based inks

Gruppo Colorobbia’s eKo series is a new generation of organic-based digital inks designed for ceramic manufacturers seeking maximum production efficiency combined with a lower environmental impact.

Colorobbia (Sovigliana Vinci, Italy)

Gruppo Colorobbia’s eKo series is a new generation of organic-based digital inks designed for ceramic manufacturers seeking maximum production efficiency combined with a lower environmental impact.

Eco-sustainability is one of the main factors driving ceramic product purchasing trends. This means that environmental awareness is an increasingly important and distinctive added value for a tile brand, and together with elegance, durability and functionality of products is a guarantee of success.

Colorobbia has always been a leader in developing production technology aimed at improving healthiness, fighting climate change and providing end users with the products they want.

For digital decoration of ceramic surfaces, water-based inks such as the AIR series from Colorobbia remain the best solution to environmental problems, provided that this technology offers reliable performance in the ceramic industrial environment. The range has now been expanded with the introduction of the new eKo series, an intermediate product that can be used immediately with today’s digital machines.

With the new eKo series, Gruppo Colorobbia ensures efficient use of materials while guaranteeing optimum performance and safety on single-firing tile production lines.

The series comes in a wide range of colours and special materials and guarantees the highest quality during all production stages.

Its high performance not only lowers ink consumption but also reduces the quantities of applied organic substances. For example, the 20% lower ink application weight leads to a 25% reduction in organic matter and consequently in the carbon footprint left by the inks.

The nature of the atmospheric emissions from the kilns, which is related to the chemical composition of the ink solvents and the quantity of applied organic matter, depends amongst other things on the moisture content of the ceramic body, the firing cycle, the kiln atmosphere and the external weather conditions, all of which are outside the control of glaze and colour producers. What these producers can control however is the composition of their digital products, as is the case in the Colorobbia laboratories.

The new eKo series is formulated with odourless organic solvents of plant origin free from hydrocarbons and glycol ethers. The high decomposition temperature combined with the reduced quantities of applied organic matter ensure complete combustion inside the kiln and reduce the levels of formaldehyde and odours exiting the kiln flue.

In addition to its high performance in terms of the ceramic production process, efficient use of materials and reduction in atmospheric emissions, the eKo series from Colorobbia offers a complete solution for minimising waste and eliminating disposable plastic in compliance with the latest market regulations, thereby offering an advantage to customers.

With care for the environment and personal safety part of the group’s DNA ever since it was founded in 1921, Colorobbia has always supplied the ceramic industry with high-quality products while maintaining a focus on environmental sustainability.