With the rise of environmental awareness, when customizing product packaging boxes, the environmental friendliness of the box is a great concern. In addition to choosing environmentally friendly packaging materials, it is also a very good choice to use environmentally friendly ink, such as soy ink. So what is soy ink and why do we choose it?

Petroleum is an important material for the production of traditional inks, and in the late 1970s, the shortage of petroleum caused its price to soar. “The Newspaper Association of America recognized the need for a more reliable printing material, and after trying more than 2,000 types of vegetable oils, it finally chose soybean oil, which is the most stable, to replace petroleum.

Soy ink is made from edible soybean oil, which is safe and harmless, and also can be completely integrated into the natural environment, greatly reducing the risk of organic solvent residues. Its bright color, high consistency, friction resistance, and excellent printing results make it suitable for a wide range of color printing needs.

What's more, soy ink is easy to recycle and reuse, with less damage when deinking waste paper and low recycling costs, contributing to sustainable development. Therefore, choosing soy ink as the printing material for packaging boxes is not only responsible for the environment, but also improves the quality of the product, which is a perfect combination of environmental protection and practicality. 

Compared with petroleum inks, soybean oil inks can reduce the production of volatile chemicals, while also addressing the environmental health and safety issues of the printing industry. The U.S. Association for the ink containing soybean oil content has also made specific provisions: heatset offset wheel transformation ink in soybean oil content shall not be less than 10%, offset sheetfed ink is not less than 20%, foaming ink is not less than 40%, offset news ink must be more than 55%.

Compared with traditional inks, the advantages of soy ink are also very obvious:

• Bright color & High saturation

compared with traditional ink, soy ink printed images will be clearer and brighter. In addition, the high transparency and bright colors of soybean oil can easily achieve a wide range of color packaging printing.

• More environmentally friendly

Soy ink has a low VOC content of 0.8% compared to 4.6% for petroleum-based inks. This verifies that soy-based inks have a lower impact on the earth's air compared to other inks. In addition, soybeans have a short growth cycle and are naturally biodegradable, placing virtually no burden on the earth's environment.

• Ease of Recycling

There is a de-inking step in the recycling process of any box or paper to make the recycling process go smoothly. According to research, soy inks are easier to deink than regular inks. And there is minimal damage to the fibers of the paper, and the residue of used soy ink is very easy to degrade, which is good for wastewater treatment.

• Good water adaptability and stability

Soybean ink has good water adaptability and stability, and can maintain stable printing effect under different humidity and temperature conditions to ensure the quality of printed materials. These advantages make soy ink in the printing industry has a wide range of application prospects.

With the enhancement of people's awareness of environmental protection, soy ink as a renewable resource, in line with the trend of sustainable development. Its use not only helps to reduce environmental pollution, but also promotes the development of agriculture. Choosing soy ink is not only responsible for the environment, but also improves the quality of products.