As a packaging manufacturer and carton board packaging printers, we recognise that all operations within our company have an effect on the
local, regional and global environment.
As a company, we aim to provide our customers with quality packaging, an efficient and reliable service,
whilst maintaining strong environmental practices.
When you work with Priory Press Packaging, you can be assured that we aim to be environmentally friendly in all aspects of producing and manufacturing your packaging in order to minimise any adverse environmental effects caused as a result of our activities.
Sustainable Board
The board we use is manufactured from sustainable stocks.
We are BRCGS AA grade certified, FSC® and PEFC certified.
Our BRCGS certification allows us to print packaging which is suitable for direct food contact. It’s a global food product safety standard and legislative requirement.
FSC® and PEFC are programmes that are dedicated to promoting and practicing sustainable forest management. It’s vital that we produce premium packaging without the worry of recycling repercussions. All of our carton board is biodegradable, recyclable and compostable.
Is your packaging forest friendly? Watch the FSC® video for more information and check out the PEFC video on our Facebook.
Chemistry Free & Fully Recyclable Plates
Printing plates are used to transfer an image to paper or other substances. Ink is applied to the image area of the plate and transferred directly to the paper. Typically this is achieved using photochemical processes.
Priory Press Packaging have made a significant and innovative investment to make our plating process completely chemistry and water free. Not only is this less harmful for the environment but it also provides greater image consistency for our customers.
Inks & Coatings
Vegetable – based inks
At Priory Press Packaging, we use vegetable-based inks. As opposed to traditional petroleum-based ink, vegetable-based inks are more environmentally friendly, may provide more accurate colours, and make it easier to recycle paper.
Water – based coatings
Priory Press Packaging can provide different coatings on their printed products which are formulated to be suitable for food packaging, when coated on to the non-food contact surface of Food Contact Materials.
The wide range of coatings are fast drying premium emulsions, which exhibit low scuff finishes. The coatings are water-based emulsions, which are non-hazardous and are not dangerous for the environment giving our customers a fully recyclable product for post-consumer waste.
Energy Resources
Wind and solar power consumes no fuel and emits no air pollution, unlike fossil fuel power sources.
We have installed Solar Panels on our factory roof and have moved to Power NI Green Tariff (certified power generated from 100% renewable sources). Through the Carbon Trust, we have installed low LED lighting on our whole production floor, which is more energy efficient and less harmful to the environment. LED lighting has a longer lifespan than traditional bulbs and in some cases, can last up to 25 times longer.
Carbon Neutral
An Invest NI grant-assisted Carbon Footprint Audit prompted us to formally source our energy from renewable sources (aside from the power we generate with our solar roof installation).
Together with our extensive waste recycling, all electric sales vehicles, recycled machine heat energy and waterless production, has resulted in a very small Carbon footprint for our production – a little kerosene to heat the admin block and the diesel used to deliver our goods – 46 tons.
We have partnered with a UK based Carbon Offsetting organisation and invested in a willow planting scheme in the Lake District. This means that the packaging we produce for you is Certified Carbon Neutral using Certified 100% Renewable Energy on Certified Sustainably Sourced Card.
Waste Management
We operate an internal waste recycling plan which has reduced our waste disposal costs significantly. All dry goods including paper, plastics, metal, cartons and foiled print are recycled.
We deliver used wooden pallets to a local recycling centre where they are converted to wood chip.
We also recycle office ink cartridges through The Recycling Factory who ensure the cartridges are recycled or disposed of in an ethical and environmentally friendly way.
Consumer Recycling
Our food packaging is fully recyclable, biodegradable and compostable after use by the consumer.
Cardboard is a good component to use in the developing area of waste to energy: creating fuels and power from waste products.
It releases twice as much heat per pound of waste, compared to other sources, doesn’t release toxic poisons, and its only by-product is ash.
Finishing Touches:
Foiling
Packaging that has been foiled can be recycled. Our foil supplier Foilco, researched the effects of foil when printed on paper, cartons and board.
The findings indicate that the hot stamping foil content of the printed product, has no detrimental effect on the ability to recycle the packaging.
We return the foil transfer film to the supplier for recycling.
The foil content of most printed items is less than the ink. Two independent studies were conducted to determine the biodegradability and the recyclability of foil stamped paper. Foil has no visible effects on slowing down the rate of biodegradation of the paper & board.
UV Varnish / Spot UV
Packaging that has been finished with UV Varnish / Spot UV is not currently biodegradable.
