What are the main differences between water-based ink and solvent-based ink in terms of environmental protection indicators?

In terms of environmental protection indicators, water-based ink has significant advantages over solvent-based ink. The VOC content of water-based ink is ≤50g/L, much lower than the 300 - 500g/L of solvent-based ink (with the EU EcoLabel limit being ≤30g/L for comparison). For heavy metals (Pb/Cd), water-based ink has ≤20ppm, far lower than the 800 - 1200ppm of solvent-based ink, and also below the EN71-3 international toy safety standard limit of ≤100ppm. The biodegradability rate of water-based ink is 82% - 95%, which is more than three times that of solvent-based ink (15% - 28%), meeting the OECD 301B standard of ≥60%. In terms of production energy consumption, water-based ink consumes 0.22kWh/kg, a 42% reduction compared to the 0.38kWh/kg of solvent-based ink.

What technological breakthroughs have been made in water-based ink to address the controversy of slow drying and high energy consumption?

To address the controversy of slow drying and high energy consumption in water-based ink, new printing equipment equipped with an infrared drying module has been developed. This technology reduces the drying energy consumption of water-based ink by 40% while ensuring the printing efficiency. In addition, in 2023, a breakthrough was made in nano-scale water-based resin technology. It makes the drying speed of water-based ink on PET and other materials shorten from 120 seconds to 45 seconds under the condition of 50℃ hot air, effectively solving the problem of slow drying.

Is Water-based Ink Truly Environmentally Friendly?

Date: Apr 25 2025 From: Star Color Views:

The environmental protection transformation of the printing industry has become an irresistible trend. As an important representative of green printing, water-based ink, with its characteristic of "replacing oil with water", is regarded as an ideal substitute for traditional solvent-based inks. So, does water-based ink really possess excellent environmental protection performance as advertised? We will conduct an in-depth analysis from aspects such as core indicators, environmental protection dimensions, and technological innovations through the data and technological breakthroughs in the packaging and printing industry, to uncover the truth about the environmental friendliness of water-based ink.

I. Comparison of Core Environmental Protection Indicators

The quantitative comparison of environmental protection performance is the key to determining whether water-based ink is green. The 2023 Intertek Global Ink Testing Report (covering 1,237 batches of samples) shows that water-based ink significantly outperforms solvent-based ink in several core indicators:

Detection Item	Solvent-based Ink	Water-based Ink	International Limit
VOC Content	300 - 500g/L	≤50g/L	EU EcoLabel≤30g/L
Heavy Metals (Pb/Cd)	800 - 1200ppm	≤20ppm	EN71-3≤100ppm
Biodegradability Rate	15% - 28%	82% - 95%	OECD 301B≥60%
Production Energy Consumption	0.38kWh/kg	0.22kWh/kg	-

Among them, the VOC content of water-based ink is only 1/10 of that of solvent-based ink, the biodegradability rate is more than three times that of traditional ink, and the production energy consumption is reduced by 42%. In terms of heavy metal control, the lead and cadmium contents in water-based ink are far lower than the international toy safety standard (EN71-3), providing a safety guarantee for applications in sensitive fields such as children's books.

zhongzhixing water-based ink

II. Verification of Environmental Protection Advantages

2.1 Air Safety: Purifying the Printing Workshop Environment

Data from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) shows that after adopting water-based ink, the VOC concentration in the printing workshop has decreased from 35mg/m³ to 8mg/m³, fully meeting the safety threshold (50mg/m³) specified by OSHA. The detection results of the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) show that water-based ink has completely eliminated the emission of benzene series substances, and the content of the carcinogen benzene has decreased from 1.2% in solvent-based ink to the non-detectable level, greatly improving the working environment of the workshop.

2.2 Human Contact Safety: Protecting Consumers' Health

In terms of skin safety, the pH value of water-based ink has been optimized from 9.5 of solvent-based ink to approximately neutral 7.2 (in line with the DIN EN 71-10 standard), significantly reducing skin irritation. In the field of food packaging, the migration amount of bisphenol A in water-based ink is < 0.01ppb, which is 10 times stricter than the requirement of 0.1ppb in the EU food contact material regulation (No.10/2011), building a reliable defense line for food safety.

2.3 Waste Disposal: Promoting the Development of a Circular Economy

In the wastewater treatment process, the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the cleaning wastewater of water-based ink has decreased from 12,000mg/L to 800mg/L, meeting the direct discharge standard of the municipal sewage treatment system. Data from a German research institute shows that the recycling rate of printed products using water-based ink can reach 87%, which is 35 percentage points higher than that of traditional ink, effectively reducing solid waste pollution.

III. Technological Breakthroughs in Environmental Protection Performance

3.1 Nano-resin Technology: Achieving a Win-win in Performance and Environmental Protection

In 2023, a breakthrough was made in nano-scale water-based resin technology, enabling the adhesion of water-based ink on difficult-to-adhere materials such as PET to reach the 4B level (the highest is 5B level) of the ASTM D3359 standard. At the same time, the drying speed has been shortened from 120 seconds to 45 seconds under the condition of 50℃ hot air, completely solving the pain point of the slow drying speed of traditional water-based ink.

3.2 Biobased Additives: Reducing Dependence on Petroleum

By using renewable raw materials such as corn starch to replace 30% of the petroleum-based resin, the carbon footprint of water-based ink has decreased from 2.8kg CO₂/kg to 1.6kg, significantly reducing the dependence on fossil resources. This biobased ink has been widely used in the food packaging of enterprises such as Nestlé and Coca-Cola.

IV. Environmental Protection Controversies and Solutions

Despite its remarkable advantages, water-based ink still faces three major controversies, and the industry has solved them one by one through technological innovation:

Slow drying leads to increased energy consumption: New printing equipment equipped with an infrared drying module reduces the drying energy consumption of water-based ink by 40%, while ensuring the printing efficiency.
Poor adhesion to special materials: The water-based ink specially developed by DuPont for Surlyn® substrate has no peeling off after the 3M tape cross-cut adhesion test and has been successfully applied in high-end fields such as cosmetic packaging.
Higher cost than traditional ink: Based on the calculation of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model for a 5-year period, considering factors such as VOC treatment costs and equipment maintenance, the actual usage cost of water-based ink is 17% lower instead.

From the quantitative advantages of core indicators, to the environmental protection practices throughout the entire life cycle, and then to the breakthrough technological innovations, it has been fully proven through industry data and cases that water-based ink is not only a truly environmentally friendly ink but also the core driving force for the sustainable development of the printing industry.

eco-friendly water-based ink

The water-based ink of Zhongzhixing has been authoritatively tested by CNAS, and its VOC content is far lower than the industry average level, being only 1%, far exceeding the strict standards such as the EU EcoLabel, setting a new benchmark in environmental protection performance.

In practical applications, the water-based ink of Zhongzhixing is specially developed for fields such as food packaging and label printing. Its unique formula gives it the characteristics of low viscosity and low odor, and it can still maintain good fluidity on high-speed printing equipment, greatly improving production efficiency.

This ink performs excellently in terms of adhesion and abrasion resistance. Whether it is paper materials such as paper bags and paper cups or special plastic substrates, it can achieve firm adhesion, ensuring that the printed patterns are not easy to peel off or fade during subsequent transportation and use. Its excellent covering power can present rich and vivid colors, meeting customers' needs for high-quality printing.