Orion Starts Production of Environmentally Friendly Packaging... Reduces Ink Usage by 50%

As Part of Ethical Management, Company-Wide Environmental Management Practices Including Packaging Reduction and Improvement, Development of Eco-Friendly Packaging
7 Billion Investment in 'Flexo' Printing Equipment Introduced... Packaging Production for Pokachip, Baebae, and Choco Song-i Begins

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Orion announced on the 19th that it has started producing eco-friendly packaging materials using flexo printing equipment.

Starting this month, flexo printing production has begun for ‘Pocachip’ packaging and individual inner packaging for products such as ‘Baebae’ and ‘Choco Song-i’. Unlike traditional gravure printing, flexo printing is an eco-friendly packaging production method that significantly reduces ink usage through a relief printing process. As part of its ethical management, Orion has embarked on company-wide eco-friendly management and invested 7 billion KRW last year to introduce flexo printing equipment. It expects to reduce ink usage by about 50% compared to previous levels. Additionally, since the use of organic solvent-based solvents, which were essential in conventional packaging printing, is eliminated and plate-free printing is possible, not only environmental protection but also working conditions have greatly improved. Orion plans to gradually produce all products using the flexo printing method in the future.

Since 2014, as part of its ethical management, Orion has continuously worked on packaging innovation to minimize resource waste and environmental pollution by reducing and improving packaging materials and developing eco-friendly packaging. From 2014, packaging specifications for a total of 22 products were reduced. In 2017, eco-friendly packaging that does not use harmful volatile organic compounds was developed and applied, and in 2018, packaging for a total of 12 products including ‘Choco Pie’ and ‘Pocachip’ received the Ministry of Environment’s Green Certification for the first time in the confectionery industry. Furthermore, in 2015 and 2019, packaging design simplification and reduction of printing density were carried out for a total of 32 brands. Through these efforts, the amount of ink used in packaging manufacturing was reduced by approximately 178 tons annually compared to before.

Moreover, these eco-friendly activities have been linked to increased consumer satisfaction. The cost savings from reduced ink and packaging usage have been returned to consumers through the ‘Good Packaging Project,’ which increases product quantity without raising prices, creating a virtuous cycle. Over the past six years, a total of 17 products have been increased in quantity, and through improvements and efficiency in production facilities, Orion plans to further enhance both environmental protection and consumer satisfaction.

An Orion representative said, “Eco-friendly management is a pillar of Orion’s ethical management and an indispensable factor for the company’s sustainable growth. Through active implementation of eco-friendly management, we will reduce unnecessary resource waste to protect the environment while providing greater value to consumers.”

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