Print Against War is a non-profit organization of the newly established Meaningful Print Foundation which is intended to help Ukrainian companies active in the printing and packaging sector continue to operate. It is also dedicated to helping people return to work when possible. This collaboration is designed to mobilize all stakeholders in the printing and packaging sector around the world to help cope with wars, natural disasters, etc. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a certainly a challenge, thus the initiative of Print Against War calls on printers, processors, publishers, influencers and suppliers in the printing and packaging sector to join forces to support their colleagues who find themselves in an extremely difficult situation. In concrete terms, Print Against War offers printing and packaging companies a chance to add a voluntary donation option which is visible when paying for the order in their online stores. This option will collect contributions from a large number of graphic designers, agencies, print service providers and individuals from around the world. It is also possible to make a direct donation or offer other forms of material assistance (for example consumables, paper, etc., free of charge or at a reduced price). Finally, Print Against War strives to create partnerships between the European Union printers and the Ukrainian ones so that the former can share work with the latter, making their survival possible. Pap'Argus and its publisher MP Médias are partners in this initiative.

American giant HP has recently acquired Choose Packaging, a packaging development company based in Edinburgh (Scotland).  This move shows HP’s its interest in Choose’s patented technology, which offers an alternative to plastic bottles. In fact, Choose Packaging company invented the paper bottle.  The bottle, made up of a paper envelope which is lined with a PET-free waterproof coating, can contain different types of liquids. Choose company works with many large companies, such as Accolade Wines, one of the world’s largest wine companies (with over 50 brands)  Henkel, one of the largest consumer and industrial goods companies in the world and Malibu, one of the brands in Pernod-Ricard’s portfolio. With Choose’s integration into its customization and 3D printing business, HP will focus on scaling its technology. “Over 150 million tonnes of single-use plastics are produced each year and HP intends to revolutionize this market with 100% plastic-free, fibre-based packaging,” said HP. The paper bottle seems more and more of a reality…

The FEFCO Awards were presented at the Technical Seminar of the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturer (FEFCO) in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 2th – 22nd, 2021. The Golden Award went to Dücker Conveyor Systems for the development of an automated corrugated plate pallet loading system. The Bronze Award was awarded to BHS for a paper sheet handling system on the corrugated machine. The Silver Award went to Kento Digital Printing and Javier Quesada for a hybrid press for corrugated board. Javier Quesada (in the center of the photo with the director of the FEFCO Eleni Despotou, in red), who managed carton and board mills in France before joining the team of EFI Nozomi  and going on to create Kento.  We presented the Kento press last year at the Digital Packaging Forum (organized in Paris in early February 2021). It is a equipment that brings together the best of both worlds, flexo and digital, thus allowing a reduction in ink costs thanks to flexo while retaining the agility of digital. More info on www.kentodigitalprinting.com