Paper Cup Standard GB/T27590-2011 Takes Effect: No Printing Within 15 mm of Rim or 10 mm of Base

Can ink-free zones at the cup rim keep printing ink out of drinks?

The national paper cup standard GB/T27590-2011 (the “national standard”) takes effect tomorrow. It requires that no printed graphics appear within 15 mm from the rim down the cup body or within 10 mm from the base up the cup body. As a result, paper cups will no longer be printed in full color across the entire surface.

The standard also states that paper cups must be free of off-odors, cannot use recycled materials as raw material, and must not contain intentionally added fluorescent whitening agents, among other requirements.

A Legal Evening News reporter contacted several paper cup manufacturers. Many industry insiders, including producers, said the standard will raise costs, and that in real production, customer requirements will still have to be accommodated over the standard.

During visits to wholesale markets and supermarkets that morning, the Legal Evening News reporter found that even with the standard about to take effect, “three-no” products—those missing production date, manufacturer and shelf life—were still being sold.

Industry response: the real issue is not blank space; the printing method is key

Zhang Juan (pseudonym) heads a relatively large paper cup manufacturer in Beijing. Its clients include state-owned banks and large state-owned enterprises, and it produces about 500,000 paper cups per day.

Zhang Juan explained that paper cup graphics are mainly printed by offset printing and water-based printing. Offset printing delivers vivid colors, layering and strong visual appeal, but it contains varying levels of substances such as lead. If the cup body is fully printed under the current approach, excessive use will certainly be bad for health.

Water-based printing, also called flexographic printing, uses inks with fewer toxic organic solvents. It does not adversely affect human health or the environment during use, making it a better option for paper cup printing.

“Paper cup printing directly affects user health and is critical. Yet the national standard does not say much about printing methods,” Zhang Juan said.

On the standard’s blank-space rule, Manager Liu of another paper cup factory also said the key remains which printing method is used; the exact unprinted distance is not very meaningful. Safe, food-grade printing materials have little impact on the human body.

Cost reveal: plate-making costs for different printing methods differ by about ten times

Zhang Juan said offset and water-based printing differ greatly in cost. An offset printing plate costs 50 to 60 yuan. A water-based plate is priced by square centimeter: 1 square centimeter costs 3 to 5 mao, and one plate costs about 500 yuan. That makes plate-making costs alone nearly 10 times apart.

In appearance, offset printing also outdoes water-based printing. Offset patterns are bright and clear in color, while water-based printing cannot match that clarity.

“After all, business is driven by the market, and customer requirements always matter. If a customer wants clear graphics, an attractive look and a low price, we can only use offset printing. The national standard does not explicitly ban offset printing,” Zhang Juan said.

Manager Liu analyzed the raw material side, saying costs vary widely. Good paper cup paper is pure wood pulp base paper and costs at least about 10,000 yuan per ton. Cheaper paper costs only five or six thousand yuan per ton, or even less. Bamboo pulp and reed pulp are much cheaper and save considerable cost.

Industry insiders acknowledge that the main health impacts of paper cups come from raw materials and printing. But cheap raw materials and low-cost printing are not strictly regulated, or even covered, by the new national standard, which may let some unscrupulous manufacturers exploit loopholes to cut costs.

Base paper contains whitening agents, leaving paper cups “caught in the crossfire”

On raw materials, to prevent toxic solvents, the standard requires paper cups to have no off-odors, prohibits recycled materials, and requires additives to comply with regulations. Additives outside state-permitted uses—such as fluorescent whitening agents, industrial paraffin and industrial talc—must not be used in paper cup production and processing.

Zhang Juan candidly noted that large paper mills generally do not add fluorescent whitening agents when making paper cup base paper, but residues can remain during production changeovers, so complete avoidance cannot be guaranteed. If the amount is not excessive, there is no safety problem.

On the addition of fluorescent whitening agents, Zhang Juan added that this has nothing to do with paper cup factories. “Paper cup factories cannot add whitening agents; it must happen at the paper mill, because paper cup factories buy finished paper. How could they add it at will?”

— This article is reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362057.html