ACTEGA, a manufacturer of specialty coatings, inks, adhesives and sealing compounds for the print and packaging industry, has revealed the year’s achievements and successes of its ACTEGA Metal Print business, responsible for bringing the ECOLEAF sustainable metallization technology to market.

The business predicts continued success in 2023 with Harald Jasper, managing director of ACTEGA Metal Print, set to take on this leadership position in January. With extensive industry experience, he will implement his own expert vision and strategies as well as maintain some of the innovative approaches to advancing ECOLEAF’s success established this year by Stephan Plenz.

Thorsten Kröller, ACTEGA chairman, announced the appointment of Harald Jasper as the new general manager of ACTEGA Metal Print. A founding member and a key player in developing this innovative technology at ACTEGA Metal Print, Harald’s expertise has been integral in establishing ECOLEAF’s current structure. With an understanding of the market – alongside customers’ needs – Jasper’s deep knowledge promises strong success for the company going forward, the company says.

“Following years spent perfecting it prior to launch into an ever-evolving market, under Harald’s leadership, we believe that the market acceleration for ECOLEAF is imminent and will change the industry forever,” say Kröller, who also expressed his gratitude to Stephan Plenz, who has provided an invaluable outside-in look on ECOLEAF technology; with product and cost improvements made under his vision, ensuring that they are future-proofed against ever-changing customer demands.

According to the company, the success and appeal of ECOLEAF can be largely attributed to the sustainability benefits of its foil-less decoration process for metallic embellishments. Initial calculations from ACTEGA’s Life Cycle Assessment find that ECOLEAF can achieve a carbon footprint reduction of more than 50 percent compared to cold and hot foil processes.

The metallization process not only delivers a more sustainable production model for labels and packaging printers and the brands they serve, but also positively impacts costs and production times without compromising quality. “It is all of these benefits combined that make ECOLEAF such an attractive and potentially transformative technology for the industry. This potential has been realized by many brands and printers across Europe in 2022, with many already incorporating ECOLEAF into their production facilities,” comments Kröller.

Paolo Grasso, sales director for ECOLEAF at ACTEGA, explains, “2022 has not been without its challenges but, despite this, it has been a year with a lot to be proud of. Some of the most significant developments on the road to ECOLEAF’s market adoption was the announcement of our first digital partner, Springfield Solutions, and our first OEM partner, AB Graphic International (ABG). In addition to these significant and valuable collaborations helping us drive the conversion to sustainable metallization forward, numerous other forward-thinking companies committed to orders and installed ECOLEAF units in 2022.”

Advances in developing ECOLEAF metallic embellishments for use across even more packaging applications continued in 2022. Trials in 2023 include its use for decorating shrink sleeves, in-mold labels and tube laminates. By exploring this wide-ranging variety of applications, the ACTEGA team aims to bring the benefits of this innovative technology to as many businesses and printed products as possible in the future.

“Overall, it has been a rewarding year for ACTEGA Metal Print and the ECOLEAF story continues to be one of success. We are excited to maintain this positive outlook in 2023 with new management driving the company forward. We are confident that ECOLEAF’s market adoption will, once again, increase next year and the entire ACTEGA Metal Print team is fully committed to making this happen. Being able to see the many benefits of this ground-breaking technology continue to deliver results for our customers, brands, and the wider industry is what drives us, and we are sure many more will benefit from embracing ECOLEAF technology in 2023,” concludes Grasso.