It's time to defossilize.

The world can’t afford to dig up new fossil carbon and convert it to more CO₂ into the atmosphere anymore. We all see the world is warming up, fires are more frequent and bigger. Hurricanes everywhere are more frequent and stronger. Every ton we extract adds to the problem — permanently. What we need is a complete shift: from virgin fossil sources to renewable, recycled, or reused carbon as a first step. From waste to value feeding the reuse model. Next steps will be needed to recapture CO₂ back from the atmosphere.

That shift won’t come from one breakthrough. It’ll come from thousands of smarter decisions, made every day. Across supply chains. Across industries. Amongst end users. And yes — in print and packaging too.

We’re here to take responsibility. And help others do the same.

Some companies have only just discovered the word ‘sustainability’. At Xeikon, it’s been part of our mindset — and our manufacturing floor — for years. Since 2004, we’ve reused excess thermal energy from our compressors to cut gas use by over 95%. Since 2009, all our Belgian sites have run on 100% green electricity.

We’ve developed low-melt toners and LED curing UV inks to reduce energy demand. Toner prints need to be recyclable and deinkable. Always use safe toner ingredients with food and migration compliance in mind — no VOCs, no BPA, no hazards or risks. We switched to corrugated and reusable packaging where possible. Encouraged digital printing as a way to eliminate wasteful overruns and avoid print to stock. In Belgium we have more than 3.000 solar panels on the roofs of our buildings

Sustainability isn’t something you declare or talk about. It’s something you do — day in, day out. Today, over 60% of the carbon in our label toner resin comes from recycled sources like used PET bottles and recycled monomers. Our Titon toner pushes the limits of food safety and compliance. And our water-based inks for corrugated packaging contain less than 15% fossil carbon — all humectants are biobased.

The impact of doing this on the carbon footprint of the consumables is visible.  We increased sales with 21 % in the last two years while keeping the carbon footprint constant.

The Ecovadis Gold status obtained this year proves that sustainibility in all its aspects is our way of living.

We know where the biggest levers are. That’s why we’re doubling down — not just on technology, but on everything around it.

We’re working to reduce the energy consumption of our engines, so customers get more performance with less footprint. We’ll increase the use of recycled materials and are actively recycling parts for reuse — not just in packaging, but inside the engines and consumables themselves. We're phasing out all remaining fossil-fueled company cars, including hybrids, in favour of fully electric.

The global CO₂ curve isn’t bending fast enough. We still rely heavily on fossil carbon. Meanwhile, packaging is facing growing scrutiny from regulators, retailers and increasingly climate-aware consumers. At Xeikon we believe packaging must evolve. 

On top of that we also see a shift in the customers offerings. More back to solid materials (solid detergents, solid shampoos), more and more shops to go with your reusable bags and refilling options.  We certainly see trends towards fewer complex multi-layer constructs and the stepping aways from laminates.

In that change lies opportunity. Because simpler doesn’t have to mean basic. It calls for smarter printing. Digital printing. On-demand printing. Local printing. That’s where Xeikon steps in. Digital label printing is growing fast and for good reason: you print exactly what you need, when you need it. No overproduction, no surplus stock, no obsolete SKUs gathering dust. In fact, industry studies suggest up to 5–10% of all labels printed worldwide never get used.

That waste is avoidable. With Xeikon’s digital presses, you only print what’s needed. Short runs, high variability, last-minute changes — all without waste and serving the local community with flexible technology capable of changing substrates and colors and marking materials in a fast way. Also all to avoid unnecessary transport. For brand owners, that means agility. For the planet, that means fewer CO₂ emissions, less resource consumption, leaner supply chains.

And there’s more. Thanks to our latest proprietary dry-toner technology, TITON, we eliminate the need for varnish or lamination, two major obstacles for recyclability. With our solutions, paper-based packaging becomes food-safe, durable, and fully recyclable. Our inks are free from harmful solvents, or controversial chemicals that could migrate or harm. That translates into packaging that meets stringent food-safety and regulatory requirements, without compromising recyclability or performance.

If you want packaging that respects the planet and delivers premium quality, let’s talk. Together, we can make the next generation of packaging smarter, simpler, and more sustainable.