Patagonia’s guide book is created with the world’s first algae offset ink! - Yanko Design

A while agone, the clothing visitor aka eco enthusiasts Patagonia approached Cast Iron Design with a proposition to create a printed guide to Boulder, Colorado. Bandage Iron Blueprint happily accepted, just they had some big plans in heed, or might I say "greenish" plans in mind. In an attempt to stay true to Patagonia's eco-friendly philosophy, Cast Atomic number 26 Design collaborated with Living Ink, procuring a black pigment from them to print the guide with. However, this is no ordinary pigment, it'south been derived from the algae Spirulina.

Designer: Cast Fe Design

The rustic piffling chocolate-brown pocket guide is the world's offset use of algae offset ink! Living Ink utilized a subtle thermal procedure to convert the algae into a night pigment. The algae deed every bit a sustainable alternative to the usual petroleum-based pigments present in ink. After undergoing purification and milling, the algae pigment is combined with vegetable oil and other additives to create the black colored ink.

Via offset printing, the ink is used to banner the contents of the guide onto the paper. Did we mention that the newspaper used to create the booklet is 100% PCW recycled! The carbon-neutral guide comprises of chlorine-free recycled fibers, so not only is the ink sustainable merely then are the pages!

Bandage Iron Design believes that though this may look like "a seemingly inconsequential achievement on its own, small victories like this push the industry towards a more sustainable time to come." And I wholeheartedly agree! Algae ink pigment could be a renewable and significant alternative to other petroleum-based options. With 8000 copies of Patagonia's Boulder Guide Book existence printed and circulated, we are one pocket-sized step closer to a sustainable earth. Kudos to Cast Iron Design, Living Ink and Patagonia for doing their flake!