Which Cover Coating is the Most Environmentally Friendly?

When specifying cover coatings for such applications as perfect-bound book covers, which option do you choose for the least harmful effect on the environment? With UV coating, lamination, aqueous coating, and varnish as the choices, which is best?

First of all, varnish, like ink, usually has a petroleum base (varnish is basically the vehicle of an ink mixture without the pigment), and during the drying process, the petroleum enters the atmosphere as toxic VOCs (volatile organic compounds). If your printer can use soy-based products for your project, of course, such a varnish would be far less harmful to the environment. (That is, it would be less toxic to humans and wildlife, it would cause less air pollution, and it would be less prone to contaminate the soil and groundwater.)

Laminates, such as the liquid, lay-flat, or film laminates used to coat the covers of perfect-bound books, are essentially plastics applied to the paper stock. In general, this would be problematic, due to the petroleum base of most plastics.  However, less harmful options are becoming available, such as laminates made from soy polymers, which are manufactured from soybean proteins. (Keep in mind, however, that although soy polymers are biodegradable, they do require land and water for growing the crops from which they are made. In addition, carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, is released during their manufacture. Soy polymers are also expensive. So while they are better for the environment than petroleum based materials, they are not without their problems.)

UV coatings, prized for their high-luster sheen, unfortunately, are very unfriendly to the environment for two reasons. First, they contain carcinogens. Second, they don’t decompose in landfills.

Water-based coatings, on the other hand, called aqueous coatings, are a good option. They come in gloss, satin, and matte finishes, providing variety in paper surface coating. Unfortunately, they are not as shiny as their UV counterparts, so there is a bit of a sacrifice in choosing this option.

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