Press ReleaseAsahi Photoproducts Achieves Carbon Neutral Certification forAWP™-DEW CleanPrint Flexo PlatesCompany partners with the Carbon Trust in pursuing this importantsustainability achievement
Tokyo, Japan & Brussels, Belgium, September 29, 2022. Asahi Photoproducts, apioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, today announced it has achieved
Carbon Neutral Certification in partnership with the Carbon Trust for its AWP™-DEW
CleanPrint water-washable flexographic plates in compliance with PAS 2060. Thiscertification is renewed on a regular basis; with each renewal period, carbon reduction
requirements escalate, with the goal of reducing the actual carbon footprint of the certified
product, from sourcing raw materials through packing and shipping the product, its use at
the customer site, and its disposition at end of life.
ʺWe are proud to have achieved this important milestone in our sustainability journey,ʺ said
Dieter Niederstadt, Asahi Photoproducts Technical Marketing Manager. “We understandthe importance of accountability and continuous improvement in carbon footprinting, andwe are grateful to the Carbon Trust for their expert guidance and oversight. We lookforward to ongoing interaction with the Carbon Trust as we continue our whole-of-company
compliance with the carbon management plan that is part of the Carbon Neutral certification
process. We are also dedicated to helping our customers leverage this certification in theirown carbon footprinting efforts.”
Partnering with the Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust is an international climate change and sustainability consultancy with themission to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy by helping governments,
businesses, and organizations to reduce carbon emissions and achieve greater resource
efficiency. A leader in environmental footprinting, the Carbon Trust certifies the footprint ofproducts, organizations, and value chains across the globe. In working with a certifying

organization such as the Carbon Trust, there is a formal process for achieving certification.
It comprises two stages. First, the Carbon Trust works with applicants to establish an
accurate measurement of their current carbon footprint; in other words, Carbon Measured
Certification, in accordance with the PAS 2050 standard. Unless you truly know where you
are starting from, you can’t accurately measure your progress to Carbon Neutrality. It is astringent and fully documented process. The second part of the process is compliance withthe PAS 2060 standard, which is achievement of Carbon Neutral status.
Accountability is Critical
A key element of the Carbon Neutral certification process is accountability, both to ensure
actual compliance with the relevant standards and to avoid any appearance ofgreenwashing. In addition, driving this type of major change in an organization requires
changing the mindset of people in research and development, product management andmore. “At Asahi Photoproducts,” Dieter added, “we have been producing water-washable
flexo plates since 1973 in the form of APR liquid resin plates for corrugated board, still till
today the most environmentally balanced solution in flexographic plate making. And today,
we have the full support of our parent company, Asahi Kasei, in creating the necessary
cultural change to ensure we achieve even more balance in our flexographic products.”
Resolving climate change issues is difficult, and there is a need to accelerate relevant
efforts. That is a key factor in Asahi Kasei’s increased drive toward attaining carbon
neutrality status for 30% of its operations by 2030 and 100% by 2050. It is the reason Asahi
Photoproducts has worked hard to achieve PAS 2060 Carbon Neutral certification from theCarbon Trust for its AWP™-DEW water-washable flexographic plates.
“While our initial certification utilizes carbon offsets due to the fact that our flexographic
plates are manufactured using fossil-based raw materials, our ultimate goal is to minimize
these offsets as we work hard to make our products even more in harmony with theenvironment,” Dieter continues. “In addition to offsetting credits, the Carbon Neutral
certification also requires the submission of a carbon management plan including clear
targets for reduction of the carbon footprint for the AWP™-DEW product life cycle which isaudited on a regular basis. If those reduction targets are not met, the certification willexpire. This, for those concerned with sustainability, is the beauty of it all. R&D will need toestablish completely new milestones, not only related to the graphical and printing
performance of the plate itself, but additionally with respect to its CO2 footprint. The
certification for us is only a starting point of a long-term journey. It will take us some time toimplement those improvements throughout our AWP™ product portfolio. We hope that othermarket participants will be encouraged to follow our lead here in order to set flexographic

printing technology apart from other alternatives, enabling it to become the printing
technology of choice for brands and print buyers.”
To learn more about Carbon Neutrality and the process used by Asahi Photoproducts toachieve this certification, download our white paper, Carbon Neutrality: A Goal WorthPursuing.”
For more information about flexographic solutions from Asahi Photoproducts that are inharmony with the environment, visit www.asahi-photoproducts.com.

—ENDS—

About Asahi Photoproducts
Asahi Photoproducts was founded in 1973 and is a subsidiary of the Asahi Kasei Corporation, which
has a century of operating history. Asahi Photoproducts is a leading pioneer in the development ofphotopolymer flexo printing plates. By creating high-quality flexographic solutions and throughcontinued innovation, the company aims at driving print forward in harmony with the environment.
Follow Asahi Photoproducts at.

More information is available at www.asahi-photoproducts.com and at:Monika Dürr
duomediamonika.d@duomedia.com+49(0)6104 944895

Dr. Dieter Niederstadt
Asahi Photoproducts Europe n.v. /s.a.
dieter.niederstadt@asahi-photoproducts.com+49(0)2301 946743

Image & caption:

Caption: Asahi’s AWP™-DEW CleanPrint water-washable flexographic plates achieved the Carbon
Neutral Certification in compliance with PAS 2060 handed over by the Carbon Trust.