At present, global environmental problems are serious: climate change, ozone layer destruction, biodiversity reduction, Marine pollution and other global environmental problems are becoming increasingly prominent, posing a serious threat to human survival and development.
Environmental problems know no borders, and environmental problems in one country may affect neighboring countries and even the whole world. Therefore, it is necessary for all countries in the world to work together, assume their corresponding responsibilities, and jointly deal with environmental challenges.
Under such an environmental storm, the smart card industry has also innovated and improved in many aspects. It mainly includes material technology innovation and printing technology innovation.
Material selection: Use degradable plastics or bio-based materials (such as PLA, polylactic acid) to replace traditional PVC materials; Smart cards are made from recycled plastic or other recycled materials to reduce the need for new resources.
Design and process improvement: Reduce resource consumption by optimizing design and reducing material usage. Reduce or eliminate the use of harmful chemicals in the production process and adopt more environmentally friendly production processes. Optimize production processes to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Recycling and reuse: Establish a smart card recycling program to encourage users to return discarded smart cards to designated locations for recycling. Recycled smart card materials are reprocessed to make new smart cards or other products.
Digital substitution: Promote virtual smart cards that provide the same functionality through mobile apps or other digital platforms, reducing the need for physical cards.
There are already a variety of environmentally friendly materials on the market smart cards, the following are some common environmentally friendly materials and their applications:
Bio-based plastics (e.g. PLA, polylactic acid) : made from renewable resources (e.g., cornstarch or sugar cane) and biodegradable. It is used to make various types of smart cards, such as payment cards, membership cards and transportation cards.
Recycled PVC: Made from recycled PVC material, reducing the need for new PVC. Widely used in payment cards, identification cards, and other types of smart cards.
PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate) : a recyclable plastic with a low environmental impact used to make payment cards, membership cards and other types of smart cards.
Paper smart card: made of recycled paper material, easy to recycle and degrade, suitable for short-term use of smart cards, such as event tickets, temporary passes, etc.
Wood smart card: Made from wood from sustainably managed forest resources, it has a unique look and feel. Used for high-end membership cards, hotel key cards, etc.
Composite material: composed of a variety of environmentally friendly materials, with the advantages of different materials. Used in various types of smart cards to provide better performance and environmental features.
The application of environmentally friendly new materials smart cards has put forward some new requirements for printing technology to ensure print quality, durability and environmental performance.
Adapting to new material characteristics: Printing technology needs to adapt to different environmentally friendly materials, such as bio-based plastics, recycled PVC, PETG, paper and wood materials. The surface properties, ink absorption and thermal stability of these materials may differ from those of traditional PVC. Ensure that the ink or ribbon can be firmly attached to the surface of the new material to avoid falling off or fading due to different material characteristics.
Environmentally friendly inks and ribbons: Use environmentally friendly inks and ribbons to reduce the use of harmful chemicals and ensure that the printing process and final product are not harmful to the environment and human body. The development and use of degradable inks to match degradable materials with smart cards ensures environmental protection throughout the product life cycle.
Printing equipment adjustment: Some environmentally friendly materials (such as bio-based plastics) are more sensitive to temperature, and the printing equipment needs to accurately control the temperature to avoid deformation or damage to the material. According to the hardness and thickness of different materials, adjust the pressure and speed of the printing equipment to ensure the printing effect and the integrity of the card.
High resolution and durability: Environmentally friendly materials may have different surface smoothness and ink absorption, requiring printing equipment to provide high-resolution printing effects to ensure the clarity of images and text. Ensure that the printed content has good durability under various use environments (such as friction, sunlight exposure, humidity changes, etc.) and is not easy to fade or wear.
Customization and flexibility: Eco-friendly smart cards may be used in different fields (such as payments, transportation, identification, etc.), and the printing technology needs to have a high degree of customization to meet the needs of different customers. Printing equipment and technology need to be flexible and able to quickly adapt to changes in different materials and designs.
