Japanese venture to upcycle manufacturing scrap into print ink

Startups Gab Inc. and Paper Parade Inc. have joined hands to start .Garbon Printing, a venture to convert hard-to-recycle corporate and municipal waste into carbonised black pigment and printing ink. They hope to replace conventional petroleum-based black ink with a carbonised waste alternative, producing upcycled letterpress items such as business cards, calendars, packaging and coasters.

Conventional black pigments, which rely heavily on crude oil and naphtha, alongside the challenge of managing manufacturing scrap destined for incineration. Under the partnership, Gab Inc. will oversee waste selection, carbonisation testing and pigment production. Design firm Paper Parade Inc. will then formulate the final printing ink and handles design and letterpress manufacturing. Each raw material yields slight variations in black tone and texture, giving individual printed pieces distinct visual characteristics.

.Garbon Printing offers a full-service workflow, accepting waste consultations even when clients have not determined final applications. After testing sample materials for carbonisation and colour quality, the venture designs and produces finished paper products. An exhibition in Shibuya showcased items printed with the waste-derived pigment, named .Garbon Black, where visitors could experience the tactile differences in letterpress finishes.

Expanding the range of usable waste materials and printing methods will be essential if waste-derived pigments are to move from niche artisan products to mainstream print options, and the two comapnies are encouraging anyone interested to reach out to them.