I wouldn't say that Rob Varnel is a particularly driven man, certainly not an obsessed man; but he IS determined and tenacious when he's on the trail of a new product that will provide the right solution for his clients and his laminating company. R&M LaminatingRob, one of the principals at R&M Trade Laminating, Vancouver BC, founded in 1994, learned several years ago about a printer in England who was using a laminate made with a biodegradable film. A digression - Vancouver is home to a wide range of environmental organizations including the David Suzuki Foundation and Greenpeace - so it's logical that Rob would be searching for an alternative laminate. Finding a recyclable film was the first step, but a raw film with no adhesive, not cut and rolled to a usable size, was useless. He had to build his own supply chain from scratch. Luckily Clarifoil, the UK company that makes cellulose acetate film of wood pulp from managed forests, had a representative in the US. Varnel was quickly on the phone with him, "I need to get some of this on the West coast; I have customers who want it - now!" Two coating companies had been working with Clarifoil to turn the film into a workable laminate. Anyone who has ever tried to bring a product this complex to market knows that the R&D and product development stages are never smooth. There were, of course, problems. At the end of a long journey, Rob found his earth-friendly laminate. GBC - the leading laminating equipment and supplies company - is manufacturing and marketing GBC 8800 Diamond Film, made from the same cellulose acetate film. The samples I have are extremely nice: the gloss finish is sharp and very clear, but the matte is my favorite! It almost has a velvet feel. The Technical Particulars Starting at the beginning... Cellulose is the structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants; for industrial use, cellulose is mainly obtained from wood pulp and cotton and is used to produce paper. Cellulose acetate is made by treating cellulose from wood pulp with acetic anhydride (a derivative of ordinary vinegar) to create a cellulose "flake." The flake is used to produce a very fine, clear film. To turn the film into a laminate requires the addition of some form of adhesive. The Environmental Details The cellulose used by Clarifoil and GBC comes predominantly from managed forests in North America and some cotton linters. While it is not currently an FSC/SFI-certified forest product, it potentially could be. In principle, Clarifoil film is recyclable; it is easily dissolved and can be recycled with the paper substrate in a repulping process. The laminate made from the film is not so easily recycled because of the adhesive sandwiched between the paper and film. Certain recyclers can handle the dissolution and filtering process needed to extract the adhesive, but not all are able to manage it. Note that Clarifoil has achieved a number of certifications for the film including:
  • OK Compost certificate as a home compostable material, in the UK
  • EN 13432 and ASTM D6400 biodegradability accreditation, international certifications
GBC 8800 Diamond Film in Use While producing a beautiful finish, the 8800 Diamond Film has characteristics that make it a product that should not be tried by the faint of heart. Rob said this is "one of the hardest films I ever worked with and it took some time to learn how to run it." Some of those limitations:
  • It cannot be used to make a sealed border, like that used on menus.
  • It requires commercial laminating equipment; Rob does not recommend desktop lamination systems.
  • It is not appropriate for toner-based digital prints that contain styrene or fuser oil.
  • It is not a "lay flat" film like nylon films.
R&M is getting promising results in tests with Indigo output. He recommends testing it carefully on whatever equipment you're using. One final note: be aware that the price can carry a premium, depending on the lamination you are using now. GBC representatives say that there is no true equivalent product on the market, because of the nature of the film itself. It is most like the glueable packaging films in use today, and it is ideal for window packaging applications, thanks to its crystal clarity. It actually provides a very clear breathable film. Where to Buy
  • In the US: GBC at 1-800-772-9281
  • In Canada: GBC at 1-800-463-2545