ERA magazine Gravure News issue 185 published

Gravure News 185

The ERA magazine Gravure News includes reports about events, trends and technical developments, as well as company reports and socio-economic issues with respect to the gravure industry. The magazine is published at least once a year and is circulated in a print run of 2000 copies worldwide within the gravure community.

In this issue:

  • Chromium trioxide authorization
  • Gravure in times of Corona – ERA Annual Conference 2020
  • What brand owners expect from packaging printing
  • Strengths and ecological aspects of gravure printing
  • Carbon dioxide tax – how it will affect gravure printing

The Gravure News magazine is available to the gravure industry and those interested.

If you want to advertise in a future issue of Gravure News please contact the ERA office.

ERA in times of Corona!

by James Siever, ERA Secretary General

ERA’s activities in 2020 were heavily affected by the Corona virus and the restrictions imposed by the governments in the European countries. Travelling and meeting were limited and only possible to a certain extent.

Luckily we were able to organise the Annual Conference in Hamburg in early October. How­ever, the number of participants was about 50 % below the normal level of participation due to internal travel restrictions of many member companies, and also due to the fact that certain European countries again became red zones and participants from there were practically not allowed to enter Germany (without testing and quarantine).

This still ongoing situation has affected ERA’s business model to bring together people from our industry, and to organise a personal exchange of information and experiences. Webinars or digital meetings cannot replace live meetings, as people are social but not digital beings.

The other major subject concerning our industry was the chromium trioxide authorization process, ongoing for almost eight years. As chromium trioxide was listed as a hazardous substance our industry was obliged to apply at the EU Commission for an authorization to further use it.

To lobby their case our industry needed a mouthpiece, i.e. an organisation to represent their interests at the EU Commission. This was exactly the role which ERA played for the European gravure industry. We have worked hard and lobbied extensively: we were successful to prevent a motion by the European Parliament demanding from the EU Commission to reject the authorization, and eventually to obtain the final approval by the EU Commission on 21 December 2020.

The chromium trioxide case has shown that ERA as an organisation is still of strategic importance for Europe’s gravure industry as it has given them a voice.

In any case, it is to hope that we soon can return to normality. For 2021 ERA plans to hold its major conference in Thessaloniki, Greece in co-operation with our loyal member Hatzopoulos. It would be a great pleasure for us to welcome as many members and friends of our industry as possible to discuss the future of gravure.