Often overlooked and discarded without a second thought, the inner core of a toilet paper roll embodies a story of engineering, sustainability, and innovation.
This simple cardboard cylinder is much more than a support: it is a key technical component in the production process, a potential medium for creative expression, and a symbol of contemporary environmental challenges.
Composition and production process
The toilet paper core is mainly made from recycled cardboard, obtained from recovered paper fibers.
It represents a clear example of the circular economy, in which paper and cardboard waste are reintegrated into the production cycle.
Main stages of the manufacturing process:
- Selection and pulping: The raw material, consisting of bales of waste paper, is selected and processed in a pulper, where it is mixed with water until a uniform pulp is obtained.
- Cleaning: The pulp is filtered to remove impurities such as plastics, metals, or other unwanted materials.
- Forming: The pulp is spread, pressed, and dried to produce a continuous cardboard sheet.
- Winding and cutting: The sheet is spirally wound on a cylindrical mandrel, glued layer by layer until the required strength is achieved. The resulting tubes are then cut to the standard dimensions of toilet paper cores.
The properties of the cardboard, basis weight, thickness, and stiffness, are strictly controlled to ensure that the core can withstand the high winding speeds and the mechanical stress of transport and use.
Environmental impact
Although the core is both recycled and recyclable, it still carries an environmental footprint.
Paper production, even from recovered fibers, requires significant energy and water consumption.
Moreover, the toilet paper industry as a whole contributes to pressure on forest resources, even if the cores are primarily made from recycled materials.
Economic aspects
While the cost of the core has little impact on the final price of the roll, the recycled cardboard market used for its production represents an important industrial sector.
Fluctuations in waste paper prices, driven by global demand, can significantly affect the entire supply chain.
Italy ranks among the European leaders in paper and cardboard recycling, with a strong capacity to regenerate waste into new raw materials, supporting an increasingly circular production model.
From functionality to branding: the printed core
More and more often, the inner surface of the cardboard core features printed logos or disposal instructions.
This evolution, from a purely technical component to a communication medium, is made possible by inline flexographic printing, directly integrated into the core-winding machines (known as core winders or tube winders).
Printing does not take place inside the already-formed tube, which would be complex and slow, but on the flat cardboard film, immediately before winding.
The winder unwinds one or more cardboard strips, applies adhesive, and winds them at high speed around a mandrel.
The inline flexographic printing unit prints directly on the strip destined to become the inner wall of the core.
Advantages of flexographic printing
- Integration and speed: Flexographic printing is a high-speed rotary process that can be perfectly synchronized with core production.
- Printing on a flat substrate: Printing on the flat cardboard web ensures accuracy and efficiency.
- Material adaptability: Photopolymer flexo plates adapt well to the porous surface of recycled cardboard, ensuring excellent print quality.
- Cost efficiency:
- No additional production steps, saving time and logistics.
- Lower unit costs for large production runs, typical of the toilet paper industry.
- Minimal maintenance of the printing units.
- Fast drying: Water-based or UV inks dry instantly, preventing smudging during winding.
This is essential since the printed web is immediately glued and rolled. - Sustainability: The use of water-based inks reduces overall environmental impact, a growing priority for consumer goods manufacturers.
Inline flexographic printing on core-winding machines represents a technologically efficient and economically sustainable solution.
It transforms a secondary component into a brand communication vehicle, without affecting production costs or cycle time.
A perfect example of how even the simplest element can contribute to product evolution and enhance perceived consumer value.
Written by Laura T. | Team Giugni®
