About the ink

• Algae derived
• Vegan
• 100% biodegradable
• 100% compostable

• Sustainable
• Renewable
• Environmentally friendly & safe
• Carbon negative

• The world’s first commercially available ink with bio-based pigments
  (majority of printing inks are produced from toxic petroleum)

Algae Ink™ developed by Living Ink
https://livingink.co

(Living Ink is a biomaterials company co-founded by 2 biologists, Scott Fulbright & Steve Albers, who met while studying their PHDs)

The first publication (an exhibition catalogue) printed in the UK with Algae Ink™ was in 2022. The exhibition catalogue was printed as part of Barbican Centre’s Spring / Summer 2022 exhibition called Our Time on Earth. This was a major exhibition celebrating the power of global creativity to transform the conversation around climate emergency.

The algae farming

Grown in the Sonoran Desert

Remains 100% pure during entire growth process as the algae is grown with no :

• Chemicals
• Pesticides
• Herbicides
• Preservatives
• Additives
• Stabilisers
• Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
• Irradiation

• Grown with sunshine, mineral rich water & clean air
  (far from highways, airports & cities)
• Ecologically grown for 100% purity & safety
• Ecological cultivation for Earth-friendly farming
• No soil erosion
• No water contamination
• Closed-loop water & nutrient recycling during harvest
  (everything is recycled & no discharge to the environment)
• Each step of their growing & production process focuses on a sustainable Earth

The algae used

• Spirulina (a type of algae)
• Spirulina has been eaten by humans since prehistory
• Spirulina has been approved as a food for human consumption by many governments, health agencies & associations of over 20 countries

• Spirulina is grown for a blue colourant called phycocyanin
• Phycocyanin is extracted & used as a natural food colourant
• The remaining material is considered algae by-product
• The by-product is transformed into bio-based black pigment

Algae facts

• Grown using sunlight, water, carbon dioxide from air & nutrients
• When algae grows, it absorbs carbon dioxide & produces oxygen
• Grows faster than terrestrial plants & are renewable
• Does not use traditional farmland, thus production does not displace food production

Algae grown by Earthrise®️Nutritionals
https://www.earthrise.com

About the printers

• A workers’ cooperative
• They use a cargo bike for small local deliveries
• They encourage cycling to work
• Members of London Zero Emissions Network (ZEN)
• 100% of their energy is generated from wind power & hydroelectric
  (also known as hydropower / water power)

Book printed by Calverts
https://www.calverts.coop