artience and DIC develop industry-first common protocol for film packaging recyclability
Tokyo-headquartered artience Group, through its packaging solutions subsidiary Toyo Ink Co, Ltd, and Japanese chemical company DIC Corporation have developed what they describe as the industry’s first common industry protocol to standardise test procedures, evaluation criteria and reporting formats for deinking and debonding in the material recycling of flexible film packaging in Japan. The protocol provides a common framework for converters, brand owners and recyclers to evaluate and compare recyclability using shared domestic standards, with the aim of accelerating the circular use of flexible packaging and supporting a circular economy.
The move comes as Japan places greater emphasis on using waste plastics as resources amid fluctuating resource prices and rising geopolitical risks. Flexible packaging is widely used for food, daily necessities and pharmaceuticals because it protects products while reducing weight and improving transport efficiency, but its multiple components, including films, printing inks and laminating adhesives, make deinking and debonding important for high-quality material recycling. Previously, companies in Japan used their own test conditions and criteria, making results difficult to compare and limiting recyclability assessment and information sharing across the supply chain.
Developed by the two printing ink manufacturers, the protocol covers three areas: test procedures specifying equipment, conditions, material handling and operational steps; evaluation criteria for deinking and debonding efficiency and recycled plastic quality; and a standardised reporting format for test conditions and results. The framework is intended to help converters select recyclable materials and processing conditions, enable brand owners to choose packaging based on comparable data, and help recyclers set processing conditions according to material characteristics to improve recycled plastic quality.
The artience Group and DIC will continue refining the protocol using data from packaging materials and recycling processes in Japan and are encouraging industry stakeholders to adopt it as a common standard for recyclability assessment in the flexible packaging sector.
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