artience and DIC Introduce Film Packaging Recyclability Protocol

10 October 2026: artience Group, through Toyo Ink Co., Ltd., and DIC Corporation announced a common protocol for film packaging recyclability in Tokyo, Japan, on 7 October 2026. The framework sets shared tests for removing inks and separating film layers, helping packaging manufacturers, brand owners and recyclers compare results.

The companies describe it as Japan’s first common industry protocol for these assessments. They are inviting converters, brand owners and recyclers across the domestic supply chain to adopt the framework.

Why do inks and adhesives affect film recycling?

Flexible packaging protects products such as food, household goods and pharmaceuticals, but its construction can combine films with printing inks and laminating adhesives. Recovering plastic therefore involves more than collecting the finished pack.

Deinking removes printed ink; debonding, also called delamination, separates bonded film layers. The new framework addresses assessment challenges in multilayer plastics recycling, where the condition of the recovered material matters alongside the separation process.

artience says companies previously used their own test conditions and assessment criteria. This made results difficult to compare across businesses and materials, limiting both packaging-design decisions and information sharing.

What the film packaging recyclability protocol covers

The companies’ published protocol outline identifies three parts:

1. Test procedures: Specify equipment, test conditions, material handling and operating steps so laboratories can reproduce assessments.
2. Evaluation criteria: Assess ink removal, separation of film layers and the quality of the resulting recycled plastic.
3. Reporting format: Record test conditions and results consistently, allowing different organisations to share and compare findings.

Together, these elements aim to give users a common basis for evaluating materials. A consistent report records both the testing conditions and the outcome, making it easier to interpret results from another company.

What could change for converters and recyclers?

Converters could use comparable data to choose printing conditions and materials with recycling in mind. Brand owners could assess packaging options using the same criteria, while recyclers could adjust processing conditions to suit the materials they receive.

These are the companies’ expected benefits, not reported improvements in recycling rates. Screen Print India has also covered NC-free ink recyclability testing, a separate approach to assessing printed packaging.

artience and DIC plan to refine the framework using findings from actual packaging materials and recycling processes. They want participants across design, manufacturing, collection and recycling to use a shared assessment foundation.

TOKYO PACK 2026 presentation plans

The companies plan to present the initiative at TOKYO PACK 2026, scheduled for 14–16 October 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight.

artience’s exhibition preview lists the Toyo Ink booth at East Hall 2, stand 2N10. Its ReLoop concept, “Drawing the Future with Circulating Materials”, covers Sustainable Solutions and Color Innovation.

Four artience Group companies will share the booth: Toyo Ink, Toyochem, Toyo-Morton and Matsui Chemical. The preview also lists proposals for monomaterial packaging, replacing plastic with paper, and using water-based or solvent-free systems, alongside inks and functional coatings. Earlier coverage of Toyo Ink packaging solutions provides background on its inks and coatings portfolio.

DIC’s official exhibition page places its booth at East Hall 2, stand 2R04, and identifies the common testing protocol among its planned deinking and delamination initiatives.