DIC India edifies customers on the ban of toluene-based inks

DIC India, printing technology and allied solutions company has taken a step further in raising customers’ awareness across the Indian subcontinent about the recent toluene ban announced by The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for food packaging. By leveraging its digital program, DIC Konnect, the company seamlessly reaches out to its customers and helps them adopt new printing methods.

DIC India is a part of the world’s largest manufacturer of printing inks and allied materials, DIC Corporation Japan. DIC Corporation has 71.75% of the shareholding in DIC India through DIC Asia Pacific, Singapore. DIC India is one of the largest companies in the Indian printing, packaging industry serving top of the line newspaper, magazine, printing, and packaging establishment in India.

Due to increased packaged food consumption, awareness, and demand for quality products, India has seen a rise in sustainable packaging in the food & beverage industry. Thus, in a move towards ensuring a safe packaging environment in the country, BIS recently prohibited using toluene-based inks for food packaging applications under a revision of its IS15495 regulation. The need for revision came into existence due to the various harmful effects the chemical on the human body and environment.

As per the new regulation, BIS has also laid down other standard guidelines for printing inks for food packaging for printers and converters. Furthermore, since the food industry mainly uses printing inks for external packaging, immediate food wrapping, as a printed wrapper or insert and disposables, BIS has defined certain norms under each of these categories.

DIC Konnect program

To create mindshare regarding the BIS toluene ban and aid the customers in meeting the regulation norms, DIC India leveraged its digital initiative called DIC Konnect. Under the DIC Konnect program, the company said a series of webinars were organized with the customers to guide them about the best industry practices to restart their printing process, post the lockdown, address their concerns, and demonstrate DIC India’s product portfolio. Throughout India’s Unlock Phase 1, 2 and 3, the company maintained close proximity with the customers via this platform and has continuously supported them.

Commenting on BIS’s ban on toluene-based inks, Manish Bhatia, managing director and chief executive officer, DIC India, said, “BIS toluene ban is a commendable step taken by the regulatory body to steer the industry into a more sustainable and safe packaging direction. Since our customers have always been at the core of our strategy, we wanted to ensure that they are well-align with the new government regulation. Thus, following the lockdown norms, we decided to bank upon DIC Konnect initiative, our one-of-a-kind virtual engagement strategy, wherein we hosted webinars with our customers and edified them about the toluene ban, preparing them to gain a competitive edge in their future.”

“DIC India has been at the forefront of bringing in innovative and advanced printing ink and allied products to the industry. Moreover, over the years, we have developed a robust portfolio of non-toluene ink products that will benefit our partners in making necessary adjustments in their machinery with ease,” he added.

DIC India offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions, ranging from publishing inks to inks and adhesives for packaging. Moreover, the company has been delivering a toluene-free ink portfolio in India for more than a decade. Some of the company’s cutting-edge non- toluene solutions are Smart KF, a solvent-based gravure lamination ink system intended for high-end printing applications; Ultralam NT, a toluene-free general-purpose ink, and others.