Flexible Packaging
Why optimisation is the key to competitive packaging
By Pierre Dogliani, narrow web Europe technical director, Flint Group And Stephen Butler, product manager, Europe, Flexible Packaging
consumers alike increasingly expect packaging that supports a circular economy, while printers are being asked to continue delivering high-quality, high-speed and cost-effective production.
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Across both the flexible packaging and narrow web markets, that shift is accelerating a transformation. Rather than treating sustainability and optimisation as competing priorities, a joint approach must become the new norm.
In flexible packaging, this transformation is largely being driven by regulations such as the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). These requirements are increasingly shaping the inks and coatings that can be used. One example of this change comes in the form of nitrocellulose (NC)-based inks. For years, NC formulations have been the workhorse of flexible packaging printing but changing standards across Europe mean they can no longer be classed as recyclable because they can contribute to discolouration and degrade material quality during the mechanical recycling process.
As recyclability criteria become more sophisticated and visible, the industry is increasingly recognising that NC-based systems can limit the quality and value of recovered materials. This is driving a growing shift towards NC-free technologies, particularly polyurethane (PU)-based ink systems that are more compatible with existing recycling streams. Solutions such as Flint Group’s PU- based VertixCode and MatrixCode ranges are designed to maintain the high-speed performance and robust adhesion converters expect, while improving the behaviour of printed structures during recycling and supporting better recyclate recovery. For many printers, such formulations now represent a strategic step to safeguard both regulatory compliance and customer confidence.
However, material choices are only half the story. True long-term sustainability in packaging depends just as much on how printers run their operations as it does on what they print with. This is where product optimisation concepts such as universal base systems become powerful enablers. Flint Group’s universal base platform uses a range of bases that when combined with the applicable Technical Compound including NC-free and NC-based technologies, these developments provide multiple ink chemistries to suit both Flexography and Rotogravure applications. This immediately reduces SKU counts and lowers the risk of obsolete products tied up on the shelf. Operationally, these universal bases support on-demand dispensing to cutdown on ink and packaging waste, while also accelerating and stabilising colour matching. This optimisation is directly linked to sustainability, with benefits such as fewer SKUs and greater press utilisation all helping to reduce the environmental footprint of printing operations.
The narrow web segment is also undergoing its own transformation in parallel. Tighter rules for food-contact materials, combined with the rise of short run fl exible packaging and the rapid growth of mid-web fl exo, are redefi ning what converters expect from their inks and coatings. For example, food safety regulations and brand policies are increasingly focused on limiting or eliminating substances of concern, including PFAS, MOSH, MOAH and Bisphenol A, and tightening permissible migration levels from packaging into food. In Europe, the German Ink Ordinance (GIO) sets detailed
rue future-ready packaging in 2026 must be simultaneously sustainable, compliant and operationally efficient. Regulators, brand owners and
compositional requirements for inks used on food packaging. Although the German Federal Council has extended its transition period to 31 December 2026, many converters prefer to invest early in solutions that will keep them ahead of future requirements.
Flint Group has positioned its narrow web portfolio to align with these expectations, confirming that its products meet GIO compositional requirements ahead of the original 2025 deadline and introducing technologies specifically engineered for the new era of packaging safety. One example is Flexocure LEAP, a low-migration UV ink system for indirect food contact materials based on a novel resin technology that stabilises photoinitiators and drastically reduces the potential for migration. This architecture helps converters meet stringent food-contact criteria while preserving the high reactivity and stable curing performance needed for high-speed, mid-web flexo presses in short-run environments.
Taken together, developments in both flexible packaging and narrow web highlight a shared direction. Regulations such as the PPWR and GIO are raising expectations around recyclability and food safety; brand owners are under pressure to prove progress on sustainability; and converters must remain competitive in an environment of shorter runs, more SKUs and tighter margins. Navigating this complexity successfully requires a connected approach, where sustainable ink technologies are combined with optimisation strategies. Merging material innovation with smarter operations will help printers to meet evolving regulations while providing the building blocks for a more circular, efficient and resilient packaging ecosystem.
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March 2026
www.convertermag.com
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