Siegwerk makes strategic entry into pharmaceutical packaging segment in India

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German firm Siegwerk has announced its strategic entry into the pharmaceutical packaging segment in India, reinforcing its commitment to consumer safety.

This strategic move directly addresses rising global concerns regarding ink migration and significantly enhances product safety for consumers in India. With this move, the company aims to redefine safety standards in packaging through the launch of a dedicated range of mineral oil-free inks. Mineral oils have earned global disrepute for their toxicological profile, often linked with severe impact on human health.

Conventional offset printing inks often contain mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs) – substances that are increasingly under global regulatory scrutiny for their tendency to migrate into packaged products. Of particular concern are mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAHs), which have been potentially linked to carcinogenic effects. While some countries are drafting legal bans, some global brands have already restricted or banned their use in packaging.

Siegwerk's mineral oil-free inks are engineered to explicitly exclude mineral oils as an intentionally added substance. Crucially, the development of these inks is underpinned by a rigorous raw material introduction system backed by Siegwerk’s Global product safety team expertise. 

While regulatory bodies in the EU have begun taking stricter action against MOHs in food and pharmaceutical packaging, India currently lacks explicit guidelines governing printing inks in the pharmaceutical sector – a gap that Siegwerk aims to address by raising awareness and driving higher industry standards.

The announcement comes after Siegwerk’s Rs 350 crore investment aimed not just to meet current regulatory benchmarks, but to go beyond compliance by pioneering next-generation, safe and sustainable ink solutions that anticipate the needs of tomorrow’s packaging industry.