Toyo Ink and DIC will showcase a new protocol for assessing flexible packaging recyclability at Tokyo Pack 2026, introducing common tests for ink removal and film separation across Japan’s packaging supply chain.
The artience Group, through its subsidiary Toyo Ink, and DIC Corporation have developed a common evaluation protocol aimed at making flexible packaging recycling assessments more consistent across the Japanese market.
Announced on 7 October, the protocol standardises how companies test and report deinking – removing printed ink – and debonding, which separates the layers of laminated films. The companies describe it as an industry first for Japan.
Both will showcase the initiative at Tokyo Pack, taking place at Tokyo Big Sight from 14–16 October, where packaging design for material recovery will be among the innovations on display.
A common basis for comparison
Flexible packaging combines films, inks and adhesives to deliver product protection, low weight and transport efficiency. However, those components can be difficult to separate when recovering plastics for recycling.
According to the companies, Japanese businesses have previously assessed deinking and debonding using their own test conditions and criteria. This has made it difficult to compare results between materials and suppliers, assess recyclability during packaging development, and share information with recyclers.
The new protocol establishes three common elements: test procedures covering equipment, conditions and material handling; evaluation criteria for ink removal, film separation and recycled plastic quality; and a reporting format that allows results to be compared.
The companies say this will help converters select materials and processing conditions, give brand owners a more consistent basis for packaging decisions, and help recyclers match treatment conditions to the materials they receive.
They will continue to refine the protocol using findings from actual packaging and recycling processes, and are inviting Japanese supply chain participants to adopt it.
An adhesive designed to release
The practical role of debonding is illustrated by an earlier collaboration between Lion Corporation and Toyo Ink: a refill pouch recognised in the Household category of the 2026 WorldStar Awards.
The Japanese companies developed an adhesive that maintains the bond between films during filling, distribution and use, but allows the layers to separate when treated in a mild alkaline aqueous solution during recycling.
Multilayer refill pouches typically combine materials such as polyethylene, nylon and PET to provide the required performance. Strong adhesive bonds help the pack protect its contents, but make those materials difficult to recover separately.
Lion says reformulating the adhesive allowed the pouch to meet both requirements: sufficient adhesion during use and separation during recycling.
The process enables polyethylene to be separated from other materials. Combined with an ink remover, it also removes printing ink, allowing the polyethylene to be recovered as a high-purity material for recycling, according to Lion.
The company says the adhesive is compatible with existing pouch manufacturing equipment without significant production line modifications, and has potential applications in food packaging as well as detergent refills.
The pouch provides a practical example of designing a multilayer structure for separation. The new protocol addresses the related need for companies to assess and compare how effectively such processes recover material.
On show at Tokyo Pack
Toyo Ink will present the protocol at East Hall 2, Booth 2N10, as part of its ReLoop exhibition focused on resource circulation and colour innovation. Its display will also include refill pack recycling initiatives with Lion. DIC will showcase the protocol at East Hall 2, Booth 2R04.
PKN will be reporting on packaging innovations from the show floor. I will be attending wearing my hat as president of the International Packaging Press Organisation, and will also discuss the Lion–Toyo Ink pouch in my presentation entitled Global trends and innovation shaping circular outcomes. In a panel discussion that follows, the circularity of flexible plastics will be one of the talking points.
The announcement by artience/Toyo Ink and DIC adds a further dimension to that example: alongside developing packaging that can be separated for recycling, Japan’s suppliers are working towards a common way to measure the results.
