DIC Konnect-s with customers over toluene ban

DIC India, one of the global leaders in printing technology and allied solutions, has launched a digital initiative – DIC Konnect – to raise awareness of its customers about the recent toluene ban announced by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for food packaging and help them adopt new methods of printing adhering to government norms.

Due to an increase in packaged food consumption – especially during lockdown – awareness and demand for quality products, India has seen a rise in sustainable packaging in the food and beverage industry. Thus, in a move towards ensuring a safe packaging environment in the country, BIS recently prohibited the use of 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 had on the human body and environment. As per the new regulation, BIS also laid down other standard guidelines for printing inks for use on 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.

Under the DIC Konnect programme, a series of webinars were organised with the customers with an aim to guide them about the best industry practices to restart their printing process post the lockdown, address their concerns as well as demonstrate DIC India’s product portfolio. Throughout India’s Unlock phase 1, 2 and 3, the company was maintaining a close proximity with the customers via this platform and has been constantly supporting them.

Manish Bhatia, managing director and CEO, 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-aligned with the new government regulation."

"Thus, following the lockdown norms, we decided to bank upon DIC Konnect initiative, our 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,” Bhatia added

He further said that 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.”

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.

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 shareholding in DIC India through DIC Asia Pacific, Singapore. DIC India is one of the largest companies in the Indian printing, packaging industry serving newspaper, magazine, printing and packaging establishments in India.