Japan (JP)🧪 Chemicals / Materials🖨️ Office Equipment / Printing🧴 Consumer Goods / PackagingPublished: 7 October 2026

[Supply Chain] DIC and artience Establish a Common Industry Protocol for Evaluating Film Packaging Recyclability in Japan

Source:DIC Corporation

On October 7, 2026, DIC Corporation and Toyo Ink Co., Ltd. of the artience Group announced that they had established a "common industry protocol" that standardizes test procedures, evaluation criteria and reporting formats for evaluating deinking and delamination performance in the material recycling of film packaging (flexible packaging) against common criteria. The evaluation criteria are described as covering the state of deinking and delamination as well as the quality of the recycled plastic obtained. Flexible packaging is made of multiple materials, including films, printing inks and laminating adhesives. Deinking (removing printed ink) and delamination (separating layered films) are important steps for recycling it into high-quality recycled plastic, but each company had previously evaluated them under its own test conditions and criteria, making results difficult to compare across companies and materials. The companies say they will establish an environment in which stakeholders in Japan's supply chain, including converters, brand owners and recyclers, can use the protocol to evaluate and compare recyclability against common criteria.

Editor's View

The companies say they will continuously reflect insights from actual packaging materials and recycling processes to improve the protocol's accuracy and practicality. They are also calling on a wide range of stakeholders in Japan's supply chain to adopt it, aiming to establish it as a common foundation for recyclability assessment in the flexible packaging sector. The effects the companies anticipate are that converters will find it easier to select printing and processing conditions and materials, brand owners will find it easier to select packaging materials based on objective data, and recyclers will be able to set processing conditions suited to material properties.

※ This article is based on official public information from an external source (DIC Corporation) and has been analyzed and organized for practical use.

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Related Regulation Information

JP Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics

The Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics (often called the Plastic Resource Circulation Act or "Plashin-ho") aims to promote plastic resource circulation across the entire lifecycle—from product design, manufacturing, and sales to waste management. It mandates design guidelines for plastic products, obligates specific businesses to reduce single-use plastics, and promotes voluntary collection and recycling systems.

See this regulation's full analysis (timeline & business impact)

💡 The overview and schedule for the regulation related to this article can also be found on the Regulatory Gateway Database page.