Ink industry’s green momentum accelerates

The ink industry is setting new benchmarks for corporate responsibility; the EcoVadis sustainability rating is emerging as the essential standard for measuring environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. During the recently concluded Pamex and PlastIndia show, the number of ink and ink-producing companies achieving certification has nearly tripled since 2022, signifying a pivot toward verifiable, third-party validated sustainability.

Ink industry executives increasingly view EcoVadis as a strategic imperative, driven by growing demand from brand owners, consumers, and businesses committed to sustainable supply chains. The momentum is visible across all tiers of the rating system, which classifies companies from Platinum (the highest) down through Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

Several industry leaders have demonstrated progress; some achieved the coveted Platinum Medal, a rating that places them in the top 1% of all companies assessed globally. These include Epson, which maintained its Platinum status, reflecting sustained, measurable ESG efforts and Ricoh, which achieved its first Platinum rating. This milestone follows a decade of consecutive Gold ratings, driven by improvements in its environmental policies and supply chain risk management.

Further reinforcing the industry’s commitment, companies like Flint Group and Siegwerk both upgraded their status to the prestigious Gold Medal, placing them among the top 5% of rated companies. Siegwerk, in particular, saw a 15-point increase in its score, which its head of global sustainability, Alina Marm, noted “proves the effectiveness of our holistic sustainability agenda.”

One evident thing is that commitment to sustainability is gaining traction in Asian markets. Notably, Sakata in Vietnam, a subsidiary of Sakata Inx Corporation, became the first company within the Sakata Inx Group in Asia to be awarded an EcoVadis Bronze Medal. This achievement, shared by other global players like Inx International Ink, highlights the growing regional adoption of the standard.

EcoVadis is the global standard for business sustainability ratings, evaluating over 150,000 companies across 200+ industries. The assessment utilises a 0–100 scoring system to rank performance across four critical pillars: Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement.

Built on international frameworks like the UN Global Compact and ISO 26000, the methodology analyses evidence-based data—including GHG emissions, hazardous waste protocols, and supply chain ethics—to assign medals (Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze) that represent a company's percentile rank relative to its global peers.