Sun Chemical highlights digital, compliance and sustainability priorities

Speaking to PrintWeek/WhatPackaging?, Dr Simon Daplyn, product and marketing manager, digital, Sun Chemical, explained that the company is closely involved in regulatory boards to anticipate changes. “With the TPO issue in UV inks, we were ahead of the curve and managed to remove it, helping customers stay compliant,” he says. 

The company’s vertical integration, reinforced by the acquisition of BASF’s pigment business, allows it to control dispersions and reduce dependency on outside suppliers. Global manufacturing, including production in Shanghai, supports the Asian market by cutting shipping costs and ensuring local stock availability for faster turnaround.

Asked about growth potential, Simon pointed to Asia and India as significant opportunities. “Labels are the most advanced in digital adoption, but much of India is still analogue. There is real opportunity for digital to grow,” he notes. Adoption of digital packaging remains low, at around 2%, leaving what he describes as “huge potential to grow”. Applications such as advertising on shipping boxes are already emerging in India, with brands like Amazon pioneering the practice.

Partnerships with OEMs remain at the core of Sun Chemical’s business model. “We work with OEMs to tune inks for their presses and printheads, and often the product goes to market under their brand,” Simon explains. While some suggest this keeps ink prices high, he argues that OEMs add value through service and warranties, and global scale ensures affordability.

Low migration inks and regulatory compliance continue to drive R&D. “Low migration is driven by ink chemistry and curing, not the press itself. We pioneered low migration inks and are adapting to new compliance requirements,” Simon says. Recent developments include overprintable UV inks that enable embellishments, removing a barrier that limited digital applications.

He also highlighted the growing pull for water-based technologies in cartons and flexible packaging. “There is strong demand for water-based inks, particularly for mono-material pouches without metallised layers,” he says. LED curing continues to expand in labels, with sustainability advantages over mercury lamps.

Recyclability is another area of focus. Simon pointed to washable inks that can be removed during recycling, leaving pure material for reuse. He noted that European legislation is driving this change, but similar requirements are expected to emerge in India. “Materials are precious and need to be reused. Different strategies apply in different regions, but recyclability is coming everywhere,” he says.

Despite ink representing just 3–5% of packaging cost, Simon acknowledged why compliance often centres on inks. “Ink is the chemistry that sits on the package. Even in a thin layer it can affect the substrate and the contents inside. Regulation focuses heavily on ink to ensure safe use and control of migration,” he explains.

Sun Chemical’s sourcing strategy helps mitigate raw material volatility. Vertical integration in pigments and strict due diligence on suppliers ensure high purity inputs, essential for digital applications. Simon described India as a growing source of quality raw materials, with the potential to play a larger role alongside China.

Research and development spans both sustainability and product innovation. “We are constantly innovating while improving what we already have,” Simon says. Examples include chemistries for improved colour and adhesion, and new primers for HP Indigo presses, which he reports have proved popular at the show.

Simon’s message to visitors was clear. “We want to talk to OEMs, converters and brands about digital. We are not just an ink supplier. We provide complete solutions to ensure digitally printed packaging works in practice, from pre-press through to converting.”

He also stressed the importance of partnerships. “The new primer for HP Indigo was developed with a converter to meet specific needs. Collaboration is vital. We want to work with OEMs, converters and brands in India to grow the market. Digital is not a replacement but a complementary tool, and progress depends on partnerships across the value chain.”

With these messages, Sun Chemical is positioning itself as a key enabler of digital adoption in packaging, combining regulatory foresight, sustainability focus and collaborative innovation.