From the raw materials used to food contact of printed materials or the recyclability of printed substrates, many regulations are important for printing inks.

There are also industry initiatives to complement legislation or pre-empt them to underline our understanding of responsibility and product stewardship.

With the background of two powerful regulations on chemicals (Classification, Labelling and Packaging  Regulation (CLP (EC) 1272/2008) and Regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH (EC) 1907/2006), the EuPIA Charter focuses on the safe use of substances in the manufacturing of printing inks, applying a strong substitution pressure on the most hazardous materials upon their harmonised classification or self-classification of suppliers in human health hazard classes. The Exclusion Policy applies to all types of printing inks and related products used in all printing processes for all end-use applications.

Several guidance documents support the workforce on site in establishing effective Occupational Health and Safety procedures during printing ink manufacturing.

EU legislation on Circular Economy goals—detailing principles for achieving circularity—forms a well-established pillar of the regulatory landscape. Particularly important for printing inks is the EU regulatory framework covering packaging and packaging waste on the European market. The rules, first laid out in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation 2025/40 (PPWR), reExit Visual Buildergulate what kind of packaging can be placed on the EU market, as well as packaging waste management and prevention measures.

All packaging must comply with essential requirements related to its manufacturing, composition, and reusable or recoverable nature. We are constantly addressing customer needs and questions with respect to the different substrates. It is important to note that it is not the ink but the substrate that is printed on that needs to be considered when we talk about recycling. Nevertheless, our members are part of the main recycling networks and develop their own Design for Recycling guidelines (D4R) where needed.