Stahl meets GIO early

Stahl has confirmed full compliance across its entire range of food-packaging coating technologies with the German Printing Ink Ordinance (GIO), well ahead of the regulation's January 2027 implementation deadline.

The GIO, part of the German Consumer Goods Ordinance, defines strict rules governing substances used in printing inks and coatings for food packaging. Stahl's compliance covers water-based overprint varnishes, barrier coatings, heat-seal and functional coatings, low-migration UV-curable coatings and primers for multilayer packaging structures. Each technology has undergone testing, documentation updates and, where necessary, reformulation to ensure alignment with GIO substance restrictions, positive lists and migration limits.

'Rather than waiting for the deadline, we chose to complete our compliance work ahead of time,' said Markus Klopf, technical manager EMEA packaging coatings at Stahl. 'Our customers can rely on the fact that every Stahl coating designed for food packaging already fulfils the GIO criteria.'

The Waalwijk, Netherlands-based company noted that its barrier coatings also play a role in advancing sustainability by reducing the need for complex packaging structures and supporting improved recyclability.

Raymond Bakker, vice president packaging coatings for EMEA, added: 'Achieving full GIO compliance ahead of schedule gives our customers a clear advantage. They can rely on products that are already aligned with future regulations, helping them streamline qualification processes and accelerate the rollout of more sustainable packaging.'