Siegwerk offers GIO-compliant products before enforcement

Siegwerk, a global provider of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels, is adapting its portfolio to meet the requirements of the German Printing Ink Ordinance (GIO).

While enforcement of the regulation has been postponed to January 2027, Siegwerk has begun offering GIO-compliant printing solutions for selected food packaging applications, underscoring its strong commitment to product safety and consumer protection.

Set to protect consumer health better, the GIO aims to limit the migration of potentially hazardous substances from printed packaging into food products. Despite its name, the German Printing Ink Ordinance does not only apply to printing inks but to all printed food contact materials where a transfer of substances from the printed layer to the food cannot be excluded.

To meet the new requirements, Siegwerk is working to convert relevant ink, coating, and varnish formulations to ensure GIO-compliance.

This includes the UV flexo ink series Sicur Nutriflex 10 and the dual-cure series Sicura Nutriflex LEDTec and Sicura Nutriflex Orbis Dual Cure that can be cured with both LED-UV and UV mercury lamps.

These low-migration ink series are suitable for processing on all types of in-line label or packaging printing machines on a wide range of substrates and enable the printing of GIO-compliant primary food packaging.

Other examples of Siegwerk's GIO-ready portfolio include Sicura Nutriflex OPVs, the company's low-migration overprint varnishes for sensitive packaging applications.

'All in all, the GIO is more comprehensive and restrictive than other existing regulations, including the Swiss Printing Ink Ordinance,' says Guido Lander, vice president Narrow Web EMEA at Siegwerk.

'It definitely has the potential to set a new benchmark for the packaging and label printing industry and will most likely influence global standards in the coming years.'