Hubergroup launches water-based inks and varnishes for direct food contact

Hubergroup has launched Hydro-X Contact system, a new generation of water-based inks and overprint varnishes that are food safe and can be used even on the inside of food packaging. With this product category, hubergroup adds a new dimension to its Hydro-X system. Optimized for flexographic printing on central impression and stack presses, Hydro-X Contact integrates easily into existing press workflows.

Whether it is elegant touches for premium chocolates, playful elements for children’s snacks, or bold branding on takeaway boxes, Hydro-X Contact offers maximum design flexibility and brilliant print quality across every surface. At the same time, it supports recyclability and contributes to more sustainable packaging options.

Hydro-X Contact also plays a pivotal role in the transition from film-based to paper-based packaging, both in terms of functionality and design. By eliminating the need for additional plastic barriers in specific applications, it simplifies packaging structures and frees up more printable space for bold visuals, branding, and creative storytelling.

Together with hubergroup’s wider range of sustainable technologies – including barriers against grease, water, vapor, and oxygen, as well as heat-sealable overprint varnishes – Hydro-X Contact helps unlock packaging concepts that are both highly functional and recyclable. Water-based printing inks and varnishes, such as Hydro-X, can reduce VOC emissions, promote recyclability, and thus support the transition to a circular economy for packaging.

'Hydro-X Contact combines food safety standards with practical advantages for printers – it is easy to process, with excellent colour appearance and reliable results,' said André Garber, head of business development water-based systems and UV coatings at hubergroup. 'It is also a future-proof solution that aligns perfectly with evolving EU packaging regulations.'

'Hydro-X Contact is a real game-changer for printers, enabling them to offer packaging solutions that surprise and delight. From unique interior prints to bold design accents, it opens up entirely new ways to differentiate products on the shelf and enhance the unboxing moment,' added Alessandro Sabbatini, product manager for Hydro-X at hubergroup.

With the new range of products, hubergroup claims to be a leading enabler of sustainable packaging, combining regulatory foresight, maximum design freedom, and operational reliability in one powerful system.