German inks and coatings manufacturer Siegwerk announced its entry into India’s pharmaceutical packaging market with the launch of mineral oil-free inks designed to enhance safety and regulatory compliance. The initiative follows a ₹350-crore investment to expand the company’s research, production, and sustainability-driven operations in the country.

The shift toward mineral oil-free solutions addresses growing global concerns about ink migration in packaging and its impact on product safety. Traditional offset printing inks often contain mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs), including mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAHs), which have been associated with potential health risks. Siegwerk’s new inks are formulated without intentionally added mineral oils and developed under a rigorous raw-material approval process overseen by its global product safety team.

“As a company focused on safety and sustainability, Siegwerk believes that the pharmaceutical industry must take a broader view, recognising that packaging materials play a role in maintaining product integrity,” said Ashish Pradhan, President, Siegwerk Asia. “With our mineral oil-free ink systems, we are providing pharma brands in India with a compliant alternative that aligns with global practices.”

While India currently lacks specific regulations for printing inks in pharmaceutical packaging, Siegwerk intends to collaborate with regulators and industry groups to promote higher safety standards. The company generates over €1.4 billion in global revenue across six business units and holds leading market shares in India’s tobacco, liquid food, sheet-fed offset, and narrow web label segments. Siegwerk’s Indian operations, headquartered in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, have tripled revenue in the past decade to over ₹1,000 crore, reflecting India’s expanding influence in global packaging supply chains.

Siegwerk is also advancing sustainability through circular-economy coatings designed to make multi-layer packaging recyclable without compromising safety. “We have two global centres of competence for this technology, one in Europe and another in India,” Pradhan said. A new facility planned in western India will support future demand for the next two decades as Siegwerk continues to explore acquisitions and expand its leadership in high-performance, sustainable packaging inks.