In 2025, the global printing ink market is undergoing transformation. As the implementation of the Paris Agreement enters a critical period and the revised version of the EU’s Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste is about to be implemented, the global ink industry is accelerating its transformation towards a low-carbon, safe, and sustainable direction. We will analyze the industry trends from three dimensions: technological evolution, regional competition, and supply chain reconstruction, and deeply interpret how China’s leading enterprises reshape the global ink industry pattern through technological innovation.

I. The Multipolar Differentiation and Technological Game in the Global Ink Industry

According to the latest data from MarketsandMarkets, the global ink market size reached 21.7 billion US dollars in 2024, among which the Asia-Pacific region continued to lead with a share of 46.3%. Behind this regional distribution is the fierce competition of different technological routes:

1. Europe: Technological Iteration under Environmental Protection Barriers
   In the European market dominated by companies such as BASF in Germany and Siegwerk in Switzerland, the proportion of water-based inks has reached 68%. Their research and development focuses on:
   • Supercritical CO₂ fluid ink technology (VOC emissions approaching zero)
   • Nanoscale cross-linking technology for photocurable inks (curing speed increased by 40%)
   • Industrial application of bio-based resins (the proportion of renewable raw materials exceeding 35%)

It is worth noting that European ink companies have established technical barriers through CE certification and the Ecolabel, raising the migration standard for food-contact inks to below 0.01mg/kg.

2. North America: An Innovation Hub for Functional Inks
   Companies such as Sun Chemical in the United States and Flint Group maintain a leading position in the field of functional inks:
   • Conductive inks (sheet resistance < 0.1Ω/□) are widely used in RFID tags.
   • Thermochromic inks (response temperature accuracy ±1℃) have become a new favorite in anti-counterfeiting.
   • Edible inks (meeting the USDA organic certification) have opened up a new market for food decoration.

However, the challenge faced by North American companies is that the raw material cost is 37% higher than that in the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in a decline in their competitiveness in the middle and low-end markets.

3. Asia-Pacific: Parallel Development of Large-scale Production and Technological Catch-up
   China, Japan, and South Korea have formed a pattern of differentiated competition:
   • China: Accounts for 62% of the global water-based ink production capacity, but still relies on imports for high-end products.
   • Japan: Maintains a technological advantage in the field of UV inks. Konica Minolta’s developed cationic UV ink has increased the curing efficiency by 50%.
   • South Korea: Focuses on the research and development of electronic inks. Samsung SDI’s OLED luminescent ink has the world’s first market share.

II. The Structural Breakthrough of China’s Ink Industry

Facing the technological blockade and environmental protection pressure from Europe and the United States, Chinese enterprises achieve industrial upgrading through a “three-step” strategy:

1. Technological Tackling: Breaking the “Chokepoint” Links
   • Huizhou Zhongzhixing improves the performance of water-based polyurethane resin for color, greatly enhancing the adhesion of water-based inks.
   • The developed nanoscale pigment dispersion process increases the color concentration to 38% (the industry average is 25%).
   • The developed intelligent drying system enables the drying speed of water-based inks to reach 120m/min (the traditional process is 60m/min).
2. Construction of a Green Supply Chain
   • Two major production bases in Guangdong and Jiangsu have achieved:
   o 90% of local raw material supply
   o A 42% reduction in production process energy consumption
   o An industrial water recycling rate of 95%
   • Passed the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System certification.
3. Global Layout
   • Established three major warehousing centers in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
   • Developed a series of products that meet international standards such as FDA and EU 10/2011.
   • Provided customized solutions for the world’s top 20 packaging enterprises.

Characteristics of Huizhou Zhongzhixing’s Water-based Inks
As a leading environmentally friendly ink supplier in the industry, Huizhou Zhongzhixing Color Technology Co., Ltd. has always been committed to the research and development of high-performance water-based inks, promoting the upgrading of the green printing industry with innovative technologies. Our water-based ink products use water as the dispersion medium, with zero VOC emissions, and comply with international environmental protection standards such as EU REACH and RoHS, providing safe and reliable coloring solutions for packaging, printing, textiles, building materials, and other fields.

Core Advantages:
✅ Environmentally Friendly and Safe: Non-toxic and harmless, passing authoritative tests such as SGS, safeguarding the production environment and consumers’ health.
✅ Excellent Performance: Vivid and full colors, strong adhesion, good abrasion resistance and weather resistance, suitable for a variety of substrates.
✅ Customized Services: Provide full-process technical support from color matching, process to after-sales service to meet personalized needs.
✅ Technological Leadership: Relying on an independent research and development center, continuously optimizing the formula to ensure product stability and printing efficiency.

Application Scenarios:
Covering scenarios such as food packaging, children’s products, and hygiene product packaging, helping customers achieve sustainable development goals.