Eco-Friendly Ink Mandate Looms: Industry Profit Margins Soar to 28%

With the in-depth implementation of global environmental protection policies, eco-friendly inks have become key materials for the green transformation of the printing and packaging industry. In 2025, China's eco-friendly ink market reached RMB 12.86 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.3%, achieved against the backdrop of deepening carbon neutrality policies and accelerated green transformation in the printing and packaging industry.

In terms of production volume, China's eco-friendly ink output reached 187,000 metric tons in 2025, a 9.4% increase from 171,000 metric tons in 2024. Among them, water-based inks accounted for 53.6%, UV-curable inks accounted for 28.4%, and EB-curable and plant-based inks combined accounted for 18.0%.

Policy support continues to strengthen, with the "Three-Year Action Plan for the Deep Treatment of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the Printing Industry," jointly released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, explicitly requiring that by the end of 2026, the proportion of eco-friendly inks used by printing enterprises above designated size nationwide should be no less than 85%, a significant increase from 68% in 2025. This mandatory constraint will further accelerate the elimination of outdated production capacities and drive the industry's average gross profit margin to rise from 26.4% in 2025 to an expected 28.1% in 2026.