Japan’s snack bags go black-and-white as ink shortages force packaging rethink

JAPAN – Calbee Inc. has switched packaging of 14 staple products including potato chips and shrimp snacks from full color to monochrome printing, as instability in printing ink procurement due to the Middle East crisis pushes Japanese manufacturers to rethink packaging across both color and plastic content.

The black-and-white bags, labeled “petroleum resource-saving packaging,” hit supermarkets in Tokyo on June 1, displayed next to their full-color counterparts. 

A company representative described the move as “a measure to ensure a stable supply of products”. 

FamilyMart plans to reduce colors on its Famimaru private brand packaging, shifting from blue and green logos to black-and-white printing starting with sandwiches, while also cutting colors on onigiri wrapping film and frappe frozen beverage lids.

The Ink Supply Chain Under Pressure

Colorful food packaging often employs gravure printing, which uses petroleum-derived, organic solvent-based inks. 

The Middle East conflict disrupted supply of petrochemical feedstocks used to produce these inks. 

According to the Japan Printing Ink Makers Association, concerns over ink supply have eased compared with earlier stages of the crisis, but prices continue to rise. 

For a manufacturer such as Calbee, switching from four-color process (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) to monochrome reduces ink consumption by approximately 75 percent per package, lowering both ink costs and exposure to supply volatility.

Plastic Reduction Follows the Same Logic

The cost of petroleum-based materials has surged, prompting a broader reassessment of packaging, including efforts to reduce plastic use. 

Aeon’s Topvalu private brand has cut plastic use for its crab-flavoured fish paste flakes by about 40 percent by changing from a rigid plastic tray to a flexible bag. 

A tray uses a thick plastic sheet formed to shape; a bag uses a thin film with less material per package. 

For a high-volume product, the 40 percent reduction translates into tonnes of plastic saved annually.

Private Labels Lead the Charge

Pan Pacific International Holdings, operator of the Don Quijote discount chain, has begun selling private brand products in black-and-white packaging covering 26 items including bottled water and boxed tissues. 

Mitsuko Tsuchiya, president of the company operating Topvalu, stated that the Middle East crisis has given the company an opportunity to re-examine its approach to environmental issues, noting that there are examples of overseas private brands that have simplified packaging even further, and that the company believes there is still room for further innovations. 

For private label products, where margins are tighter than national brands, reducing printing costs and plastic content directly improves profitability.

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