The food packaging industry is facing rising environmental concerns, stricter regulation, and shifting consumer demands, which are transforming packaging design and production.

• Sustainability pressure – Brand owners must reduce plastic, simplify structures and improve recyclability. Direct Food Contact (DFC) technology removes plastic barriers to enable mono-material paper and board.

• Regulatory & cost impact – EPR and PPWR favor fiber-based recyclable designs over complex, multi-material packs.

• Enhanced brand experience – DFC inks & coatings turn the inside of the pack into a compliant channel for messaging, storytelling and premium cues.

Whatever your requirements, Sun Chemical has your folding carton printing needs covered.

SunPak DFC inPace inks are the latest generation of Direct Food Contact (DFC) inks, designed to support food safety, sustainability, and evolving regulations, which allows brands to enhance the consumer experience while simplifying packaging design. Click for more information on Direct Food Contact Technology.

DFC inPace inks should be used in conjunction with DFC coatings that protect and provide grease and moisture resistance, these solutions support recyclable mono-material packaging designs responding to regulatory requirements.

DFC inPace inks are all about maximising impact and color vibrancy, to create an immersive consumer experience with internal printing.

Within the DFC inPace inks portfolio are dedicated process inks that deliver consistent, predictable color reproduction across a range of substrates. In addition, the range includes 11 base inks, including an innovative green pigment that significantly broadens the achievable color gamut.

Brand evolution through internal print offers opportunities for:

• Enhanced brand messaging, creating immersive brand experiences
• Additional product details such as flavors or nutritional benefits
• Consumer engagement through competitions and promotions

Sustainability is a key market driver with consumers and legislation leading the narrative on plastic reduction. Brands are looking for sustainable solutions without loss of functionality and DFC inPace inks and DFC coatings are ideally placed to do this. Through simplified recyclable design and the use of DFC technology, plastics can be removed and recycling rates increased as a result.

Improving recycling rates, helping customers to achieve better sustainability goals is possible moving from a laminate to mono-material. Meaning alignment to PPWR and mitigating EPR fees. SunPak DFC inPace contains high renewable bio-based carbon independently verified through Carbon-14 testing.

SunPak DFC inPace is powered by Sun Chemical’s innovative Pace Technology, engineered to deliver outstanding print performance, increased productivity, and greater sustainability.

Its high-pigmentation formulation provides exceptional color strength and improved press performance for faster turnaround times, while reduced misting at high press speeds ensures cleaner, more efficient production.

Designed to minimise waste, energy consumption, and operating costs, Pace products help optimize pressroom efficiency while supporting environmental goals. Offering consistent, high-quality print performance that maximises productivity and delivers measurable value across demanding commercial and packaging applications.