Press release, Olten, August 01, 2024: The Swiss Packaging Institute SVI has reactivated the Joint Industry Group for packaging safety (JIG). The new JIG on “Printing inks for packaging” started with a kick-off meeting on June 19, 2024 in Olten. Around 25 representatives from the printing ink industry, the packaging industry and the authorities were present. In the new JIG, the relevant interest groups, in particular the packaging industry along the value chain, authorities and law enforcement as well as industry associations, are to work together to develop economically viable solutions and concepts for the entire packaging industry. The background to the new JIG is the extension and tightening of the Swiss Commodities Ordinance with regard to the “Declaration of Conformity for Printing Inks”. The new regulation was issued on December 8, 2023, came into force on February 1, 2024 and grants a transitional period until January 31, 2026. There are some ambiguities and regulations that are almost impossible to implement in practice. The SVI has therefore reactivated the JIG to draw up a checklist and a guideline or instruction for the declaration of conformity for printing inks. Representatives of all stakeholders along the value chain are invited to work together to develop viable solutions. The aim is to implement a new, generally valid and accepted standard. The current Swiss regulation comprises a List A and a List B. Substances on List A have been tested for safety and may be used. List B substances may also be used, but the manufacturer must prove their safety in individual cases on the basis of model calculations. The new regulation removes List B, leaving only around 1100 substances that may be used in the manufacture of printing inks. In addition, Germany has now also published a positive list on the conformity of printing inks for packaging, which only contains 594 substances. This raises the question of how printing inks will be handled in Switzerland and across borders from 2026. In addition to harmonization between the EU, Switzerland and the printing ink industry, the JIG will also deal with the evaluation of substances. Dabei geht es vor allem um die Nicht-gelisteten Verbindungen und die so genannten NIAS (non intentional added substances), also die unbeabsichtigt eingebrachten Stoffe, die grösstenteils durch chemische Reaktionen bei der Druckfarbenherstellung entstehen. Link zur ProjektausschreibungJIG Druckfarben Pressemitteilung