China's dairy research centre unveils washable-ink and oxygen-barrier packaging tech

China's National Dairy Technology Innovation Center and Yili Group presented two new packaging technologies on 16 September 2026 at the CPiS2026 conference in Suzhou: a washable-ink system that lets dark inks be fully removed in alkaline washing to improve recyclate quality, and an oxygen-absorption/light-blocking barrier for PET rigid packaging that cuts titanium dioxide and oxygen-scavenger use. Both are aimed at dairy and wider fast-moving consumer goods packaging and are presented as steps toward higher-quality recycling and reduced material use.

Why this mattersDeinkable coatings and lighter barrier systems could ease high-quality recycling of dark, printed FMCG packaging if adopted beyond the pilot stage.

• China's National Dairy Technology Innovation Center and Yili Group jointly presented two packaging technologies on 16 September 2026 at the CPiS2026 conference in Suzhou
• The washable-ink technology allows dark ink components to be 100% removed in alkaline washing, improving cleanliness of recycled packaging material
• In light-blocking labels the ink can be removed while keeping light-blocking performance at 99.9% or above and cutting plastic use by more than 15%
• The oxygen-absorption/light-blocking barrier technology can cut titanium dioxide use by up to 40% in PET rigid packaging
• The same technology matches conventional oxygen-scavenging performance while using half the material, according to the developer
• Over the past three years the centre says it has run 316 research projects and filed 191 patents across 27 fields

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