Driven by Environmental Protection and Intelligence, Water-based Ink Industry Enters a Period of Rapid Development

Tightened global environmental policies are driving the green transformation of the printing industry, fueling a surge in demand for low-VOC water-based inks and ushering the industry into a new stage of integration of environmental protection and intelligence. The global market scale exceeded 10 billion US dollars in 2025; in China, the output reached 185,000 tons in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 22.8%, and the demand is expected to hit 350,000 tons in 2026.Many countries have upgraded VOC emission standards. Supported by domestic policies, the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta have become core production areas, with more than 3,200 printing enterprises completing the replacement with water-based inks.Technologically, water-based inks have achieved high-precision printing and entered the high-end packaging field. Smart functional products such as water-sensitive color-changing and conductive inks have been launched, and food-grade certification has expanded their application scenarios.Insiders believe the industry is shifting from substitute products to high-quality applications and a circular economy, and will become a core driving force for the green and intelligent development of the printing industry.