Global Oil-Based Printing Inks Market - 2023-2030

Overview

Global Oil-based Printing Ink Market reached US$ 11.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach US$ 16.2 billion by 2030, growing with a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period 2023-2030.

The usage of oil-based printing ink is rapidly expanding towards more unconventional applications with increasing digitalization leading to falling demand from the print media industry. E-commerce, FMCG and commercial printing currently account for a large share of the demand for printing inks and is expected to continue upwards over the coming years.

The slow pace of innovation coupled with the failure of the industry to shed its dependence on mineral oil-based printing inks is likely to create hurdles for future market growth. The industry is likely to be slow to respond to changing consumer trends, leading to a failure to capitalize on major upcoming growth opportunities.

Dynamics

Increasing Demand for Packaged Fast Foods

Changing socio-economic trends over the past decade have led to an increase in demand for packaged fast food items, especially in emerging countries. Many social analysts point out the correlation between rising rates of urbanization and increasing consumption of packaged fast foods. Since urban populations tend to prefer packaged food due to their convenience and hectic lifestyles, fast food corporations focus on urban centers for new growth opportunities.

Since emerging markets are currently undergoing a massive economic transformation, leading to rise in disposable incomes. As companies expand their operations, it creates a parallel rise in demand for branded packaging and merchandise. Since the expansion of fast food companies is a long-term phenomenon, it will create stable and long lasting demand for oil-based printing inks over the forecast period.

Expansion of Global E-Commerce

Although the global e-commerce industry is witnessing rapid growth, it has been more pronounced in developing regions such as South America, Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific. A combination of several factors including increasing digitalization and rising rates of FDI in the e-commerce sector are responsible for the high growth rates.

The investment bank Morgan Stanley has estimated in a report that e-commerce growth rates in parts of southeast Asia and Latin America could reach 17% to 20% over the next five years, nearly double of the global average. The report also stated that COVID-19 pandemic has given a big boost to e-commerce, with nearly 22% of all retail sales being conducted online as compared to 15% just before the pandemic.

Oil-based printing ink is widely used within the e-commerce industry for printing shipping graphics, logos, labels, pallet tags and records. As the e-commerce industry undergoes rapid expansion, the overall global demand for oil-based printing inks is likely to increase during the forecast period.

Volatility in Raw Material Prices

One of the biggest hindrances for the growth of the global oil-based printing ink market is expected to be the growing volatility in the prices of various raw materials. Global crude oil prices breached US$ 100 per barrel for the first time since 2014 in wake of Russia's war in Ukraine. Although prices eased somewhat as supply worries dispersed, they have consistently stayed above US$ 80 per barrel throughout 2022 and most of 2023.

Crude oil-based derivatives are a key component in the manufacturing of mineral-oil based printing inks. High crude oil prices force manufacturers to hike prices in order to offset input costs. However, the fundamental structure of the global market magnifies the problems created by volatility in raw material prices.

The global market is relatively fragmented with many manufacturers being small and medium enterprises. Surviving on razor-thin profit margins in an ultra-competitive market, these manufacturers must pass on cost increase to their end-users. A rise in packaging costs forces businesses to look for alternative packaging solutions or migrate to a different supplier in search of lower prices.

Big ink manufacturers with large production capacities are able to better withstand the short and medium term price volatility. However, persistent volatility in raw material prices forces out smaller players and consolidates the market in favour of a few big players, thereby leading to increased prices for all end-users.

Segment Analysis

The global oil-based printing ink market is segmented based on type, printing technique, application, end-user and region.

Mineral oil-based inks are expected to garner the highest market share during the forecast period

Mineral oil-based inks continue to garner the highest market share in the global market. One of the key factors aiding their dominance is their cost effectiveness. Mineral oil-based printing inks are easily reproducable and are available in a wide variety of shades and colors. Furthermore, the inks dries quickly and has superior adhesion properties on plastic and metal surfaces.

The uptake of vegetable oil-based printing inks has been relatively slow over the past few years. Although growing environmental concerns have increased the popularity of eco-friendly inks derived from vegetable oils, supply chain constraints and high production costs limit their long-term growth potential.

Geographical Penetration

E-Commerce Expansion will Propel Market Growth in Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific will have the highest share within the global oil-based printing ink market since the region offers unique, long-term growth opportunities that are not readily available in developed regions such as Europe and North America. Although high population countries such as China and India are the major growth engines in the region, smaller countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have also begun accounting for a significant share of the regional growth in demand.

Malaysia has witnessed a massive increase in e-commerce over the past decade due to a dynamic economic growth and widespread development of digital infrastructure. The Malaysian e-commerce industry grew by nearly 20% to clock in revenues of MYR 38.2 billion (US$ 9.2 billion) in 2022. As multinational companies partner with local e-commerce ventures for unlocking last-mile market access, the demand for oil-based printing ink will increase considerably over the long term.

Although the Chinese e-commerce industry suffered a short-term economic slowdown due to stringent COVID-19 management policies, it has recovered well in the aftermath. The National singles day sales, a proxy for the health of the e-commerce industry, recorded nearly 1.14 trillion yuan ($156.40 billion) of sales across all major platforms in 2023, an increase of 2.08% over the previous year.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic created several challenges for the global oil-based printing ink market. The pandemic injected major uncertainty in the global market as supply chain disruptions led to shortage of various materials. Furthermore, demand declined significantly across various end-users, although some healthcare associated industries witnessed a minor increase in demand.

The supply chain volatilities led several small and medium scale manufacturers to cut back on ink production, with companies even going bankrupt due to drying up of orders. Large-scale manufacturers fared relatively well, since they dipped into their reserve stocks. The crash in global crude oil prices at the beginning of the pandemic further allowed major players to stock up on precursor materials at relatively lower prices.

Despite facing challenging prospects over the course of the pandemic, the overall growth trajectory of the global market has remained relatively unaltered in the post-pandemic period. The strong rebound in economic activities of emerging countries has provided a much needed boost to market growth.

Russia-Ukraine War Impact Analysis

The Russia-Ukraine created major impacts on the global oil-based printing ink market mainly due to two factors. The upheveal in global crude oil prices due to the invasion and the sanctions imposed on Russia, led to a significant short term spike in prices of precursors used in the manufacture of mineral oil-based printing inks.

Furthermore, given the fact that Ukraine is a major producer of sunflower and sunflower oil, the war-based disruption has led to increased prices, especially for companies manufacturing eco-friendly printing inks from sunflower oil, although sunflower oil only accounts for a small fraction of the global market.

Russia has been facing difficulties in able to import oil-based printing inks due to the economic sanctions since most Russian imports were from western European countries. Russia had to resort to the international grey market and route shipments through third countries in order to import inks. Some Russian end-users also utilized lower quality inks from China.

By Type

• Vegetable Oil-based Printing Inks
• Mineral Oil-based Printing Inks

By Printing Technique

• Lithography
• Photolithography
• Offset Printing

By Application

• Corrugated Cardboards
• Flexible Packaging
• Tags & Labels
• Folding Cartons
• Others

By End-User

• Packaging
• Print Media
• Commercial Printing
• Others

By Region

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
  • Mexico
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• South America
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Rest of South America
• Asia-Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
• Middle East and Africa

Key Developments

• In October 2023, a joint report by French and German research institutes published a report on the current state of circular economy in the printing inks industry. The report detailed the fact phasing out mineral oil-based inks in favor of more eco-friendly alternatives offered many benefits for the global industry.
• In August 2023, Flint Group, a major manufacturer of printing inks, announced that it was removing mineral oil from its portfolio of sheetfed process inks and is moving towards a more sustainable formulation.
• In October 2023, Actega, a Brazilian developer of printing inks, announced the consolidation of its operations at a single facility in Aracariguama, Brazil.

Competitive Landscape

The major global players in the market include Dow, Sicpa Holding SA, Epple Druckfarben AG, Sakata Inx Corporation, Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg.Co., Ltd., Van Son Ink Corporation, Sun Chemical Corporation, Zeller+Gmelin, Fujifilm Sericol India and Tokyo Printing Ink Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Why Purchase the Report?

• To visualize the global oil-based printing ink market segmentation based on type, printing technique, application, end-user and region, as well as understand key commercial assets and players.
• Identify commercial opportunities by analyzing trends and co-development.
• Excel data sheet with numerous data points of pouch tapes market-level with all segments.
• PDF report consists of a comprehensive analysis after exhaustive qualitative interviews and an in-depth study.
• Product mapping available as excel consisting of key products of all the major players.

The global oil-based printing ink market report would provide approximately 60 tables, 61 figures and 201 Pages.

Target Audience 2023

• Packaging Solutions Manufacturers
• Printing Paper Manufacturers
• Industry Investors/Investment Bankers
• Research Professionals