Saving on colors: War against Iran pushes Japanese snack maker to switch to black-and-white packaging

Japan’s top maker of snacks has landed on a creative solution to conserve oil-derived ​input materials: it will switch its brightly coloured packaging to black and white, Reuters writes.

In an ‌eye-catching move, Tokyo-based Calbee on Tuesday said it would temporarily use only two ink colors on 14 of its products.

As noted, products with the revised packaging will ​hit store shelves from May 25.

Calbee, which has the largest share of the ​domestic snacks market, said the initiative was aimed at maintaining stable shipments in ⁠response to the unstable supply affecting “certain raw materials” due to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Printing ink requires naphtha, an oil derivative for which Japan relies on imports from the Middle East for about 40% of its consumption.

Japanese companies ​have lately sought to minimize the impact of rising costs and input material shortages even as the ​government seeks to reassure the public and businesses over supplies.