Calbee has temporarily switched to black-and-white packaging for its crisps, prawn crackers, and other salty snacks in Japan [1, 2].
The move highlights how geopolitical instability in the Middle East can disrupt the granular details of global manufacturing, from oil derivatives to food packaging.
Calbee, Japan's largest domestic snack manufacturer, implemented the change due to unstable supplies of colored printing ink [1, 3]. The company relies on naphtha, a crude-oil derivative used in the production of colored inks, which has seen significant price spikes and shortages [3, 4].
These supply chain disruptions are a direct result of the war in Iran [2, 3]. The conflict has impacted the availability of naphtha and contributed to volatility in the energy markets. Brent crude prices have reached approximately $110 per barrel [1].
The shift to monochromatic bags is a temporary measure to ensure that production and distribution facilities can continue operating without interruption [2, 4]. By removing the need for complex colored inks, the company avoids the immediate bottlenecks caused by the naphtha shortage.
This situation underscores the interdependence of the Japanese food industry and global petrochemical markets. While the product inside the bags remains unchanged, the visual identity of the brand has been stripped back to maintain stock levels on shelves [3, 4].
“Calbee has temporarily switched to black-and-white packaging for its crisps, prawn crackers, and other salty snacks”
The transition to colorless packaging demonstrates the vulnerability of 'just-in-time' supply chains to regional conflicts. Because naphtha is a fundamental building block for various chemical products, the war in Iran is creating a ripple effect that transcends energy prices and enters the consumer packaged goods sector, forcing companies to prioritize functional availability over brand aesthetics.
