Chromatic Technologies Inc. helped Dr Pepper win a Distinction Award at PAC Global 2025 with a can that shifts colors four different ways.

Their NOLA Can turns purple when cold, orange in sunlight and cold, and yellow in sunlight and warm temperatures.

It’s chameleon packaging at its finest.

This works through CTI’s hybrid ink technology, blending thermochromic and photochromic properties to create four distinct color profiles. The company holds multiple patents on color-changing inks, with pending patents covering wetness-sensitive, light-stable, and temperature-sensitive formulations.

While color-changing inks have existed for years, they’re largely limited to food and beverage packaging. Industrial packaging, electronics, and pharma have barely tapped into the potential.

Beyond grabbing attention, these inks could communicate product integrity, authenticity, or usage guidance.

At warm indoor temperatures, they maintain standard branding. Cold indoors, they confirm proper storage for temperature-sensitive products. Warm sunlight triggers attention-grabbing shifts. Cold sunlight could flag freshness issues or tampering.

There’s also the environmental angle. My team recently analyzed five startups developing printing inks aimed at reducing carbon footprint. We also spoke with one of the founders to understand which approaches are gaining traction.

You can read the full breakdown here:

5 Printing Inks that are Reducing Carbon Footprint in Packaging