Follmann has become a diamond partner of the Flexographic Industry Association UK (FIA UK), strengthening its presence in the UK flexible packaging market. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

Follmann is a family owned, water based chemistry specialist headquartered in Minden, Germany, developing printing inks, coatings and adhesives for packaging applications. It has focused on water based systems since the mid-1990s. Financial details are not publicly disclosed.

FIA UK is the trade association representing the UK flexographic printing supply chain, from design and reprographics through to printing, converting, retail and recycling, and has operated since 1972. As a not for profit trade body, it does not publish commercial financials.

Advisors: None mentioned.

The partnership reflects a structural shift in flexible packaging ink chemistry rather than a routine sponsorship deal.

Nitrocellulose based inks face mounting pressure from VOC regulation and recyclability requirements, prompting suppliers including Sun Chemical and Flint Group to develop alternative systems aligned with CEFLEX design guidelines, according to Sun Chemical. The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is reinforcing this shift by setting stricter recyclability expectations across the packaging supply chain, as noted by Flint Group.

For Follmann, diamond status secures a direct channel into FIA UK's converter and supply chain network as it expands its UK footprint. For FIA UK, the partnership brings additional technical expertise into industry discussions on ink chemistry at a time of regulatory change.

Rival suppliers have moved in parallel, with Sun Chemical securing RecyClass certification for its own nitrocellulose alternative system in March 2026, underscoring how quickly the competitive field around recyclable ink systems is developing.

As UK and European converters weigh the cost and performance trade-offs of moving away from nitrocellulose, association level partnerships like this are becoming a channel through which suppliers shape technical consensus ahead of tighter recyclability rules.

Source: Packaging Scotland / Sun Chemical / Flint Group