On May 5–6, 2026, the Sustainable Flexo Symposium will demonstrate—with live printing—how modern, automated CI flexographic printing delivers consistent, gravure-level results on recycled and mono-material substrates.

Europe’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is accelerating the shift toward circular materials and higher recycled content. Meanwhile, converters and brand owners are seeking production-ready solutions capable of ensuring stability and repeatability.

The event will take place at Follmann’s Technology & Knowledge Centre in Minden, Germany. The symposium features live CI flexo production at Allstein in Herford using water-based inks.

The symposium takes place immediately ahead of Interpack 2026 in Düsseldorf, too. The two-half day English-language event brings together leading technology partners from across the flexo value chain. There, they will present a fully integrated, automation-driven workflow for sustainable flexible packaging.

The hands-on event focuses on real production jobs, measurable process stability and repeatable print results.

Highlighting industry trends

Packaging producers are increasingly incorporating PCR content, thinner materials and mono-material designs into their products. Therefore, converters are facing increasing demands in process stability, color consistency, and print quality. The symposium also presents CI flexography as a production-ready process capable of delivering stable, repeatable results on mechanically sensitive and recycled film structures traditionally associated with gravure printing.

In addition, live demonstrations will include reverse and surface printing on transparent OPP, MDO-PE, PCR-based PE films and paper packaging materials. The workflow integrates water-wash plate technology (Solvent ZERO), water-based inks, precision anilox technology and automated plate-to-print processes. They solutions have been designed to ensure repeatability and industrial reliability.

Complementing the live production demonstrations, the expert Tech Talks will focus on sustainable film structures (including PCR and mono-material designs), inspection, and quality control for recyclates, and integrated automation workflows across the flexo ecosystem.

Participating companies

The program brings together leading suppliers across the flexo ecosystem—prepress, plates, inks, substrates, anilox, inspection and press automation. They include Esko, Asahi Photoproducts, Follmann, Pamarco, PetroPlast, OCS, Tesa and Allstein.

By combining live production with cross-industry technical exchange, the international Sustainable Flexo Symposium provides a practical framework for how flexographic printing can support the transition toward regulation-aligned, circular flexible packaging production. The event is positioned to share knowledge between suppliers, converters, and brand owners to prepare for a sustainable CI flexo value chain ahead of Interpack 2026.