The UK plant is based in Wigton, Cumbria, the company is exclusively focused on speciality films, including biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), used in many wrapping and labelling applications and for banknote production in Canada, Australia, Britain and other countries.
Also in 1934, British New Wrap Co Ltd was formed in Wigton, and production of cellulose film began at the site which had previously been set up to produce Rayon.
In 1942, La Cellophane Espanola was founded in Burgos, Spain In 1961 ICI developed Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene, which, because of its clarity, gloss, sparkle, crispness and grease resistance, resembled cellulose film rather than polyethylene to which it is chemically related.
In 1982, the British Sidac plant at St Helens was closed and in 1987, UCB Films acquired La Cellophane Espanola.
In 1987 the BOPP production partnership with ICI ended, and UCB Films assumed full ownership of Sidex Ltd.
[3] In October 2004, a UK consortium led by Dennis Matthewman and financed by private equity company Candover Investments, bought UCB's polypropylene and cellulose films business.
As the market for cellulose films was contracting due to substitution by oil based polymers, Innovia decided to close one of its plants to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
In 2020 CCL Industries acquired Flexpol S.p.a. a BOPP films producer in Plock, Poland who have both Tenter and Cast polypropylene production.