PureCycle Technologies and Innovia Films announced their successful production and trial evaluation of white, cavitated biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film, produced using PureCycle’s PureFive Choice resin with more than 40% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.

Innovia Films produces white, cavitated BOPP film using PureCycle’s PureFive Choice resin with PCR content.

PureFive Choice: Comparable performance properties with virgin PP

Innovia conducted comprehensive process evaluations throughout the trial, assessing resin behavior across the full cavitated BOPP production sequence. During the trial process, the PureFive Choice resin yielded comparable processing results to the virgin polypropylene resins used in commercial films.

Testing showed that the films made using varying percentages of PureFive Choice resin delivered comparable mechanical, barrier and sealing properties to films made with virgin PP resin, which are crucial for maintaining product integrity and packaging line performance.

The PureFive Choice resin grade used by Innovia is a specially formulated one-pellet solution engineered for film applications. PureCycle's PureFive Choice portfolio is designed to enable converters to incorporate post-consumer recycled polypropylene with the process certainty and application performance typically associated with virgin resin.

All PureFive resin is produced through PureCycle's patented dissolution recycling process, which removes color, odor, and contaminants from post-consumer polypropylene to yield a recycled resin suitable for the widest range of end uses.

“Our research and development specialists are always looking to improve the sustainability of our products. PureCycle’s dissolution recycling technology is a real gamechanger. Not only are we introducing post-consumer recycled content to our films, but we’re doing so with an energy-saving recycling technology,” said Innovia Films Market Manager, Chris Freshwater.

Cavitated BOPP film in food-contact applications

White, cavitated BOPP film is a critical material in some consumer packaging formats. Its unique opacity, light weight, and printability make it the material of choice for many food-contact applications, including candy wrappers, ice cream novelty wrappers, snack packaging and roll-fed labeling.

The film's cavitated structure delivers a paper-like feel and ideal print surface while maintaining the mechanical performance and moisture barrier essential for food-contact applications.

The successful production of this film type using PureFive resin marks a significant commercial expansion of what is possible with post-consumer recycled polypropylene in demanding flexible packaging applications.