Use of Polypropylene in Packaging

One-third of all polypropylene applications is in packaging. Polypropylene is used in packaging biscuits, crisps, sweets, bread, pasta, dairy products, convenience foods, dried fruits, snacks, syringes, and medicine bottles. Polypropylene films are used in flexible packaging, for shirts, hosiery, bread, and produce, and in shrink-wrap applications for toys, games, hardware, frozen foods, and cigarette wrap. Use of polypropylene in packaging is growing, especially in blow-molded containers, sheet, profile and film extrusion, and injection-molded packaging. New grades with high stiffness, high clarity, and good elastomeric properties have enabled polypropylene to replace both plastic and nonplastic packaging materials. The trend in packaging toward thinner walls, lighter weight, and greater stiffness (in order to conserve resources) fits well with polypropylene’s balanced combination of properties: toughness, stiffness, hardness, excellent chemical resistance, and low density

Some estimates indicate that up to two-thirds of polypropylene’s growth is due to replacement of other thermoplastics. Polypropylene has replaced the more expensive polystyrene in many food packaging applications due to a lower cost and properties such as toughness, resistance to stress cracking, and favorable organoleptic properties. It is being considered as a substitute for PETP (polyethylene terephthalate polyester) in applications such as dairy containers and peanut butter jars due to the increased clarity of new resins, and oriented, coextruded films are used as a replacement for cellophane in the snack food industry.

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