5 Sustainable BOPP Packaging Trends for 2020

This year's trend in the packaging industry revolves around the circular economy and continues to dominate the 2020 market as more businesses look for sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging options. BOPP film manufacturers for BOPP laminated bags are leading the way in producing packaging solutions that meet the demands for sustainability and cost-efficiency.

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'Reduce, reuse, and recycle' remains the mantra of the packaging industry. Below are some of the most sustainable packaging solutions that support this concept:

1. Packaging solutions designed for recycling
   In today’s race for sustainability, more recycling translates to greater development. For packaging to be recycled, it must meet requirements such as separability, labeling, coloration, and cleanliness. BOPP film manufacturers are striving to fulfill these requirements with new packaging designs that are made for recycling.
2. Packaging solutions designed for reuse
   Although more challenging to conceptualize and implement than recyclable packaging, reusable packaging is also gaining traction. It changes the way packaging is handled—from being torn open and discarded to being able to withstand sterilization, washing, and eventual reuse.
3. The bioplastic movement
   Another rising trend in packaging is the use of bioplastics as alternatives to fossil-fuel-based materials. Bioplastics, although often associated with compostable and biodegradable materials, are not necessarily so. They help reduce production's carbon footprint, which significantly impacts sustainability.
4. Reduced packaging
   Minimizing packaging to bare essentials is a solution many manufacturers and business owners are exploring to ensure greater sustainability. This is particularly true for bulk food items and other products that don’t require excessive packing material. However, it's crucial to choose packaging methods that safeguard product quality and safety.
5. The consumer factor
   Educating consumers on how to best use and reuse packaging is crucial for increasing the sustainability of packaging materials. When consumers know how to use, dispose of, and recycle packaging, your efforts to provide sustainable solutions will be more effective.

At Cady Bag, you will find packaging solutions that are sustainable and cost-efficient. The company specializes in a range of polypropylene plastic products, including BOPP laminated bags and leno packaging, as well as coated fabrics and building products. They have a global sales network serving consumer packaging needs at various levels.

When choosing the best packaging for your product, consider several factors. Ensure your product stays fresh, and your label is clearly printable on the packaging. Aim to reduce your carbon footprint whenever possible. BOPP Bags (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene Bags) from Western Packaging are useful for various industrial and agricultural products. Besides being easy to recycle, these bags are cost-effective and weigh less than other alternatives.

What are BOPP Bags?

Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is a stretched polypropylene film applied as an additional layer to a woven polypropylene bag. Polypropylene or polypropene is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer with high impact resistance. BOPP is a durable material used to package products such as:

Fertilizers, Grass seed, Rock salt, Pesticides, Rice, Minerals, Concrete mix, Sand, Bird seed, Pet food, Deer corn, and other animal food products.

BOPP is trusted for packaging heavy items because it does not tear easily and is waterproof. BOPP packaging is strong and durable, manufactured by weaving and then laminated using organic materials. Its strength comes from high-quality materials used in its manufacture.

The film on BOPP packaging allows for clear and customized printing on both sides of the bag and on the gussets. These woven bags withstand the wear and tear of loading and transport. BOPP bags keep your product safe from contaminants, microbes, and airborne pollution. Once sealed, nothing gets in or out of a BOPP bag.

The Differences Between BOPP, OPP, and PP

OPP and PP bags are also used for packaging and are often confused with BOPP. While all three share the basic polymer polypropylene, they are manufactured differently. BOPP, Polypropylene (PP), and Oriented Polypropylene (OPP) each have different characteristics and uses.

The Benefits of Using BOPP Bags

Choosing BOPP bags offers many advantages over other options. They keep products fresher for longer and don’t break during shipping and handling. The crystal-clear coating allows you to see and verify the freshness of your product. Other benefits include:

• Durability
• Water-Resistance
• Compatibility with automated bagging systems
• Easily customizable
• UV light resistance
• Recyclable

Is BOPP Plastic Recyclable?

Many people ask, "Is polypropylene eco-friendly?" BOPP plastic bags are environmentally friendly despite not being biodegradable. They can be reused and recycled multiple times while maintaining their value. Eliminating waste and recycling increases revenue and reduces your company's carbon footprint. This makes biaxially oriented polypropylene recycling a significant benefit.

The Environmental Working Group rates polypropylene as a low to moderate hazard. The dope-dyed method of printing bags does not require water and thus avoids wastewater disposal. This saves cost and benefits the environment.

BOPP Plastic is Cost-Effective

BOPP woven sacks are relatively low-cost and easy to obtain. Their integrity and strength keep your product safe, reducing loss due to seepage. BOPP bags also extend product shelf life by keeping moisture out and protecting from sun damage. Weighing less than paper bags, they save on shipping costs due to their fewer layers.

Contact Us Today

Contact us at Western Packaging to inquire about a custom BOPP bag order for your business.

Our team’s extensive experience with agricultural plastics and machinery allows us to deliver high-quality shipping and packaging supplies. Our products include FIBC bulk livestock feed bags, BOPP bags, woven poly bags, stretch film, hay sleeves, and more. Western Packaging is committed to providing the best solutions, whether you need grain bags or wholesale bulk bags.

BOPP Film Shredding and Recycling

Economic and Sustainable: BOPP Recycling

Robust plastic shredders from WEIMA are versatile and flexible. Thanks to adaptable components like the rotor, its cutting knives, the drive, material feed, and material discharge, you always achieve the optimal shredding result.

BOPP waste can be fed directly in any form. Manual preparation or pre-cutting is unnecessary. The machine can be loaded by forklift, wheel loader, manually by hand, or automatically via a conveyor belt.

BOPP Film for Food and Tobacco Packaging and Labels

Recyclability

Polypropylene can be readily recycled. It can be sorted and mixed with the existing PP recycle stream. It is more resistant to degradation during mechanical recycling compared with other polymers, offering greater potential for future high-value products. Most plastic packaging is technically recyclable, but mixed plastic packaging presents challenges if the industry is to avoid down cycling. Mono-materials are crucial for recyclability.

An example is in wet pet food pouches, where complex laminates of PET/Foil/CPP are used. An all-polypropylene version of this structure is now possible.

Certified Recyclable

Working with Interseroh, an independent German recycling and consulting company, we have confirmed the recyclability of all our uncoated, acrylic-coated, Strata, and Encore range of BOPP films. They have achieved the 'Made for Recycling' certification.

This certification provides independent validation that our polypropylene films are fully recyclable and can be classified as 'recycle ready' in countries with the infrastructure to recycle polypropylene.

Interseroh evaluates packaging based on sound criteria along the entire after-life processes (collection, sorting, recycling, and processing). The result is a scale determining whether the packaging is non-recyclable or very good.

Collection

The first stage of recycling is collection, where flexible packs have often been left behind in favor of easily collected materials like PET bottles.

However, attitudes toward collecting valuable flexible films are changing. In June 2021, OPRL (On-Pack Recycling Label, a not-for-profit company) announced that, from January 2022, PP films will join PE film in bearing the 'Recycle with bags at large supermarkets' label.

The OPRL label scheme, recognized by the UN Environment Programme as an international best practice, delivers simple, consistent, and UK-wide reuse and recycling messages on consumer packaging. OPRL members come from all parts of the packaging supply chain, from design to manufacture to brand/retailer.

In-store collection points are growing as more major UK retailers like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Co-op join the scheme. The flexible plastic fund is incentivizing flexible plastic recycling quickly.

Chemical and Mechanical Recycling

Chemical recycling of polypropylene is rapidly developing. It maintains all the properties of fossil-based films and is food contact compliant. However, it doesn't have as good a carbon footprint as mechanical recycled polypropylene.

Incorporating recycled content into BOPP products is challenging. Food-compliant mechanical recyclate is unavailable, and PP can't act as a functional barrier to contaminants in recycled PP. Chemical recycling offers limited material, but this is growing and will improve with competition and economies of scale.

The goal for the industry is a cost-effective, food-compliant route from mechanical recycling, significantly reducing carbon footprint compared to chemical recycled polypropylene.

Innovia offers BOPP flexible films with chemically or mechanically recycled polymers under the Encore range.

Designing for Recyclability

All aspects of pack design must be considered to enhance recyclability.

The Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) in the USA produced a design guide for plastics recyclability. This guide helps designers measure each aspect of a package against industry-accepted criteria to ensure compatibility, including labels. The guide highlights the benefits of using compatible materials and adhesives.

Polypropylene (PP) labels on polyester (PET) containers and bottles with wash-off adhesives are preferred. Paper labels are identified as problematic. PP, with density less than water, enables PP pressure-sensitive labels to float in float/sink reprocessing, fundamental to recyclers. Innovia Films leads in PP pressure-sensitive facestock films with various products.

Our Product Managers, Global Sales, and Technical Services Teams are knowledgeable and can assist in making the right choices to improve pack formats and increase recyclability.

Are you interested in learning more about coated bopp films? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Polypropylene can be readily recycled. It is more resistant to degradation during mechanical recycling compared with other polymers, offering greater potential for future high-value products. Most plastic packaging is technically recyclable, but mixed plastic packaging presents challenges if the industry is to avoid down cycling. Mono-materials are crucial for recyclability.

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