PureCycle Technologies and Innovia Films have successfully produced white, cavitated biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film using recycled polypropylene, marking a significant step forward for sustainable flexible packaging.

 

The trial, conducted using PureCycle’s PureFive Choice resin, delivered a film containing more than 40% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. The material was successfully evaluated for use in high-performance packaging applications including snack foods, confectionery, ice cream wrappers, and roll-fed labels.

 

White, cavitated BOPP film is widely used across global consumer packaging due to its opacity, lightweight structure, and high-quality printability. Its paper-like feel combined with strong barrier and sealing performance makes it especially important in food-contact packaging. Until now, incorporating meaningful levels of recycled polypropylene into such demanding applications has remained a major industry challenge.

 

This development positions PureCycle’s dissolution recycling technology as a viable solution for closing that gap.

 

“This film produced with PureFive resin represents a major milestone and shift in the sustainability of flexible packaging,” said Innovia Films Market Manager, Chris Freshwater. 

 

“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.”

 

The breakthrough also arrives amid tightening global regulation on plastic waste. Policies such as California’s SB 54 and the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) are accelerating demand for recycled content in flexible packaging. 

 

These rules are forcing converters and brand owners to rapidly reformulate materials, particularly in film applications where PCR supply has historically been limited.

 

PureCycle argues its PureFive resin is uniquely positioned to meet these requirements, being among the few food-contact-compliant recycled polypropylene materials available at scale.

 

“The successful production of white, cavitated BOPP film is a major step forward for PureCycle and for the flexible packaging industry. This film can be found all over your grocery store, whether it’s in the candy aisle, an ice cream freezer or on snack shelves,” said Pete Dias PureCycle Senior Director of Market, Product, and Application Development. 

 

“Brand owners have been searching for a way to incorporate certified recycled content without compromising performance or appearance. By working with Innovia, we have demonstrated that our PureFive resin for film is up to that challenge and strengthens our conviction that PureCycle can serve as a foundational PCR supplier for the global flexible packaging market.”

 

Testing conducted by Innovia showed that films produced with varying levels of PureFive Choice resin performed comparably to virgin polypropylene in key properties including mechanical strength, barrier performance, and sealability—critical factors for packaging integrity and production efficiency.

 

The collaboration also demonstrated that PureCycle’s specially engineered resin can integrate into standard cavitated BOPP production processes without compromising output quality or consistency.

 

PureCycle’s PureFive Choice resin is produced using its patented dissolution recycling process, which removes color, odor, and contaminants from post-consumer polypropylene waste to create a recycled resin designed for broad industrial use, including food-contact packaging applications.