PureCycle, Innovia Films trial 40% PCR Polypropylene BOPP for candy wrappers, snack packaging

USA – PureCycle Technologies has successfully produced white, cavitated BOPP film containing more than 40% post-consumer recycled polypropylene through a trial with Innovia Films that demonstrated comparable processing, mechanical, barrier and sealing performance to virgin resin.

The collaborative trial, announced on 8 June 2026, produced a white, cavitated biaxially oriented polypropylene film using PureCycle’s PureFive Choice resin. 

The film targets confectionery wrappers, ice cream novelty wraps, snack packaging and roll-fed labeling applications. 

Its cavitated structure delivers opacity, paper-like feel and an ideal print surface while maintaining moisture barrier performance essential for product protection. 

PureCycle’s patented dissolution recycling process removes color, odor and contaminants from post-consumer polypropylene to produce recycled resin suitable for demanding applications.

How PureFive Choice Resin Delivered Comparable Extrusion, Orientation and Cavitation Results

Innovia conducted comprehensive process evaluations across the full cavitated BOPP production sequence, assessing resin behavior from extrusion through orientation and cavitation. 

During the trial, the PureFive Choice resin yielded comparable processing results to the virgin polypropylene resins used in commercial films. 

Testing confirmed that films made with varying percentages of PureFive Choice delivered comparable mechanical, barrier and sealing properties crucial for maintaining product integrity and packaging line performance. 

Chris Freshwater, market manager at Innovia Films, said that the film produced with PureFive resin represented a major milestone and shift in the sustainability of flexible packaging. 

He explained that PureCycle’s dissolution recycling technology was a real game-changer, as the company was not only introducing post-consumer recycled content to its films but doing so with an energy-saving recycling technology.

Why Regulatory Drivers Are Accelerating PCR Adoption in Polypropylene Film Production

The achievement arrives at a pivotal moment for the global packaging industry. In the United States, California’s SB 54 mandates virgin plastic reduction with compliance timelines already driving reformulation across the supply chain. 

In Europe, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation expands mandatory recycled content targets for plastic packaging beginning in 2030. 

White, cavitated BOPP film, used extensively in confectionery and snack formats, has remained one of the more challenging areas for incorporating meaningful recycled content.

Pete Dias, senior director of Market, Product and Application Development at PureCycle, said that brand owners had been searching for a way to incorporate certified recycled content without compromising performance or appearance. 

He noted that by working with Innovia, the companies had demonstrated that the PureFive resin for film was up to that challenge, strengthening the conviction that PureCycle could serve as a foundational PCR supplier for the global flexible packaging market.

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