Why CPP Films Are Becoming Increasingly Popular

Cast Polypropylene Films or CPP films have earned the reputation of being “versatile films” in the industry, and for good reason. CPP films score high on quality and performance, look aesthetically great, and are an ideal choice for flexible packaging, which is why these films are favoured in both traditional flexible packaging and non-packing applications. In this blog, we will take a closer look at what really makes CPP films special.

CPP films are made from polypropylene. Polypropylene is popular as a packaging material because it has low density and weight, is very versatile and cost-effective, and most importantly, is sustainable.

Let’s look at some of the major benefits of CPP:

Excellent Resistance To Tear – CPP films are very robust. Hence they have a high resistance to any kind of puncture and/or tear.

High Seal Strength and Hot Tack Strength - Both these values are exceptionally high making CPP films very robust and durable.

Multi-Material Structures - All the component properties of multi-material structures come together to optimize the performance, functionality, and total costs.

Offers Good Moisture Barrier - To extend the shelf life of the product, it is crucial that the film successfully protects the product from humidity, temperature and gases. CPP films provide a good moisture barrier and preserve product quality.

High Transparency - CPP films are completely transparent and attractive. Not only do they lend to the aesthetics of the product packaging, but also make it possible to see the product inside.

Good Optical Property - Great optical properties determine the shelf appeal of the product and CPP films with its versatility ensures that the look and feel of the product are not compromised.

Excellent Machinability - These films are easy to process and also offer great printability.

CPP films come in various varieties, but the general CPP and metalized CPP film are the most popular ones. General CPP films find widespread usage in the fields of food, agriculture and  architecture because of its transparency and sealing properties. In fact, the wrappers you see for confectionery and bakery products, or even fresh food are CPP films. From food packaging to  lamination and stationary, there is hardly a place where CPP films are not used. CPP films are used in the health care and pharmaceutical industries as well because these films provide a great  barrier against contamination.  

It is evident that CPP films dominate the Indian market. There are a couple of challenges posed by low-cost material but the advantages of CPP films supersede all of them.

Mr Pankaj Poddar, CEO Cosmo Films says, “We see more and more CPP being used globally as  well as in India as a choice material for packaging applications in food and agriculture owing to  its high transparency vis-a-vis polyethene and excellent sealing performance. Cosmo Films, with  years of experience in the polypropylene space, has worked hard to come up with an extensive  range of CPP films that it offers today both from functionality as well as mono-materialization standpoint.”

The Best Companion for Food Packaging Solutions - Barrier Films

The use of barrier films prevents food items from deterioration by bringing down or preventing oxygen as well as water vapor penetration. The films are becoming popular as the volume of prepackaged foods grows. This helps sales outlets bring down the labor expenses of on-site packaging.

Some benefits of Barrier Films 

• Shields food from ultra-violet rays 
• Does not allow oxygen to enter the food package 
• Does not permit odors to penetrate the package 
• Ramps up moisture barrier properties 
• Boosts gas barrier properties 

Barrier films are employed in most food packaging solutions particularly in thin plastic-based items. As the quality of food packaging solutions is dependent on the efficacy of the barrier it is imperative to choose the suitable kind of film for your specific purpose.

Minimum Oxygen Transfer Rate 

One major factor to take into account is the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of the pertinent film. OTR put simply is the quantity of oxygen that a barrier film permits to go through it. In majority of the food packaging solutions lesser oxygen is preferred. As high barrier films possess an oxygen permeability of 10 cc and lesser they are widely employed in food packaging applications.

As barrier films are versatile as well as reliable the former is surging in use year by year by the food packaging industry. There are a plethora of barrier films available today. Each provides unique advantages for different kinds of food items.

Ethylene vinyl alcohol barrier film is perfect for fish, meat as well as poultry packaging. The reason being the former possessing an OTR of 0.6.

Polyester(PET) is employed as a laminating substrate. The former’s advantages are heat resistance, potent oxygen barrier as well as superior durability. If laminated to certain miscellaneous materials it is an effective barrier to water as well as shields food products from UV rays.

Nylon is engineered to be microwaved or cooked as a result of its superior strength as well as relatively high melting point. Hence the former is widely used as well as popular in food packaging solutions. Polypropylene is a transparent, high barrier as well as flexible film offering excellent OTR as well as potent moisture barrier. LLDPE (Linear low-density polyethylene) offers transparency as well as excellent OTR perfect for flexible fresh produce food packaging.

Various combinations of the above barrier films are also leveraged in food packaging solutions.