Innovia Films, a science material leader and major producer of highly differentiated speciality Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP), Bubble and Tenter technologies and Cast Polypropylene (CPP) films, has initiated a significant expansion at its Innovia business unit near Leipzig in Germany at the Dow ValuePark Schkopau.

A new 8.8 meters wide multi-layer co-extrusion line will produce highly engineered thin gauge label films to support the growing, sustainability driven demand for lower resin content materials. The new technology is unique for label films, with 36,000 tons of annual capacity designed for best-in-class energy efficiency. Production will commence in the second half of 2024.

Simon Huber, Managing Director Innovia Films Europe, commented: “The intended introduction of the BOPP film on a production scale represents an innovation for the application as uncoated and printable label film that does not exist yet. The new line in Germany will supply thinner films for the label market, close to where many customers are located. Polypropylene is a widely recycled material that has an established recycling stream and that supports a circular economy of plastics“.

Giuseppe Ronzoni, General Manager at Innovia Films in Schkopau, Germany, said: “This technology offers clear advantages over the state of the art, especially for the life cycle assessment with regard to product-specific CO2 emissions. Further developments, retrofitting and the more sustainable change in the German electricity mix can lead to a further improvement in the environmental impact.”

The investment is part of the company strategy to focus on providing more sustainable material for the label industry as part of their “Better Future” material science strategy. Thinner materials equal more material efficiency and a lower carbon footprint of the end product, which supports the carbon reduction strategy of many major brands that are looking to introduce more sustainable packaging into the market.

Groundbreaking for new multi-layer co-extrusion line.
Left to right: Kerstin Dittmann, Sales Engineer, Goldbeck; Giuseppe Ronzoni, General Manager; Simon Huber, Managing Director Innovia Films Europe; Jörg Bechmann, Branch Manager, Authorised Signatory, Goldbeck; and Stefan Strobel, Project Manager, Goldbeck