Production and Application Prospects of BOPE Films

With the continuous development of the plastics industry, plastic films have become an inseparable part of our daily lives. However, the rapid expansion of plastic film applications has also led to two critical challenges: energy crises and environmental pollution, characterized by massive consumption of petroleum resources and the accumulation of plastic waste.

Therefore, reducing plastic film usage or developing biodegradable alternatives are two major research directions to address these issues. BOPE (Biaxially Oriented Polyethylene) films, with their “thinning” capability, significantly reduce the consumption of conventional plastic films, offering robust support for mitigating energy and environmental challenges.

Currently, plastic film production methods primarily include five techniques: calendering, casting, tubular film blowing, uniaxial stretching, and biaxial stretching. Due to polyethylene (PE)’s inherent properties—such as rapid crystallization rates and high crystallinity—traditional PE films are limited to three processing methods: casting, tubular film blowing, and uniaxial stretching, with casting and tubular film blowing being the dominant approaches.

Uniaxial stretching is only applied in specialized fields. Leveraging over two decades of experience in biaxially stretched film production, the R&D team at Qingdao Cloud Film Packaging Materials Co.,Ltd. optimized specialized PE raw materials and, after four years of research, successfully overcame the technical barriers of two-step stretching to produce the world’s first BOPE film.

Unlike conventional PE packaging films produced via blow molding or casting—which suffer from performance limitations such as poor transparency, low heat-seal strength, insufficient rigidity, vulnerability to low-temperature punctures, pinhole formation, brittleness, unpleasant odors, and uneven tearing—BOPE films have dramatically improved these shortcomings, spearheading innovation in the PE film industry.

I. Performance Characteristics and Advantages of BOPE Films

BOPE films, manufactured using advanced biaxial stretching technology, exhibit superior performance compared to blown or cast PE products. Key features include:

1. High heat-seal strength and puncture resistance;
2. High transparency and gloss;
3. High rigidity and tensile strength;
4. Excellent low-temperature pinhole resistance, flexibility, wear resistance, and impact strength;
5. Long-lasting wetting tension (≥38 dyne for six months), superior printability, and precise registration;
6. Enhanced barrier properties, boilability, and minimal fish eyes.

In market applications, BOPE films offer the following advantages over traditional PE films:

1. 50% Lightweighting: Reduces packaging substrate thickness by 50%, saving resources and lowering costs;
2. Environmental Friendliness: Conserves resources, reduces CO₂ emissions, enables recycling, and eliminates adhesives;
3. User-Friendliness: Features easy-tear properties with clean edges;
4. Exceptional Low-Temperature Performance: Maintains outstanding impact and puncture resistance in freezing conditions.

II. Market Applications of BOPE Films

Polyethylene (PE) is a widely used general-purpose polymer. Since the 1950s, PE has accounted for 70% of global polyolefin consumption and 44% of thermoplastic resin usage. In the film market, PE dominates, with China’s annual PE film demand exceeding 2.2 million tons in 2009 and growing at 10% per year. Conventional PE films are produced via casting or blow molding, but BOPE films leverage advanced biaxial stretching technology to gain a competitive edge. BOPE films not only retain the physical properties of standard PE films but also excel in mechanical strength, transparency, gloss, low fish-eye counts, contamination-resistant sealing, puncture resistance, low-temperature impact performance, printability, and sustained wetting tension.

The most significant advantage of BOPE films is thinning. Due to their high mechanical strength, BOPE films can achieve equivalent or better performance at half the thickness of traditional PE films. Customer trials confirm that “thinned” BOPE films exhibit higher mechanical strength than standard PE films.

Beyond replacing conventional PE films, BOPE’s unique properties—such as high mechanical strength and superior low-temperature performance—enable entry into niche markets where traditional PE films fall short. Examples include frozen seafood packaging and quick-frozen food packaging. Customer feedback indicates that BOPE films reduce the “bag breakage rate” in frozen packaging from 7%-8% to nearly 0%.

Furthermore, in the era of low-carbon economies, BOPE films align with global sustainability goals. By halving PE consumption, BOPE films not only address the urgent demands of climate negotiations but also contribute significantly to transitioning toward a low-carbon economy.

III. Conclusion

BOPE films represent a transformative advancement in the plastics industry, balancing performance excellence with environmental stewardship. Their ability to reduce material usage, enhance recyclability, and meet stringent application requirements positions BOPE as a cornerstone of sustainable material innovation. As industries prioritize carbon neutrality, BOPE films are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of packaging and beyond.