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Originally developed as a replacement for cellulose film, the use
of BOPP film has created new market applications and uses. Various
technical and economic factors have made the BOPP film industry
one of the most dynamic sector of plastics packaging. BOPP's exciting
combination of properties have resulted in the development of new
consumer trends and tastes. Around 2.4 million tonnes of BOPP film
is consumed around the world every year, with Asia overtaking Western
Europe and North America in terms of consumption. BOPP offers various
advantage such as film stiffness, good printing and coating surface
and reasonable barrier properties which makes it highly suitable
for the food packaging sector. But recession, combined with overcapacity
and the relatively high usage of PET films has restrained the growth
of BOPP films in Asia. China has added to the strength of the BOPP
film market in Asia by increasing the country's capacity phenomenally
through the establishment of a large number of SSIs in the Nineties.
More than 44 producers of BOPP film exist in China with an average
output of 6500 tons/ plant. The Chinese industry now faces the problem
of oversupply although global BOPP capacity stood at over three
million tons in 1998, with production levels running at 80%. The
market share held by the 10 largest companies has actually declined,
but Mobil Plastics has continued to remain the largest and the truly
global players in the BOPP films industry. The BOPP film industry
is expected to grow at the rate of nearly Eight %/ per year upto
2007 world wide. But Asia, the Middle East and India are expected
to achieve a market growth above this level.
| (Source: Macplas International,
May 2000) |
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