Swedish packaging materials manufacturer Scanfill has commercially launched a food-contact approved post-consumer recycled polypropylene (PCR PP) film, marking what the company says is one of the first products of its kind to be available at commercial scale.
PKN first saw the material at interpack 2026 in May, where the product was still completing final customer trials. Speaking with PKN at the time, Scanfill area sales manager Niklas Linde said the company was confident the material would meet a significant market need for food-grade recycled PP.
Now launched as Scanfoil rPP POP (Prevented Ocean Plastic), the transparent film contains 30 per cent mechanically recycled post-consumer polypropylene and is approved for food contact under the EU's recycled plastics legislation. According to Scanfill, it is available in a range of transparency levels while delivering performance comparable to virgin PP.
Linde said the development addresses a longstanding shortage of high-quality recycled polypropylene suitable for food packaging.
"What we can now offer is a transparent foil [film] based on recycled PP that is approved for food contact since Regulation 2022/1616 entered into force. This is a major development, and we are very pleased to be able to offer it to our customers."
The company says the material has been developed to help customers prepare for the requirements of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which will progressively increase recycled content obligations for plastic packaging placed on the European market.
According to Karl Banke, the mechanically recycled PP is produced using an advanced recycling process capable of delivering food-contact compliant material at commercial volumes.
"What our supplier has demonstrated is that it is possible to recycle PP that has been in consumer use, making rPP POP a real game changer for the industry."
Banke said the recycled resin undergoes extensive quality assurance during production, with additional testing carried out by Scanfill before it is converted into finished foil to verify its suitability for food contact applications.
The recycled feedstock is sourced from polypropylene cups collected in coastal regions of Southeast Asia through the Prevented Ocean Plastic programme. Scanfill says the material offers full recyclability and traceability, allowing customers to identify the geographic origin of the recovered plastic.
Linde said the product provides customers with access to high-quality recycled PP while helping reduce the risk of plastic entering marine environments.
