ExxonMobil has introduced an easy and affordable processed sustainable solution, suitable for high volume application including but not limited to industrial packaging, food and beverage packaging, automotive parts and building products. The product is launched with the name Achieve Advanced PP6302E1, and the new HMS (high melt strength) grade has improved the product stiffness up to 30% in comparison to standard HMS PP foam for the opportunity of significant cost reductions.
Global Market Development Manager, Polypropylene, Vistamaxx and Adhesions Business, Olivier Lorge disclosed that in the past, foam applications had been dominated by polymers with amorphous shapes such as PVC, PS and PU. The foamed PP having been introduced around 20 years ago is a relatively recent progression, but never had much into commercial production. Now customers can rethink and challenge the possibility of high volume application of lightweight foamed PP parts.
The new product, Achieve Advanced PP6302E1, is said to be a feasible alternative to some materials like PFAs, monomer concerns (prop65), also PS foam and VOCs, materials which are currently being increasingly regulated. The new PP is also able to be processed on existing PS foam lines that are equipped with various blowing agents, at the same time reducing material use while delivering product stability. In addition, the new PP is also recyclable in the communities where collection is appropriately implemented and recycling facilities are available.
OEMS, brand owners and converters can expand the probability in range of applications for the material in products that benefit from insulation and lightweighting while upscaling the advantages of PP properties. As today’s preferences change in sustainability goals and regulations, the food packaging industry encounters the shift from PS to PP material, a trend that is forecasted to continue, Lorge concluded.
