BOPET | markets feature
Strong growth prospects for BOPET films
Bioriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) film is one of the fastest-growing polymer substrates on the market. Demand is expected to top 4 million tonnes this year – that’s a growth of more than 1m tonnes since 2010. This boom has been driven by its extensive use in both packag- ing and technical applications due to a unique combina- tion of properties and excellent processability. China dominates consumption of BOPET film,
accounting for 37% of the global market. It is followed by North East Asia, with 18%. North America and Europe together account for 23% of the market, with the remaining 22% distributed between the Indian Sub-conti- nent, South East Asia, the Middle East & Africa and South America. However, these four developing regions – and in China – will see the fastest growth in the next five years, due to factors including a boom in packaged goods, expanding organised retail and accelerating industrial sectors – as well as favourable socioeconomic factors. BOPET film has managed to replace some traditional
materials for both flexible and rigid packaging applica- tions, thanks to a number of factors: better use of shelf space; higher quality graphics and printing; extended shelf life; less spoilage in the supply chain; and sustainability. However, traditional packaging film is essentially a commodity market – and increasingly
www.filmandsheet.com Expanding flexible packaging and
emerging technical applications are driving growth of BOPET films, writes Márta Babits of Applied Market Information
competitive – forcing producers to seek added-value opportunities by diversifying into thick films and technical applications, or investing in secondary processing such as metallisation or offline coating. New investments are increasingly directed towards hybrid lines that can make a range of films that cut across the traditional supply divisions between thin films (less than 50 microns) and thick films (50-350 microns) as companies look to diversify their portfolios. The versatility of BOPET films – combined with rapid
end-use technology developments – creates emerging opportunities, but it also comes with some volatility: the rapid demise of BOPET-based magnetic tapes for music and video cassettes, following the development of CDs,
October 2016 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 13
Packaging is the main use of BOPET
PHOTO: ALUPOL FILMS
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