TOPPAN Group inaugurates new BOPP film manufacturing line at Irplast in Italy

TOPPAN, a TOPPAN Group company and wholly owned subsidiary of TOPPAN Holdings, and its Italy-based film manufacturing subsidiary Irplast S.p.A. (Irplast), announced the inauguration of a new manufacturing line for high-performance biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films, marking the occasion with a ceremony on September 15, 2026.

An overview of this development will be included at the TOPPAN booth (East Hall 2, Booth No. 2R10) during TOKYO PACK 2026, to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from Wednesday, October 14 to Friday, October 16, 2026.

In its packaging business, the TOPPAN Group is accelerating the establishment of its global supply network for recycle-ready mono-material packaging to meet tightening environmental regulations - such as the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) - and to drive the transition toward a circular economy.

Irplast, a TOPPAN Group company, is a premium film manufacturer equipped with advanced simultaneous biaxial orientation technology. Its unique expertise in minimizing thermal shrinkage provides BOPP films with exceptional heat resistance, mechanical strength, and superior transparency.

Through the operation of this line, together with existing capabilities, the plant will be able to establish an overall supply infrastructure of up to 30,000 tonnes per year for high-performance BOPP films. This deployment expands the TOPPAN Group’s production capabilities and enhances manufacturing efficiency, ensuring a stable, local supply to meet the surging demand for sustainable packaging in Europe and beyond.

Features of the New Manufacturing Line

・Developing High-Value Applications through Simultaneous Orientation Technology:
The films produced on this line offer uniform physical properties and high dimensional stability achieved through the LISIM¹ simultaneous stretching process. Leveraging this robustness, TOPPAN and Irplast will actively develop high-end packaging applications that require durability even under demanding conditions, such as retort sterilization.

・Reducing Environmental Impact through Package Down Gauging:
Utilizing the film’s superior mechanical strength, development will be focused toward "down gauging" (reducing film thickness). This enables a steady and continuous reduction in plastic consumption while maintaining essential packaging functions, directly supporting resource conservation goals.

Future Activities

The new line is expected to commence full commercial operations by late 2026, supplying high-performance BOPP films to packaging converters and global brand owners.
The combination of Irplast’s BOPP film manufacturing expertise and the TOPPAN Group’s broad base of technologies and solutions will expand sustainable solutions worldwide by driving use as a next-generation substrate in transparent GL BARRIER² films as well as unlocking new possibilities for high-performance, sustainable packaging solutions that contribute to a circular economy.

1 LISIM is Bruckner’s simultaneous stretching technology utilized by Irplast.
URL: https://www.irplast.com/bopp-film-division/

2 GL BARRIER is TOPPAN’s proprietary brand of transparent film products that deliver world-class barrier performance. Stable performance is enabled by a multi-layer structure combining a unique coating layer with a high-quality vapor-deposited layer. In recognition of their numerous outstanding features, GL BARRIER products are used in a wide variety of fields, including the food, healthcare/pharmaceutical, and industrial materials sectors. Combining the functions of the printing and barrier substrate layers into a single layer provides an alternative to aluminum foil with a streamlined layer structure.
https://www.toppan.com/en/living-industry/packaging/products/barrier_film/