Intertape Polymer Group (IPG) has expanded its transit packaging portfolio with the release of an air pillow film manufactured with 50 percent recycled content. The newly launched product incorporates a combination of post-consumer recycled (PCR) and post-industrial recycled (PIR) polymers, targeting reduced reliance on virgin resins within e-commerce and protective logistics applications.
Flexible films used in inflatable air cushions have historically required prime resin to ensure structural integrity, seal strength, and gas retention. Achieving a 50 percent recycled content threshold demonstrates technical advancements in resin sorting, wash lines, and compounding, which enable thin-gauge films to withstand transit stresses without catastrophic failure. The move aligns with broader commercial and regulatory pressures across Europe and North America to lower the environmental footprint of secondary and tertiary packaging.
For UK waste management firms, packaging converters, and Turkish plastics recyclers, this development points to expanding end-markets for flexible PE recyclate. The UK Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) already imposes a financial penalty on plastic packaging containing under 30 percent recycled content, driving converters to seek reliable PCR supplies that exceed this minimum. UK recyclers producing high-quality LDPE pellets stand to capture sustained demand from flexible packaging producers. For Turkish recyclers and film manufacturers exporting finished packaging or resins to the UK and European Union, scaling up the ability to integrate high proportions of film-grade PCR without compromising performance is increasingly vital for maintaining regulatory compliance and commercial competitiveness.
Packaging converters should review their current flexible film lines and perform trial runs with higher PCR fractions to test seal performance and burst strength. Recyclers should focus on improving wash line purification and pellet consistency, as thin-film applications require near-zero contamination levels to prevent punctures during inflation.
