Toppan opens new BOPP film line at Irplast Italy

Toppan Inc, a Toppan Group company and wholly owned subsidiary of Toppan Holdings Inc and its Italy-based film manufacturing subsidiary Irplast have inaugurated a new manufacturing line for high-performance biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films, marking the occasion with a ceremony on September 15, 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. 

With this line, combined with existing capabilities, the plant can establish an overall supply infrastructure of up to 30,000 tons per year of 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. 

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. 

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.  

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.