Wholesale Distributors of Plastic Bottles, Caps, Jars & Accessories
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PP Plastic

What is PP Plastic?

PP is a rigid, semi-crystalline thermoplastic with a well-deserved reputation for toughness and durability. It offers great versatility in colour being produced in an opaque or transparent form. Its lighter density allows it to be used in applications where weight saving is a key consideration.

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What does PP stand for?

Polypropylene, or polypropene, is commonly shortened to PP. It is the second most widely used commodity plastic after polyethylene (PET).

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What is PP plastic used for?

The properties of polypropylene (PP) lend themselves to a number of industries. The plastic’s excellent chemical resistance and very high melting point (around 20°F) means it can stand up to steam sterilisation methods for effective decontamination of germs, fungi and parasites. This makes it an ideal choice for medical applications, medical devices, the food container industry and those that need a heat resistant application.

PP is used throughout the automotive industry for car dashboards, bumpers, cladding and exterior trims and internal elements due to its lightweight and flexible qualities.

In packaging, there are a wide range of applications, some that you may not realise. In its flexible form it has replaced cellophane, metals and paper due to its lower price and superior properties. So you will find it as film and flexible packaging of tobacco, clothing, food and confectionery.

Another element of the materials properties is its ability to keep perspiration away from the skin. It has therefore been added to cold weather base layers for winter sports, and warm weather options for summer activities.

In rigid form, PP is used in caps and closures, pallets, crates, bottles and jars for packaging toiletries and cleaning products for example. It is also used for thin-wall containers such as yoghurt pots and disposable hot drinks cups.

Sustainability

PP arguably comes with the smallest environmental impact among all plastic types as we can recycle items into many parts and applications. It produces less solid waste by weight and less CO2 equivalents by weight than PET or PVC.

PP Recycling

PP is a recyclable thermoplastic polymer. It's resistance to different chemical solvents, acids, and bases means it can be recycled multiple times with limited damage. The resulting material ends up black or grey. Hence it is most commonly recycled into battery cables, brooms, brushes, bins and trays rather than back into consumer facing packaging.

Global brands, keen to prove their sustainable credentials are now heavily investing in their own industrial applications to recycle PP. The ambitious goal is to return the plastic to it’s virgin state to be manufactured into another bottle or cap. Procter & Gamble are the industry leaders in this area, read more on our blog.

PP plastics are coded with the resin identification code number "5" inside the universal recycling symbol.

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PP Packaging

At The Plastic Bottles Company, most of our caps are made in PP. It can be used to make incredibly thin pieces of plastic that undergo high levels of physical stress, like lids on shampoo and lotion bottles. It can also withstand twisting motions of up to 360 degrees without snapping, which makes it the ideal material for closures.

See our shop for our full range of PP products

Tub 500ml Tamper Evident Polypropylene White 115mm

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Pail 2500ml Tamper Evident Polypropylene White 186mm

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Cap 70mm 400 Wadded Polypropylene Silver

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What is the Plastic Tax?

The Government has released a white paper detailing their efforts to combat virgin plastic use. This has resulted in the introduction of a plastic tax that will come into effect in April 2022. Suppliers and purchasers will be exempt from this tax if the recycled content for each product is 30% or more.Read more on our blog.

We have been working with our customers and suppliers to offer a wide range of recyclable and biodegradable plastics exempt from the Plastic Packaging Tax. Contact us to learn more and how you can make the switch.

Here to help!

If you need advice or are looking for a particular bottle or container that's not on the website, just ask. Even if we don't stock it we may be able to source it for you.

Telephone: (+44) 01229 588877 or 588468
© The Plastic Bottles Company 2018 - 2024. All rights reserved. GJD Solutions Limited t/a The Plastic Bottles Company, Unit 1F Cross Lane, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 9DQ. Registration: 07515596.