In alignment with Inteplast Group’s sustainability goals, the BOPP Films business unit has received ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) PLUS certification at the following facilities: Gray Court, South Carolina; Lolita, Texas; and Morristown, Tennessee. 

Inteplast BOPP Films can now produce and supply ISCC-certified materials that are attributed via a mass balance approach.** This makes the company one of the first North American BOPP film manufacturers to hold the ISCC PLUS designation.

Paul Marquard, general manager and vice president of BOPP Films, said that the ISCC PLUS certification and its mass balance approach fortifies circular economic development in the 21st century, making waste a restorative resource.

“Inteplast BOPP Films is committed to embracing the principles of a circular economy, which will shape our operational procedures and product innovation. With our ISCC PLUS certification, we are equipped to provide cutting-edge recycling solutions that align with the objectives of packaging converters and consumer product companies,” Marquard explained. “Ultimately, our certified materials contribute to a significant reduction in the utilization of fossil-based virgin plastics within packaging.”

Rafael Bayona, director of research and development, quality assurance, and technology, explained that customers’ demand for incorporated recycled materials is increasing.

“The flexible packaging industry is demanding end-of-life solutions. The development of advanced recycling technology has been established in North America and will continue to expand in scale. The ISCC PLUS certification at our United States facilities and our plan to expand the certification to our remaining Canadian plant, allows us to provide films linked to varying levels of certified material across our full portfolio of films (mass balance),” Bayona remarked.

Every department in the BOPP Films U.S.-based plants has been trained to implement ISCC PLUS-certification standards in areas of sales, production, marketing, and procurement, Bayona notes. The remaining BOPP Films plant in Lanoraie, Quebec, is expected to be certified in the second quarter of 2024.

As a leading plastics manufacturer, Inteplast Group began its sustainability efforts more than three decades ago at its flagship site in Lolita, Texas. Conservation of natural resources in operations and integration of recycled materials into production has since evolved into wide-scale benchmarks for lowering facilities’ carbon footprints. 

The development of recyclable and reusable packaging lines, post-consumer resin blends in grocery and retail items, and other innovation that aligns with the tenets of lean manufacturing is prioritized throughout BOPP Films.

** ISCC defines mass balance approach as one that makes it possible to track “the amount and sustainability characteristics of circular and/or bio-based material in the value chain and attribute it based on verifiable bookkeeping.”