January 15, 2025 15:12

The Italy-based producer of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films, Irplast, is investing €55 million to expand its range of more sustainable products.  As part of this program, a new department will be built at the Atessa (Chieti, Abruzzo) facility, hosting a line dedicated to the extrusion of special films for monomaterial (PP) packaging that are more easily recyclable at the end of their lifecycle.

The plant will become operational by the end of this year, with a production capacity of 25,000 tons per year.

In March of last year, the company secured €20 million in funding from Banca Progetto to purchase the new equipment, which is based on Brückner’s Lisim simultaneous stretching technology. This process was first implemented by Irplast in 1999, making it the first European packaging company to operate a simultaneous Lisim stretching line for BOPP.

Headquartered in Empoli, Central Italy, Irplast is vertically integrated in extrusion and converting, managing everything in-house from film production to printing, coating, and cutting of the finished product. The company employs 380 people across its three production sites in Italy: one in Empoli (Firenze) and two in Atessa (Chieti). In 2023, the company generated approximately €110 million in revenue, with 75% coming from exports to over 70 countries.
Since 2020, Irplast has been owned by the London-based investment fund Cheyne Strategic Value Credit (SVC).

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