Some facts about Polypropylene (PP) -
the "green" plastic

• Polypropylene satisfies the four requirements of the EC “Environment Commission”:
  1. Minimum use of natural resources
  2. Reduced emission of polluting substances
  3. Long working life
  4. Optimized re-use and recycling
• Polypropylene is made up from carbon and hydrogen, and is manufactured without any dangerous emissions.
• Polypropylene is one of the easiest plastics to recycle: it can be re-used up to 50 times without appearing to lose strength.
• Polypropylene can be incinerated, or disposed of in landfill sites without any harm to the environment. When burnt or incinerated, polypropylene will only give off water vapour or carbon dioxide, which is converted by photosynthesis (chlorophyll). To incinerate some materials, extra fuel needs to be added - polypropylene, however, is destroyed simply by burning because its calorific capacity is similar to that of oil. Thus incinerators economize on fuel and operate more efficiently.
• Polypropylene ( PP) is up to 35% lighter than PVC or PET, meaning that you only need 13 tons of PP for every 20 tons of PVC or PET for the same application.
• Compared with other plastic materials, polypropylene uses relatively little energy in its production. It has a relatively low melting point (roughly half that of PET), and it uses no water (except for a closed cooling system). There are no harmful emissions during the production process. All production waste is recycled, and there are no dangerous emissions or by-products during the manufacturing process.
• Polypropylene does not contain any heavy metals or plasticizers, and is chemically stable (inert).

• Post consumer waste can be reclaimed without any difficulties.
• Polypropylene is extremely hard wearing and does not break or tear. It lasts much longer than similar materials (PVC/acetate/cellulose) and is resistant to water and most oils, greases and chemical products. It withstands extreme temperatures and aging. When polypropylene is creased, a change in the molecular structure increases the material’s resistance to mechanical stress.