What is the difference between PP and PE film?

What is the difference between PP and PE?

What is the difference between PP and PE? PP stands for polypropyleneand PE for and polyethylene. At unieketiket.nl we offer a choice of different plastic film materials for labels. In addition to the commonly used PP foil material, there is also PE foil. Which of the two materials is better for which application? We want to shed some light on this in our blog article.

PP and PE film, these are the differences:

• Strength: Polypropylene is stiffer, harder and stronger than PE.
• Tearability: The first major difference is the strength of the material. PP film is tear-resistant, while PE is easier to tear.
• Elasticity: Here we come to one of the greatest advantages of PE, namely, the material is flexible. This makes this label material ideally suited for use on bottles or containers made of flexible material. PP is a stiffer material, thus more suitable for rigid containers, such as glass and rigid plastic.
• Heat sensitivity: PE material is less able to withstand prolonged heat. As a result, PE cannot be combined with hot foil printing (such as gold foil or silver foil). On PP material, however, we can perform hot foil printing. Still, the recommended service temperatures for both materials are between -20°C and 80°C.
• Waterproof: Both materials are waterproof and abrasion-resistant, however, it is recommended to protect the print with a film lamination (in matte or glossy) or a protective varnish.
  Tip: The best protection offers film lamination, in addition film lamination provides an attractive finish to the label. Matte lamination: gives a ‘soft-touch’ effect. Gloss lamination gives a ‘high-gloss effect’.
• Material thickness: Because PP is very sturdy, this label material can be relatively thin without being too thin to work with. The common thickness is 50µ or 60µ. PP is a bit thicker: 85µ.
• Thermal printing: Both materials are suitable for thermal transfer printers. Do apply a protective varnish for this.
• Available in variations: PE is only available in glossy white, both as conventional PE and as Bio-PE, based on sugarcane ethanol. Bio-PE is available on request. PP is available in: glossy white, matt white, silver, transparent 50µ ‘no label look’ and with paper carrier 60µ (slightly less clear).
• Laser cutting*:
  Not suitable for laser cutting: PE and PP transparent 50µ ‘no label look’.
  Suitable for laser processing: all other PP variants.
  *) The advantage of the laser cutting machine, is that it makes production cheaper especially for smaller runs. Read all about the advantages and disadvantages of laser cutting here.
• Degradability: PP or PE, which is better? Both are unfortunately poorly degradable. Therefore, the focus in terms of sustainability should be on recycling the materials in the short term. In addition, bio-based plastics are on the rise. The same goes for the materials listed below that are already, or soon to be, available from unieketiket.nl.
• Recyclable: both materials are easily recyclable, however for both, the material must not be mixed with residual waste from other plastics.

More information about our foil labels can be found on the foil labels page.

Sustainable alternatives

This is not about the comparison between PP and PE, but rather about what both materials have in common; for both there are alternatives that help reduce the harmful effects of plastic on our environment. We will give two examples. Ocean Bound “PP” material is made from abandoned plastic waste of all sizes located within 50 km of the coast in communities or areas where waste management does not exist or is highly inefficient. It is not strictly a PP material, but after processing the collected plastic, it has similar properties. Bio-based PE film glossy white – entirely based on sugarcane ethanol, Helps reduce dependence on fossil fuels by protecting scarce resources through the use of plant biomass. Helps reduce carbon footprint. The material is similar to conventional PE material and can be processed in the same way. Plant-based PE film can be recycled if sorted into the standard polyolefin recycling stream.