What is polypropylene? Is it a fancy word for plastic? Polypropylene is a thermoplastic material that is used in a large number of applications. Chemists working for Phillips Petroleum, J. Paul Hogan and Robert L. Banks, created the first propylene in 1951 and in the few years following different versions of propylene were produced. Becoming the second most important plastic in the US, polypropylene is expected to bring in revenues of $145 billion by the year 2019. With so many uses and needs for this thermoplastic polymer, it’s easy to see how important and valuable it is.

Some of the main applications that polypropylene is used includes packaging and labeling, textiles like ropes, clothes and carpets, stationary. Polypropylene paper and banners, lab equipment, reusable containers, speakers, and some automotive parts are also main users of this thermoplastic polymer. Due to its chemical makeup, polypropylene products are durable and are unusually resistant to many chemical solvents, acids and bases.