Borealis has announced a €49 million strategic investment to scale up production of its Borstar Nextension polypropylene (PP) technology at the company’s Burghausen manufacturing site in Germany. The move reflects growing demand for high-performance, recyclable polymer solutions as packaging, healthcare and mobility sectors adapt to tighter regulatory requirements and circular economy targets.

The investment will expand commercial production of next-generation single-site polypropylene grades designed to deliver enhanced material purity, improved processability and upgraded performance. According to Borealis, these properties are increasingly critical for customers seeking to replace complex multilayer structures with monomaterial solutions that support recyclability without sacrificing functional performance.

Borstar Nextension technology enables a tailored combination of properties to be integrated into a single PP material, facilitating material substitution in applications that have traditionally relied on multi-material constructions. This approach supports design-for-circularity strategies, while also reducing weight and improving overall packaging efficiency. For converters, the ability to maintain line performance while simplifying material structures is becoming a decisive factor in material selection.

In packaging applications, Borealis notes that the expanded Borstar Nextension portfolio supports compliance with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), including the objective of achieving 100% recyclable packaging by 2030. Existing grades are already demonstrating strong results in flexible packaging, combining improved sealing behaviour, clarity and purity with enhanced sustainability performance.

Craig Arnold, executive vice president for Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions and Base Chemicals at Borealis, said the investment underlines the company’s commitment to helping customers navigate regulatory and market change. By increasing the availability of innovative, recyclable polymer materials, Borealis aims to enable customers across multiple industries to future-proof their product portfolios.

The €49 million expansion builds on a series of recent strategic moves by Borealis. In 2025, the company announced a partnership with chemical recycling specialist BlueAlp, alongside an agreement to transfer its majority stake in Renasci in exchange for a minority shareholding in BlueAlp. Borealis has also invested more than €100 million in a high melt strength polypropylene line at Burghausen, significantly increasing capacity for fully recyclable foam polymer solutions.

With its latest investment, Borealis is positioning advanced polypropylene technology as a core enabler of circular packaging and regulated-market compliance. As brand owners and converters accelerate the shift toward monomaterial structures, scalable innovations such as Borstar Nextension are expected to play a central role in bridging performance requirements with recyclability goals.