It’s clear, it’s practical, and it’s wrapped around my candy. Cellophane wrapping is one of the most versatile discoveries of the 20th century. Designed to be a protective textile, cellophane has since found application in many industries as a packaging material and as a semi-permeable film.
Many people confuse cellophane with plastic. The truth is that the two materials are of completely different composition. Plastic is a synthetic or semi-synthetic polymer. By contrast, cellophane is a sheet of regenerated cellulose. The only thing cellophane and plastic have in common is that both materials are often made into transparent sheets.
History of cellophane
It was a Swiss chemist named Jacques E. Brandenberger who developed the first cellophane at the beginning of the 20th century. He intended the material to be a waterproof film to protect textiles. He experimented with a substance known as viscose to coat the cloth, but to his dismay, the cloth proved too stiff and unsuitable for any practical use.
After peeling off the film layer, he realized that its flexibility and transparency properties can be used for other purposes. Brandenberger worked on perfecting his invention and in 1912 patented cellophane. The term was derived from the words “cellulose” and “diaphanous”, which means transparent.
US candy manufacturers began importing cellophane that same year for use as candy wrappers. In 1924, the DuPont chemical company began the development of moisture-resistant cellophane. In 1927, after a company chemist named William Hale Charch succeeded in protecting cellophane against moisture, many industries around the world embraced the new material and began using cellophane for their various packaging needs.
cellophane uses
One of the first applications of cellophane wrapping is the packaging and storage of food products. This specific function of cellophane continues to this day, although some industries have turned to plastic for the same purpose. However, the use of cellophane as a packaging material extends beyond food products. Almost all consumer products can use cellophane for packaging.
There are several other applications for cellophane. Adhesive tapes, such as 3M Scotch tape, use cellophane as the base for their products. Some people use printed cellophane to wrap gifts. Cellophane is also used as a semi-permeable barrier for battery cells.
Cellophane wraps are used by beauty spas for hair and cellulite treatments. In the field of medicine, cellophane is also used as a semi-permeable tube for dialysis. With such an impressive track record, people will continue to use cellophane as an important material for the industry.