Originally developed as a replacement for cellulose film, the use of BOPP film has created new market applications and uses. Various technical and economic factors have made the BOPP film industry one of the most dynamic sector of plastics packaging. BOPP's exciting combination of properties have resulted in the development of new consumer trends and tastes. Around 2.4 million tonnes of BOPP film is used around the world every year, with Asia over taking Western Europe and North America in terms of consumption. BOPP offers various advantage such as film stiffness, good printing and coating surface and reasonable barrier properties which makes it highly suitable for the food packaging sector. But recession, combined with overcapacity and the relatively high usage of PET films has restrained the growth of BOPP films in Asia. China has added to the strength of the BOPP film market in Asia by increasing the country's capacity phenomenally through the establishment of a large number of SSIs in the Nineties. More than 44 producers of BOPP film exist in China with an average output of 6500 tons per plant. The Chinese industry now faces the problem of oversupply although global BOPP capacity stood at over 3 million tons in 1998, with production levels running at 80%. The market share held by the 10 largest companies has actually declined but Mobil Plastics has continued to remain the largest and truly global players in the BOPP films industry. The BOPP film industry is expected to grow at the rate of nearly 8% per year upto 2007 world wide. But Asia, the Middle East and India are expected to achieve a market growth above this level.