Saran (plastic)

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Saran
Product typePlastic wrap
OwnerS. C. Johnson & Son
CountryUnited States
Introduced1949; 76 years ago (1949)
Previous ownersDow Chemical Company

Saran is the trade name of a thin plastic film used for keeping food fresh by sealing. The compound polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) was discovered in 1933 by researchers from the Dow Chemical Company and registered in 1940.[1] It was acquired by S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. in 1998 and the formulation changed to a less effective polyethylene (PE) in 2004 due to chlorine content.[2] As a food wrap, the principal advantages of polyvinylidene chloride, compared to other plastics, are its ability to adhere to itself and its very low permeability to water vapor, flavor and aroma molecules, and oxygen. This oxygen barrier prevents food spoilage, while the film barrier to flavor and aroma molecules helps food retain its flavor and aroma.[3]

History

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See also: Polyvinylidene chloride
Polyvinylidene chloride wrap

Byproduct resin 1.1 dichloroethyl, a monomer of Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) was discovered at Dow Chemical Company (Michigan, United States) in 1933 when a lab worker, Ralph Wiley, was having trouble washing beakers used in his process of developing a dry-cleaning product, perchloroethylene.[4][5]

It was waterproof, strong and versatile; it could be rolled, forged, drawn, welded, stamped and blown. It was initially developed into a product when a division of General Motors requested a flexible film to prevent corrosion on machine guns shipped overseas.[5] It became the preferred packing material for anything that needed protection from the salt and moisture.[6] Dow trademarked "Saran" in 1940,[7] but the company did not immediately develop the product commercially.

In 1942, fused layers of original-specification PVDC were used to make woven mesh ventilating insoles for newly developed jungle or tropical combat boots made of rubber and canvas.[8][9][10] These insoles were tested by experimental Army units in jungle exercises in Panama, Venezuela, and other countries, where they were found to increase the flow of dry outside air to the insole and base of the foot, reducing blisters and tropical ulcers.[9][10] The PVDC ventilating mesh insole was later adopted by the United States Army for standard issue in its M-1945 and M-1966 Jungle Boots.[8][9]

In 1943, Ralph Wiley and his boss, John Reilly,[11] both employed by Dow Chemical Company, finished the last requirements needed for the introduction of PVDC, which was formulated in 1939[12] and monofilaments extruded initially.[13] They also eliminated its green hue and offensive odor.

It is a fallacy that the word Saran was formed from a combination of John Reilly's wife's and daughter's names, Sarah and Ann Reilly.[14] According to a 1993 Dow Brinewell publication, Dow sales manager Bill Goggin discovered that Firestone was using SARAN for plastic streetcar seats, and Dow purchased the naming rights from Firestone.[5]

The key to production of the film was credited to Wilbur Stephenson who discovered "that the size and thickness of a freshly extruded tube of Saran could be controlled to produce a uniform thickness that could be blown by a trapped air bubble into a continuous film of remarkable clarity and uniformity."[5]

After the war ended, Dow began producing and selling large rolls of the plastic to commercial businesses. Dow employees Carroll "Curly" Irons and Russ Ludwig began a side business by purchasing the spools and cutting them into 12" wide, 25' lengths and marketing it as "cling wrap" in 1947. When its' popularity reached Charles J. Strosacker, he convinced them to sell their venture to Dow in 1948 and the following year, Dow marketed a retail version of the thin, clingy plastic wrap trademarked Saran Wrap that was sold in rolls and used primarily for wrapping food. It quickly became popular for preserving food items stored in the refrigerator.[5]

After the end of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military phased out PVDC insoles in favor of Poron®, a microcellular urethane, for its jungle and combat boots.[9] However, the British Army continues to use PVDC insoles in its combat boots, primarily because of its insulating properties.[15]

Saran Wrap and other Dow consumer products were acquired by S. C. Johnson & Son in 1998.[16]

Formulation change to polyethylene

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Today's Saran Wrap is no longer composed of PVDC in the United States, due to cost, processing difficulties, and health and environmental concerns with halogenated materials,[2] and in 2004[17] was made from polyethylene.[18][19][20] However, polyethylene has a higher oxygen permeability, which in turn affects food spoilage prevention. For example, at 23 °C and 95% relative humidity polyvinylidene chloride has an oxygen permeability of 0.6 cm3 μm m−2 d−1 kPa−1 while low-density polyethylene under the same conditions has an oxygen permeability of 2000 cm3 μm m−2 d−1 kPa−1, or a factor of over 3,000 times more permeable.[21] For that reason, packaging for the meat industry still may use PVDC-containing films, as a barrier layer.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Johnson, Fisk (April 2015). "SC Johnson's CEO on Doing the Right Thing, Even when It Hurts Business". Harvard Business Review.
  2. ^ a b "CEO explains why SC Johnson hobbled Saran Wrap". April 25, 2015.
  3. ^ "1,1-Dichloroethylene". pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  4. ^ David John Cole; Eve Browning; Fred E. H. Schroeder (April 30, 2003). Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-313-31345-5. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Ralph Wiley, Inventor of Saran" (PDF). midlandacs100.org. Dow Chemical Company. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "Charles J. Strosacker". strosacker.org. Charles J. Strosacker Foundation. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  7. ^ "Saran film". mfa.org. Cameo. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Risch, Erna, The Quartermaster Corps, Washington, D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. of the Army (1953), pp. 108-109
  9. ^ a b c d Kearny, Cresson H. (Maj), Jungle Snafus...And Remedies, Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (1996), pp. 179-183
  10. ^ a b Report on Orinoco-Casiquiare-Negro Waterway: Venezuela-Colombia-Brazil, Volume 4, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Office of Inter-American Affairs (July 1943)
  11. ^ "Ludington Daily News - Google News Archive Search".
  12. ^ "Patent 385753 Summary". Canadian Patent Database. Government of Canada. June 15, 2015.
  13. ^ "FindArticles.com - CBSi".
  14. ^ "What is the origin of the brand names Saran Wrap and Oral B?".
  15. ^ Westwood, E., Smith, N., and Dyson, R., Comparison of the Influence of Three Types of Military Boot Insoles Upon the Force and Loading Rates Experienced In Drop Jump Landings, Biomechanics Symposia 2001, University of San Francisco (2001), p. 30
  16. ^ Bellis, Mary. "The Inventor of Saran Wrap". thoughtco.com. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  17. ^ "Plastic Wrap 101". uspackagingandwrapping.com. U.S. Packaging & Wrapping LLC. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  18. ^ "Saran FAQs". Plastic wrap by Saran. February 5, 2020. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2021. What ingredients are in Saran Plastic Wraps? Saran Premium Wrap and our Saran Cling Plus® Wrap are made with Polyethylene.
  19. ^ "Saran Premium Wrap". SC Johnson - What's Inside. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  20. ^ "Saran Cling Plus® Wrap". SC Johnson - What's Inside. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ "PACKAGING OF FRESH AND PROCESSED MEAT". Archived from the original on April 16, 2010.
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