Industries · 4 min read ·
Plastic film and bag manufacturing: extrusion to converting
How Canadian film and bag plants extrude polyethylene and convert it into liners and bags, what the checkout bag ban leaves open, and a line-up by stage.
Canadian film and bag plants extrude polyethylene into film and convert it into garbage and compost liners, produce and bakery bags, industrial liners and printed bags. A converter can start by buying film and running one bag machine. Growth usually means an in-house blown film line, then multi-layer co-extrusion and more converting lanes, all within the checkout bag rules.
What is still made after the checkout bag ban
Plastic checkout bags, meaning bags designed to carry purchased goods from a business, are prohibited under the Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) lists December 20, 2022 as the date for the manufacture and import ban, December 20, 2023 for sale and December 20, 2025 for export, and the Federal Court of Appeal upheld the underlying listing in January 2026. A fabric bag stays outside the definition only if it survives carrying 10 kg over 53 m 100 times and a domestic wash under ISO 6330 without breaking or tearing.
ECCC's technical guidelines also list bags the checkout bag definition does not cover, and that list is most of a Canadian bag plant's market:
- bags for loose bulk produce, and for meat, poultry or fish;
- garbage and recycling bin liners, and bags for compostable organic waste;
- bags that protect bakery goods and prepared food;
- newspaper and dry-cleaning bags.
Before buying a T-shirt (vest) bag machine for the Canadian market, check the intended product against the definition with ECCC or your adviser. Our guide to Canada's single-use plastics rules summarizes the categories. Durable reusable bags that pass the test are made on non-woven bag machines, compared with the other routes in paper vs plastic vs non-woven bag machines.
Where the industry is
Statistics Canada data published by ISED counts 2,636 establishments in plastic product manufacturing (NAICS 3261) in 2025, 1,803 of them with employees. Ontario (1,225) and Quebec (673) hold about 72 percent, with British Columbia (290) and Alberta (245) next. Film and bag plants are one part of this group. The industry is represented by the Plastics Division of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), created in 2020 when the Canadian Plastics Industry Association was dissolved into CIAC; its members range from resin producers to makers of finished products, including packaging.
Producers above the 1,000 kg threshold also report the plastic packaging and products they place on the Canadian market to the Federal Plastics Registry. As of 2026, reporting covers 2024 to 2026 data, and the later phases have been postponed.
Process flow from resin to boxed rolls
- Resin handling and blending. HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE pellets, recycled content, colour masterbatch and calcium carbonate filler are conveyed and dosed into the extruders.
- Blown film extrusion. The blown film line melts the blend, pushes it through a ring-shaped die and inflates a bubble that is cooled, flattened and wound. Single-layer lines suit general bag film. Co-extruded lines can put recycled or filled material in the core layer with virgin resin on the skins, or add barrier layers for food packaging.
- Printing. Flexographic printing happens inline or on a separate press; printing presses are outside our current catalog.
- Converting. Bag making machines seal, cut and perforate the film: bottom seal for garbage and produce bags on rolls, star seal for garbage bags that dispense from a roll, side seal for bakery and printed bags, and T-shirt formats with punched handles.
- Packing. Rolls are banded and boxed, flat bags are counted and cased, and trim goes back to regrind.
Equipment line-up by plant stage
| Stage | Film supply | Converting | Typical products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Buy film from an extruder | Flying-knife bottom-seal machine such as the Mamata WIN 800 B (bags up to 800 mm wide), or a servo bag-on-roll machine with automatic roll change such as the Chovyting CW-1000PR+C2 | Garbage, produce and industrial bags |
| Growing | ABA three-layer line such as the Polystar Eco-X, which runs HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE including recycled and CaCO3-filled blends | Two-lane star seal line such as the Lung Meng TA-S-750XL-2Q (up to 130 m/min) | Own-brand garbage and compost liners on rolls |
| High volume | Seven-layer co-extrusion such as the Rajoo Heptafoil (outputs up to 1,500 kg/h, about 3,300 lb/h) for barrier and non-barrier packaging film | Several converting lanes: side seal, bottom seal and star seal | Food packaging film, industrial film, private label |
What to plan for
Building height and layout
A blown film line is tall: the bubble, cooling ring and take-up tower rise well above the extruder, so clear height, crane access and the tower footprint decide where a line can go. Confirm the clear height required for the specific line in the quote before committing to a building.
Power and cooling
Extruder barrels and dies are electrically heated, and the bubble is air cooled (some polypropylene lines are water cooled), so the electrical service, chillers and blowers are a large part of the project. Size the 600 V supply for the full line load, not only the extruder motors.
Resin and scrap handling
Silos or bulk box stations, vacuum loaders and dosing units keep resin moving. Recycled content brings moisture and contamination to manage. Start-up scrap, edge trim and converting waste should go to a regrind line so they can return to the core layer.
People and safety
The key hire is an extrusion technician who can hold film gauge and bubble stability while blends change. Converting operators need training around hot seal bars, knives and nip rolls, the main injury points on bag machines; Titan's quotes include operator training at start-up.
Questions and answers
Can I make plastic checkout bags in Canada?
No. Manufacture and import of plastic checkout bags have been prohibited since December 20, 2022, and manufacture for export since December 20, 2025, under rules that remain in force as of 2026. Confirm specific products with ECCC.
Which plastic bags are not covered by the checkout bag ban?
ECCC's technical guidelines exclude bags for loose bulk produce, meat, poultry and fish, garbage and recycling liners, compost bags, bakery and prepared food bags, and newspaper and dry-cleaning bags.
Should a new bag plant buy a blown film line?
Not always at the start. Many converters begin by buying film and running one or two bag machines, then add an in-house blown film line once converting volume is steady enough to keep an extruder running.
What building does a blown film line need?
Enough clear height for the bubble and take-up tower, a heavy electrical service for heated barrels and dies, cooling capacity and space for resin storage. The exact height and loads are confirmed in the quote for each line.
