Dr. Jacques Brandenberger
La Cellophane Société Anonyme
Inducted 2024
Jacques Edwin Brandenberger (1872 – 1954) was a Swiss chemist and textile engineer who invented cellophane in 1908.
Made from wood cellulose, cellophane was originally intended as a coating to make cloth stain resistant. Brandenberger wanted to develop a material that would repel liquid by spraying a waterproof viscose coating onto fabric. But the resulting fabric was too stiff, and the coating easily separated from the backing cloth, producing a thin transparent film.
Brandenberger abandoned his original idea when he realized the potential for the new material. He named his film Cellophane derived from cellulose and diaphane, the French word for translucent.
He designed equipment for large-scale production. In 1913, he formed La Cellophane Société Anonyme in Paris, France and patented the machinery and processes. Industrial production of Cellophane started in 1920 and has never stopped. For years after World War I, cellophane was the only flexible, transparent plastic film used for common items like food wrap and adhesive tape.
Cellophane was ideal for food wrap because it did not allow bacteria, water, greases, air, and oil to pass through. It revolutionized shopping by letting people see food without sacrificing hygiene or freshness.
Brandenberger sold the US rights to DuPont in 1923. Cellophane became a world famous brand, a landmark in the chemical industry. By 1938, cellophane accounted for 10 percent of DuPont’s sales and 25 percent of its profits. It was an essential material during WWII where it was used as rain capes for U.S. soldiers and packaged their rations. Brandenberger earned the Franklin Institute’s Elliott Cresson Gold Medal in 1937.
Although cellophane is a trademark in some countries, it is now a generic name in the United States. Brandenberger’s original cellophane material was a bioplastic made from wood cellulose. Now much of what we call cellophane is plastic wrap derived from petroleum.
The Dr. J. E. Brandenberger Foundation awards grants to Swiss individuals who are committed to improving the living conditions of human beings.