Jacques Edwin Brandenberger

Swiss French chemist and textile engineer

• Born: October 19, 1872
• Birthplace: Zurich, Switzerland
• Died: July 13, 1954
• Place of death: Zurich, Switzerland

Brandenberger’s goal of producing a stain-resistant cloth in the early 1900’s was unsuccessful, but his experiments resulted in the invention of cellophane. Cellophane plays a large role in food preservation and safety, medicine, and other industries.

Primary fields: Chemistry; household products; packaging

Primary invention: Cellophane

Early Life

Little is known about Jacques Edwin Brandenberger’s early life. He was born on October 19, 1872, in Zurich, Switzerland, and attended the University of Bern, where he majored in chemistry. In 1895, he graduated summa cum laude with a doctorate in chemistry. At age twenty-two, he was the youngest Ph.D. in Switzerland. After graduation, he moved to France, where he worked for a textile firm.

Life’s Work

Around the turn of the century, Brandenberger was having dinner in a restaurant where someone at a nearby table had spilled a glass of red wine. While watching the wine stain spread, Brandenberger thought to design a waterproof cloth material. He based his work on that of English chemists Clayton Beadle, Charles Cross, and Edward Bevan, who in 1882 discovered that cellulose could be converted into soluble sodium cellulose known as xanthogenate by using sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide. They then immersed the resultant material in an acid bath that converted it back to cellulose. Brandenberger initially experimented with rayon, a type of cellulose, in liquid form. However, the rayon made the cloth too stiff to work with and did not stick to it. Brandenberger’s idea for waterproof cloth failed, but he noticed that the thin, transparent viscose film could be peeled off the cloth. He washed and bleached the film, and by 1908 he had successfully built a machine capable of mass-producing the product.

Brandenberger named his new product “cellophane,” from the words “cellulose” and diaphane, the French word for “transparent.” He published an article in the French magazine Illustration in which he discussed the multifarious uses for the new material. In 1913, Brandenberger founded La Cellophane, setting up its headquarters in Paris. The cellophane manufacturing plant was built in the nearby town of Bezons. During World War I, his company produced a large amount of cellophane that was used in the protective eye shields for gas masks. In 1911, Brandenberger patented his production methods and machines. Whitman’s was the first American company to use cellophane. Starting in 1912, the candy company began wrapping its Whitman’s Sampler in the plastic. The new packaging kept out bugs and allowed the candy to be shipped nationwide for the first time.

Brandenberger was known for testing new or potential employees by giving them seemingly unsolvable tasks. Around 1921, he hired a young man on a probationary status. The employee was asked to turn a paper-bag-folding machine into one that would be able to make cellophane bags. Cellophane bags had to be made by hand, requiring a large workforce; Brandenberger envisioned a more effective method of production. After six weeks, the employee came to the conclusion that it was impossible to use the paper-bag-folding machine to make cellophane bags. He feared that he would be fired when he told Brandenberger this. Instead, Brandenberger commended him for having the courage to be honest and for being a hard worker, and the man kept his job.

Whitman’s was the largest importer of cellophane until 1924. In 1923, La Cellophane licensed the U.S. rights to cellophane to the DuPont Cellophane Company, and the Delaware chemical company built its factory the following year. DuPont was given exclusive rights to La Cellophane’s manufacturing processes and sales rights for North and Central America. In return, La Cellophane would hold the cellophane patent rights and sales rights for the rest of the world.

On December 13, 1947, the U.S. government filed a civil suit against DuPont, accusing the company of monopolizing interstate commerce of cellophane. It took six years for the district court of Delaware to make a ruling. Chief Judge Paul Leahy wrote the decision stating that DuPont did not violate the Sherman Antitrust Act. After reviewing the evidence—hours of testimony and more than seven thousand documents—Leahy felt that DuPont was acting as a competitor, not a monopoly: DuPont conducted market research, consumer surveys, developed new and better products (offering more than fifty types of cellophane), and looked for ways to cut costs.

In 1937, Brandenberger was awarded the Elliot Cresson Medal by the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. Unlike some inventors, he was able to see how popular his invention became and the impact it had on the world. Besides its use in food packaging, cellophane is used in Scotch tape, some batteries, and Visking tubing for dialysis. Cellophane is also part of the manufacturing processes of fiberglass and some rubber products.

Brandenberger was able to retire comfortably and enjoyed collecting French antiques. He died on July 13, 1954, at the age of eighty-one. He had one daughter, Irma Marthe Brandenberger, who established a foundation in her father’s name to honor people who have contributed to the welfare of humankind.

Impact

Cellophane is one of the most common packaging materials in the world. Fresh flowers, holiday gift baskets, packs of chewing gum, boxes of tea, and various types of candy are just a few examples of products that come wrapped in cellophane. Brandenberger’s accidental discovery of cellophane revolutionized food storage and safety. Cellophane-wrapped meats and produce lasted longer and kept out bugs. The product also led to the development of other types of cellulose sheets, such as saran wrap. “Cellophane” has become part of the vernacular for any transparent, thin, plastic-type sheet. Cellophane has numerous applications, including medical equipment, scientific research, and rubber and fiberglass products. More than two thousand forms of cellophane are currently produced.

After the 1960’s, cellophane use declined as similar products came on the market. Environmentalists raised concerns about carbon disulfide (used to produce cellophane), which can be a pollutant if it is not properly disposed of. Cellophane itself, on the other hand, is completely biodegradable.

Bibliography

Aftalion, Fred. A History of the International Chemical Industry. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991. Discusses DuPont, the invention of cellophane, and the product’s evolution.

Jones, Charlotte. Accidents May Happen: Fifty Inventions Discovered by Mistake. New York: Delacorte Books, 1996. In addition to cellophane, the author discusses Worcestershire Sauce, ice-cream floats, dynamite, and peanut brittle. Suitable for children from third to sixth grade.

Ndiaye, Pap. Nylon and Bombs: DuPont and the March of Modern America. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. A history of DuPont that discusses cellophane and the company’s aggressive advertising campaign, as well as improvements made to the product. Suitable for the general reader.

Porter, Glenn. “Cultural Forces and Commercial Constraints: Designing Packaging in the Twentieth Century United States.” Journal of Design History 12, no. 1 (1999): 25-43. Investigates the effects of society on packaging design. One detailed case study examines DuPont and its aggressive advertising and marketing campaigns for cellophane.

Rutherford, Janice Williams. Selling Mrs. Consumer: Christine Frederick and the Rise of Household Efficiency. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2003. Christine Frederick was a home-efficiency expert who found many ways to save time doing housework, and she wrote a column for Ladies’ Home Journal that shared tips and advice for other housewives. Rutherford uses Frederick’s life as a case study for examining the rise of consumerism in the United States.

Stocking, George, and Willard F. Mueller. “The Cellophane Case and the New Competition.” American Economic Review 45, no. 1 (March, 1955): 29-63. Written by two economists, this article summarizes a 1947 lawsuit against DuPont stating that the company had a monopoly on the cellophane industry. Authors explain the details of DuPont’s arrangement with La Cellophane, marketing and consumer research, and sales figures for cellophane.