Mondi Opens Recycling Laboratory

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, opened the group’s first recycling lab at its Frantschach plant in Austria to test the recyclability of paper and paper-based packaging using non-paper components such as coatings.

Conducting recycling tests in-house accelerates the process of developing sustainable packaging, he said. While paper packaging offers many sustainability benefits, it also has certain limitations in barrier function for products such as perishable foods. For example, to improve paper functionality, non-paper components such as barrier coatings may need to be added, which in turn can impact recyclability.

The data collected in the lab can be used to improve existing products and provide reliable information about their environmental impact, Mondi says. The company will also use the results to determine how to improve the design of new packaging, it said.

The tests will be conducted on various paper and paper-based packaging products developed by Mondi. They can be used to determine whether packaging can be efficiently recycled, he said. The lab operates similarly to industrial recycling facilities, but on a smaller scale. The results obtained provide concrete information on the recyclability of the material.

“The ability to provide our customers with information about the recyclability of our products will play a key role in our efforts to develop more sustainable solutions and improve our value proposition to customers. Currently, 78 PRozent of Mondi’s group-wide portfolio is already either reusable, recyclable or compostable. This recycling lab will enable us to move closer to our MAP2030 targets of having 100 percent of our products meet these requirements by 2025,” explains Elisabeth Schwaiger, Head of R&D and IP Flexible Packaging at Mondi.

Mondi will present a wide range of sustainable packaging solutions at FACHPACK in Nuremberg from September 27-29, 2022.