Leading global packaging and paper group Mondi, has partnered with Austrian meat producer Hütthaler to produce a fully recyclable thermoforming film made from a mono-material for their meat and sausage products.

The film is made of a mono-material solution that can be fully recycled and provides a barrier to protect the food and extend its shelf life. The independent cyclos-HTP Institute for Recyclability and Product Responsibility has awarded this film the highest classification "AAA" for recyclability.

Hütthaler's requirement was to replace the previously used film with a recyclable solution. The company was looking for a more sustainable approach that would not compromise on quality or the attractive presentation of the food.

Hütthaler approached Mondi to provide an alternative. Using its customer-centric EcoSolutions approach, Mondi was able to re-invent the packaging for Hütthaler by maintaining optimum functionality while replacing less sustainable packaging, reducing raw material usage, and designing packaging that was ready for recycling. Mondi completely manufactured the new packaging. In particular, the bottom film is supplied by Mondi's Styria plant in Austria, which has also been awarded AA+ for food safety by the British Retail Consortium (BRCGS).

"We worked with Hütthaler to find a more sustainable approach that still meets the high food standards, preserves shelf life and guarantees runnability on the machines. The new film meets all these requirements and also helps to save disposal fees due to its recyclability. At Mondi we have an amibition to be sustainable by design and meet our customers sustainability requirements by providing innovative solutions," says Thomas Kahl, project manager for EcoSolutions at Mondi Consumer Flexibles.

"For more than 120 years it has been our passion to offer our customers the highest quality. That's why it was particularly important in our animal welfare project to act as sustainably as possible not only along the entire value chain, from agriculture to the consumer, but also in terms of packaging solutions. We were able to implement this in cooperation with our long-standing partner Mondi due to their expertise and experience in sustainable food packaging”, said Dr. Florian Hütthaler, owner of Hütthaler KG.