Mondi, a leading global packaging and paper manufacturer, has been recognised in this year’s Austrian Green Star Packaging Awards for two recent sustainable packaging innovations developed using its customer-centric approach, EcoSolutions:

PerFORMing - paper-based packaging with special barrier coating to protect cheese slices

Austria’s biggest retailer REWE worked together with Mondi to launch a more sustainable cheese tray for their organic brand Ja! Natürlich. Mondi developed a special kraft paper, Advantage Formable Brown, to replace rigid plastic trays. Its unique stretch characteristics mean it can be formed into a shallow tray enhanced with a special barrier coating. 

This PerFORMing technology combines 80% paper, a renewable and recyclable raw material, with a 20% barrier coating. “The adoption of this package allowed REWE to reduce the amount of plastic used by 70% and the carbon footprint by two-thirds,” said Marko Schuster, COO of Mondi Functional Paper & Films. 

Fully recyclable thermoforming plastic film for meat

Mondi was able to reinvent packaging for Austrian meat producer Hütthaler. The packaging was designed for recycling while maintaining optimum barrier properties and replacing a previous, less sustainable, packaging. 

“Together with Hütthaler, we developed a mono-material film solution for thermoforming applications that can be fully recycled, and still provides a barrier to protect food. The new film meets high food standards, preserves shelf life and also helps Hütthaler to save on disposal fees due to its recyclability,” said Andreas Koppitz, COO of Mondi's Consumer Flexibles business. 

Schuster and Koppitz, on behalf of their teams, expressed how proud they are to win these awards. Both products underscore Mondi’s commitment to developing sustainable solutions that contribute to a better world.

Read more about PerFORMing here: “Mondi’s sustainable paper-based packaging solution for food trays”

Read more about the fully recyclable thermoforming plastic film here: “Mondi partners with meat producer Hütthaler to create new fully recyclable plastic packaging”

Technical details about PerFORMing:

• Formable paper packaging with a patented barrier
• Made from natural brown paper (Advantage Formable Brown)
• Ideally suited for shallow food trays (e.g. for cheese, meat or fish)
• High symmetrical stretch for uniform formability
• Suitable for existing filling lines
• Results in 70% less plastic used compared to rigid plastic trays
• 70% CO2 reduction compared to plastic alternative

Technical data for the recyclable thermoforming film:

• Newly developed plastic film for thermoforming applications, which fulfills all functionalities of previous multi-material structures
• Completely recyclable through the use of a mono-material 
• Significant improvement of the CO2 balance compared to existing packaging is possible up to 50% 
• Suitable for packaging products with excellent sealability requirements, as top and bottom film are made of the same material
• Gives food a longer shelf life due to a unique gas barrier