Mondi partners with SalzburgMilch and SPAR to reduce plastic waste from food packaging

The new packaging will reduce plastic usage for Austrian dairy producer SalzburgMilch by approximately 40 tonnes per year, compared to its previously used rigid plastic trays.

Mondi has launched its innovative PerFORMing removable in partnership with SalzburgMilch for the brand SalzburgMilch Premium and the premium own-brand SPAR Natur*pur organic cheese slices. The shallow paper tray combines the recyclability of paper with the essential barrier properties of a thin plastic coating to keep food fresh and avoid waste.

Mondi released its original PerFORMing range in 2019 and has continued to work hard to make it even more sustainable. The original product could be recycled in Austrian paper recycling streams. The updated product now consists of paper and fully removable plastic which can easily be separated from the paper tray allowing for 100% paper recycling across Europe.

The product is made locally in Austria, meaning transportation is kept to a minimum and the overall carbon footprint is reduced. The base paper for the tray is Advantage Formable made predominantly from locally sourced wood and produced by Mondi Frantschach, while the trays are processed and coated by Mondi Zeltweg, both located in Austria.

PerFORMing removable is part of Mondi’s EcoSolutions approach to find the most sustainable and fit for purpose packaging for its customers with a focus on replacing, reducing, and recycling. SalzburgMilch and SPAR are using Mondi’s product for their 175g packets of sliced cheese, which are available in SPAR stores across Austria.

Switching to paper-based packaging offers numerous environmental benefits including being a renewable resource with higher recycling rates than other packaging materials. The paper industry accounts for less than 1% of all EU greenhouse gas emissions 1 , while 72% of paper in Europe is recycled 2 .

Food waste is a global issue and we want to play our part to ensure our packaging is Sustainable by Design and addresses the issue of food loss. We always had an aspiration to continue improving our PerFORMing range. The PerFORMing removable uses paper where possible, significantly reducing the carbon footprint, and plastic when useful, to extend the shelf life and help prevent food waste. As both components can easily be separated and the paper fully recycled across Europe, this is a big step for us with waste streams differing vastly across regions. We will continue to further develop our products as we work with partners to create a circular economy for sustainable packaging.

Andreas Gasteiger, Managing Director of SalzburgMilch, said: “Climate and environmental protection has always been a very important issue. We have already saved over 100 tonnes of plastic through numerous measures in the last three years and we are not resting on our laurels, which is why we have made further improvements to our new paper trays.”

Dr. Gerhard Drexel, SPAR CEO, said: "Our initiative 'Save plastics together with SPAR' aims to avoid plastics completely or reduce them significantly. Mondi's paper-based packaging creates innovative solutions for fresh products that could not be sold without packaging."

1) Eurostat Data. 2016
2) European Paper Recycling Council. 2020

Technical details about the product

• 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 plastic trays

• 70% CO 2 reduction compare to plastic alternative

Contact

Judith Wronn
Senior Communication Manager, Mondi Flexible Packaging & Engineered Materials
Tel: +49 151 17714692
Email: Judith.Wronn@mondigroup.com

About Mondi

Mondi is a global leader in packaging and paper, contributing to a better world by making innovative packaging and paper solutions that are sustainable by design. Our business is fully integrated across the value chain – from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and plastic films to developing and manufacturing effective industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Sustainability is at the centre of our strategy and intrinsic in the way we do business. We lead the industry with our customer- centric approach, EcoSolutions, where we ask the right questions to find the most sustainable solution. In 2019, Mondi had revenues of €7.27 billion and underlying EBITDA of €1.66 billion.

Mondi has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (MNDI), and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited (MNP). Mondi is a FTSE 100 constituent, and has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index Series since 2007.

EcoSolutions

Mondi’s EcoSolutions approach to sustainable innovation helps businesses achieve measurable impacts by replacing less sustainable packaging with more sustainable solutions, reducing overall environmental footprint, and increasing recycling.