Mondi opens European recycling laboratory

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper headquartered in the United Kingdom, has opened its first recycling laboratory at its Frantschach mill in Austria.

According to a news release from Mondi, the new recycling laboratory will test the recyclability of paper and paper-based packaging components using nonpaper components such as coatings. While paper packaging offers sustainability benefits, Mondi says it has some barrier functionality limits for products such as perishable food. To enhance functionality, nonpaper components such as barrier coatings can be added, which in turn can impact recyclability.

Mondi says recycling tests in-house speed the process for developing sustainable packaging. Data collected in Mondi’s laboratory can be used to improve the company’s existing products and provide information about their environmental impact. Mondi also plans to use the results from its laboratory to determine how the design of new packaging can be improved, as well as how to improve the circularity of material flows.

Mondi’s new recycling laboratory will conduct tests on various paper and paper-based packaging products it develops and will determine whether the packaging can be efficiently recycled. The company says its laboratory will work in a similar way to industrial recycling facilities but on a smaller scale. Results generated from the laboratory will provide the company with evidence as to whether material can be recycled.

“The ability to provide our customers with information on the recyclability of our products will be a key enabler in our efforts to develop more sustainable solutions and enhance our value proposition for customers,” says Elisabeth Schwaiger, head of R&D and IP Flexible Packaging at Mondi. “Currently, 78 percent of Mondi’s groupwide portfolio is already either reusable, recyclable or compostable. This recycling lab enables us to move closer to our MAP2030 goals of making 100 percent of our products fulfill these requirements by 2025.”