Mondi and Tesco supermarket partner on paper bag circularity program in Central Europe

04 Mar 2021 --- Mondi is purchasing Tesco Central Europe’s warehouse corrugated waste and creating recycled paper for the retailer’s shopping bags. 

The announcement comes as part of Tesco’s net-zero emission goal and sustainability targets to “remove, reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible.”

The supermarket giant rolled out the shopping bags created with Mondi’s EcoVantage paper in an initial pilot across Hungary, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia in November 2020.

PackagingInsights recently listed “Fiber-based Frenzy” as a top trend for 2021, as consumers look to retailers to provide plastic-replacement solutions in packaging. 

Paper circularity
This is the first time Tesco has collaborated directly with a paper producer to turn its paper waste into a renewable resource in line with its circular economy goals.

Mondi produces EcoVantage grade paper, which combines recycled and fresh fibers to achieve a recyclable and high-performing shopping bag. 

Click to EnlargeConsumers increasingly see paper as the sustainable alternative to plastic.With the EcoVantage paper produced at Mondi’s mill in Czechia, the collaboration aims to show how suppliers can work with retailers across the value chain to develop circular systems and turn waste back into a valuable resource.

EcoVantage paper combines the strength, printability and appearance of a fresh fiber top layer with a recycled fiber bottom layer’s sustainability advantages.

“Our EcoSolutions approach means we collaborate very closely with our customers to create the best possible product for their needs – using paper where possible and plastic when useful,” says Paulus Goess, sales director for specialty kraft paper at Mondi. 

“We have been working on this project with Tesco for over two years, with the aim of reusing their warehouse waste to create a quality product that is strong in terms of performance, based on renewable resources, uses recycled materials and can, in turn, be fully recycled and ultimately contribute to a circular economy.” 

EcoVantage paper has the benefit of being recyclable multiple times over, despite being made of recycled material. 

Tesco eyes full circularity 
Nóra Hevesi, head of communication at Tesco in Hungary, describes how the collaboration with Mondi is aiding the retailer in its wider sustainability efforts. 

“As a responsible retailer, reducing and reusing our waste is essential for us. In 2019, we made a public commitment to make our brand packaging more sustainable. Our target is to make packaging 100 percent recyclable by 2025 and to reduce packaging wherever possible.” 

Since launching this target, Tesco has removed 454 tons of hard-to-recycle material from its packaging.

Hevesi says customer demand is a big driver behind the company’s efforts. 

“We know how important sustainable and high-quality shopping bags are to our customers, so we are communicating the recycled fiber content and the closed-loop concept on the underside of the shopping bags as part of our consumer information.”

“We continue to review our packaging needs for all our products by challenging the specification towards more sustainable alternatives and focusing on how we can increase the amount of recycled content we use even further.”

Kraft paper king 
Mondi is reportedly the world’s biggest kraft paper producer. Kraft paper is a key substitute for plastic bags.

The drive to replace plastic carrier bags with paper-based alternatives and consumer preferences for fiber-based primary packaging supports good demand across Mondi’s range of specialty kraft papers, the company indicates.

Mondi operates 100 sites in over 30 countries across Europe, Russia, North America and Africa, employing approximately 26,000 people.

By Louis Gore-Langton

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