Mondi and Thimonnier develop lightweight monomaterial sachet for liquid soap refills

14 Apr 2022 --- Mondi and Thimonnier are launching a recyclable monomaterial berlingot sachet for liquid soap refills. The new packaging reduces plastic usage by more than 75% compared to rigid plastic bottles and is designed to replace the current industry standard of non-recyclable plastic with a lighter option.

The companies have created a new packaging for liquid refills that is designed so that it can be entirely emptied. The sachet is made from a recyclable monomaterial, co-extruded PE.

Olivier Werbrouck, regional sales France, Consumer Flexibles, Mondi, tells PackagingInsights: “The solution can be used for everything liquid based, for example, bleach, milk or oil.”

The refill solution can replace the current industry standard of multilayer PVC refill containers, which are effectively not recyclable.

“Compared to the previous berlingot version (and the industry standard) our new packaging is a recyclable monomaterial made from PE and PVC free,” says Werbrouk.

Leak-proof monomaterial
Mondi says the unusual shape of the sachet is “eye-catching and differentiated.” The durable and leak-proof solution allows consumers to smell the product inside, a particularly useful feature for the liquid soaps it is designed to protect. The lightweight material also makes it more convenient for customers, especially those who are buying in-store, they say.

The sachet can be used for various liquid-based products, like bleach, milk or oil.“The challenge was to create a recyclable monomaterial packaging that still offers the required product protection and a leak-proof solution for its liquid content,” notes Werbrouk.

“Our goal working with Mondi was to find a packaging alternative with low environmental impact and good runnability,” explains Eric Duhoo, general manager at Thimonnier.

MAP2030 action plan
Mondi says that the solution is a demonstration of the benefits of industry partnerships and the importance of achieving a truly circular economy.

“Our Mondi Action Plan 2030 (MAP2030) [environmental] sustainability framework sets ambitious goals to tackle global issues across the value chain: creating circular-driven packaging and paper solutions that are made by empowered people taking action on climate,” says Werbrouck.

Yesterday, PackagingInsights spoke to Mondi’s group eCommerce director Daniela Dorner about how the company is making the packaging industry a key driver in improving environmental sustainability across sectors.

Earlier this week, Mondi provided Tyme Food with a cooling box for its chilled ready meals. The BCoolBox can be recycled in the paper sorting bin, unlike multimaterial packaging where the UK does not have the necessary recycling infrastructure.

By Natalie Schwertheim

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