Mondi collaborates with start-up for packaging coating from agricultural by-products

20 Jun 2024 --- Mondi is partnering with advanced biomaterial engineers at Traceless Materials to develop a new coating solution based on by-products from the agricultural industry. The bio-circular coating solution is said to be the “first of its kind” and will replace conventional plastic coating. 

The partnership aims to develop a solution that is recyclable in existing European waste streams. The objective is to scale the solution across industries and reduce GHG emissions throughout the packaging life cycle. 

Mondi sees increasing demand for plastic alternatives in packaging solutions and targets this need with its coating. 

An LCA conducted by the German bioeconomy start-up showed that the market provision of Traceless material leads to overall GHG savings of 76% from sourcing to disposal if the material is used as a replacement for virgin PET. 

“If only the production and disposal phases were considered, these savings would add up to 95%,” says Traceless. 

European bio-coating 
Products require different packaging barriers. The coated kraft paper solution has been tested for different packaging purposes to ensure it can be used across different end-markets. 

Mondi shares that “in-depth” trials have confirmed that kraft paper coated with Traceless can resist water, oxygen and fat while offering good printing abilities to different customers. 

The partners have further optimized the properties of the bio-based coating, fine-tuning the solution to make it fit for different packaging applications for various end-markets such as e-commerce, frozen food, fatty and non-fatty food. 

Mondi and Traceless first teamed up in 2021, harnessing Mondi’s knowledge in paper coating and packaging solutions and Traceless’ expertise in material solutions based on natural polymers. 

The coating granules are produced in Traceless’ pilot plant and are applied to Mondi’s kraft paper in Mondi’s R&D center for further testing of the coated paper in the company’s laboratories. Later, production on an industrial scale will take place at a designated plant in Hamburg, Germany. 

The material is certified home compostable by DIN CERTCO according to NF T51-800. 

Series A funding
Last year, Traceless raised €36.6 million (~US$39 million) in series A funding to establish its first industrial-scale plant for a bio-circular alternative to conventional plastics. We spoke to the company’s CEO and co-founder, Anne Lamp, about the challenges in funding start-ups and upcycling agricultural waste streams.