Mondi invests in animal food packaging after pandemic accelerates pet ownership trend

21 Jul 2022 --- Mondi is investing nearly €65 million (US$66 million) in three flexible packaging plants in Europe to meet growing customer demand for environmentally sustainable pet food packaging.

The European pet food market has grown significantly in recent years, driven by a consistent rise in pet ownership. This trend increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to continue for many years to come, says Mondi.

This project is part of Mondi’s previously announced €1 billion (approximately US$1 billion) expansionary capital investment program to accelerate growth in environmentally sustainable packaging and is said to further strengthen its position in the pet food packaging market.

Circular economy investments
Work has already started at Mondi Korneuburg, Austria, and includes investments in state-of-the-art machinery and equipment as well as an expanded production area. Mondi says that these changes will lead to a capacity increase, solidifying the site’s position as a market leader in pre-made retort stand-up pouches for wet pet food.

The packaging and paper supplier is also investing in advanced machinery at Mondi Halle and Mondi Steinfeld in Germany to increase production capacity of pre-made bag solutions for pet food, as well as home and personal care applications.

The project is part of Mondi’s €1 billion capital investment program to accelerate growth in environmentally sustainable packaging.The investment will enable future growth and support customers to switch from multilayer, non-recyclable packaging to more environmentally sustainable alternatives, such as monomaterial recyclable stand-up pouches and paper-based pre-made bags, it says.

Dirk Gabriel, COO of consumer flexibles at Mondi, says: “With this investment, we continue to implement packaging solutions that are [environmentally] sustainable by design, especially in the pet food industry.”

“This investment also supports our Mondi Action Plan 2030 (MAP2030) [environmental] sustainability framework, which is focused on circular driven solutions, created by empowered people, taking action on climate. With these projects, we’re increasing operational efficiency and reducing our own energy consumption while also connecting our production network.”

Mondi in the news
At the recent Packaging Innovations trade show in Birmingham, UK, Paul Wormald, the company’s sales director for UK & Nordic, told PackagingInsights that Mondi received increased inquiries about fiber-based food packaging due to the recently-introduced UK Plastic Packaging Tax. However, plastic packaging remains necessary for high-barrier applications, and the company is also experiencing growing demand for recycled plastic solutions.

Meanwhile, the paper and packaging giant switched its portfolio of glassine-based release liners to certified base paper, supporting the harvesting of wood from responsibly managed forests. Glassine-based release liners are mainly used for labels, tapes, and medical applications.

The company says it collaborates with certification schemes like PEFC to enable traceability and compliance in wood harvesting.

Edited

By Natalie Schwertheim

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