- Mondi commissioned an independent life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing its Advantage StretchWrap paper to conventional plastic stretch film.
- The ISO-based approach shows that the new paper pallet packaging performs better in several environmental impact categories including climate change, with 62% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when compared to virgin plastic stretch film.
- Mondi sees LCAs as a useful tool to analyse advantages of different material solutions and guide decision-making.
Mondi, global leader in packaging and paper, commissioned a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing its new ground-breaking paper pallet wrapping innovation, Advantage StretchWrap, with conventional plastic stretch film wrapping. The full study was conducted by an external consultancy, is ISO-compliant and includes an external critical review. Based on the assumption that both materials are recycled at the end-of-life, the findings showed that the paper-based pallet wrapping by Mondi has a lower climate impact as one of the LCA indicators.
The basis of comparison is the potential environmental impacts arising from wrapping one pallet. The LCA examined 16 indicators to understand potential trade-offs between the two materials. It covers all relevant life cycle stages, from raw material extraction, production, up to the application on a pallet at the customer. In addition, the impact of the end-of-life stage is assessed.
The LCA found that Advantage StretchWrap has 62% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when compared to virgin plastic stretch film, and 49% lower GHG emissions when compared to plastic stretch film made with 50% recycled content. Advantage StretchWrap has a lower environmental impact than plastic in a number of categories including climate change and fossil resource use. The plastic stretch film did perform better in some indicators, such as land use and freshwater eutrophication.
Karoline Angerer, Product Sustainability Manager Kraft Paper & Paper Bags, Mondi, says: “Given the complexities of material choice, we see independent critical reviews as essential to ensuring LCAs that deliver objective and reliable results focusing on the environmental benefits of each material. At Mondi, we use these results as part of our decision-making process in line with our MAP2030 sustainability commitments. Our customers value our attention to detail and how we partner using our EcoSolutions approach to develop solutions that are sustainable by design.
About Mondi
Mondi is a global leader in packaging and paper, contributing to a better world by making innovative packaging and paper solutions that are sustainable by design. Our business is integrated across the value chain – from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and plastic films, to developing and manufacturing effective industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Sustainability is at the centre of our strategy and intrinsic in the way we do business. We lead the industry with our customer-centric approach, EcoSolutions, where we ask the right questions to find the most sustainable solution. In 2020, Mondi had revenues of €6.66 billion and underlying EBITDA of €1.35 billion.
Mondi has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (MNDI), and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited (MNP). Mondi is a FTSE 100 constituent, and has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index Series since 2007.
About Mondi Kraft Paper
Mondi Kraft Paper is part of Mondi’s Business Unit Flexible Packaging and the global leading producer of high-quality bleached and unbleached sack kraft paper and bleached, unbleached and recycled speciality kraft paper grades, as well as bleached and unbleached market pulp with certified wood. Our world-class integrated mills offer paper grades for numerous applications that can be converted into strong yet lightweight industrial paper sacks for cement, building materials, food, agricultural or chemical industries, to shopping bags for retailers, e-commerce packaging, and insulation papers that are sustainable by design. Our R&D Centre in Frantschach, Austria continuously optimises production processes to develop smarter and more sustainable packaging solutions by putting a focus on meeting the highest environmental standards. We have more than 100 years of expertise in papermaking and have four operations in Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
