Mondi unveils recyclable e-commerce packaging concept

Packaging major Mondi has introduced a new e-commerce packaging solution designed to simplify the supply chain and improve circularity. The concept pairs a corrugated outer box with a recyclable, laser-marked flexible plastic inner bag. This design eliminates the need for plastic tape and paper labels, as all product and shipping information is laser-printed directly onto the flexible film.

E-commerce packaging has traditionally been a major source of mixed-material waste, which is notoriously difficult for sorting facilities to process. By integrating a monomaterial flexible inner liner that is easily separated from the outer cardboard box, the design supports high-quality recycling streams. Laser marking also removes adhesive contamination from labels, a common issue that degrades the quality of recycled polymer melts.

For UK waste management firms and Turkish plastics recyclers, this shift towards monomaterial flexible packaging is highly significant. Turkish recyclers, who process large volumes of imported European commercial and post-consumer flexible plastics, frequently struggle with adhesive and paper label contamination. Monomaterial designs with laser-etched data reduce processing costs and improve the purity of the resulting regranulate. Furthermore, UK packaging converters must align with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations by adopting designs that are demonstrably easier to recycle.

As regulatory pressure mounts across Europe, packaging designers and converters should prepare for a broader industry shift away from adhesive labels and towards direct-to-film laser marking, which significantly enhances the market value of post-consumer flexible plastics.

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Reported by Recycling Today — original article