Enviro Barrier™ & Advantage Speed: a cost-effective, sustainable alternative to paper sacks containing HDPE film

Pope Packaging and Mondi Sack Kraft Paper have developed the world's first HDPE film-free, 100% recyclable and biodegradable paper sack - now a WorldStar Packaging Award winner

Collaboration leads to innovation and awards, especially when two major packaging and paper companies join forces: in this case a leading producer of sack kraft paper and an Australian supplier of industrial paper sacks. Together, Mondi and Pope Packaging have created the 100% recyclable and 100% biodegradable paper sack called Enviro Barrier™ using Mondi's Advantage Speed sack kraft paper. Pointing to the advantages of the end product, Conny Josefsson, sales director Sack Kraft Paper Mondi Europe & International, says, 'Thanks to Enviro Barrier™, paper sack customers now have a cost-effective, fit-for-purpose and fully sustainable alternative to paper sacks containing HDPE film.'

The core of this partnership was shaped by the drive of the two companies to create a paper sack that dispenses with HDPE film in order to conserve natural resources and reduce waste. 'The primary challenges with Enviro Barrier™ were to maintain the moisture resistance that traditional paper sacks currently offer whilst avoiding any filling constraints in view of the absence of HDPE film. Over the past four years trials and testing at our Mondi Bag Application Centre in Frantschach, Austria, and directly on customer sites have tailored the design to withstand all shelf life demands and allow fillers to enjoy their usual output,' comments Josefsson. The Mondi BAC (Bag Application Centre) clearly played a critical role during this journey from an ambitious idea to an award-winning product.

Mathew Sullivan, General Manager Pope Packaging, likewise regards the BAC as one of the key factors to success, 'Given the highly advanced analytical services of the Mondi BAC in Austria, including its Mega Gurley and storage testing capabilities, we were able to develop a game-changing solution and provide our customers with hard evidence of the Enviro Barrier™ credentials.'

Pope Packaging: 'Mondi's Advantage Speed made the difference'

Enviro Barrier™ has been endorsed both within Australia and worldwide. It has been certified to AS 4736 and EN 13432 standard after meeting the performance requirements for characterisation, disintegration, aerobic biodegradability and ecotoxicity. 'A combination of the required green credentials, functionality and the right price point has resulted in Enviro Barrier™ obtaining swift and significant traction in the Australian market, whilst also grabbing the attention of global parties. In Mondi we have the right partner by our side. Its experience and know-how in sack kraft paper production helped us to optimise the final product. Advantage Speed, an unbleached extensible sack kraft paper that combines high tensile energy absorption, excellent runnability, high porosity and a surface structure that complements our special coating, is the very best paper for Enviro Barrier™,' insists Mathew Sullivan, Pope Packaging.

Acknowledged partnership - Design and World Packaging Award for Enviro Barrier™

Pope Packaging and Mondi have scored a hat-trick with this game-changing solution by winning three gold medals at the Australian Packaging Design Awards in late 2015 in the industrial supply chain, sustainability and innovation categories. Following on from these successes, Enviro Barrier™ also secured the coveted WorldStar Packaging Award, which was presented at a gala dinner and ceremony in Budapest, Hungary, on 26 May this year.

Photos related to this press release are available at:

https://images.mondigroup.com/pindownload/login.do?pin=MTNXKKHZHAF9
(PIN-Code: MTNXKKHZHAF9)

Photo description: Pope Packaging`s General Manager Matthew Sullivan in front of the in line machine (EB Flexa - stands for EnviroBarrier Flexa) presenting a two ply bag made of Mondi`s Advantage Speed, showing the outer ply is cut open to reveal the inner ply with the 'green' coating on it.

Further links:

Australian Packaging Design Award: http://www.pca.org.au/awards
WorldStar Packaging Award: http://www.worldpackaging.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3293

Contact

Waltraud Seiner, Head of Marketing Packaging Paper
Tel: +43 (1) 79013 - ext. 4754
Email: waltraud.seiner@mondigroup.com

Elisabeth Dock, Communications Manager Packaging Paper
Tel: +43 (0) 664 8446520
Email: elisabeth.dock@mondigroup.com

About Mondi Sack Kraft Paper

Mondi Sack Kraft Paper is a business segment of the business unit Packaging Paper and ranks among the leading European suppliers of both high-quality sack kraft papers and bleached and unbleached market pulp. It maintains five production sites that are focused on producing sack kraft paper with excellent runnability and printability ensuring optimised converting machine productivity.

Customer focused. Every day.

With over 100 years of experience and a broad product portfolio consisting of top quality paper grades Mondi can serve its customers best. Mondi's sack kraft paper is the main component of industrial bags used to pack a variety of products essential for e.g. the building, food, agricultural or chemical industry.

In addition, the sack kraft paper production benefits from a deep know-how enhanced through in-house expertise. Mondi's Sack Kraft Paper supports close collaboration with customers in order to drive product optimisation, every day.

Innovative. Every day.

Mondi Sack Kraft Paper fosters innovative research and cutting-edge technology. Its commitment is reflected in the work of its R&D and Bag Application Centres, the Print Competence Centre, where packaging and printing solutions are developed and tested in close cooperation with customers. In addition, the team of specialists at our Food Safety Laboratory develop optimised solutions that meet highest requirements for food contact and other sensitive applications.

We are Mondi: IN TOUCH EVERY DAY

At Mondi, our products protect and preserve the things that matter.

Mondi is an international packaging and paper Group, employing around 25,000 people across more than 30 countries. Our key operations are located in central Europe, Russia, North America and South Africa. We offer over 100 packaging and paper products, customised into more than 100,000 different solutions for customers, end consumers and industrial end uses - touching the lives of millions of people every day. In 2015, Mondi had revenues of €6.8 billion and a return on capital employed of 20.5%.

The Mondi Group is fully integrated across the packaging and paper value chain - from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and compound plastics, to developing effective and innovative industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Our innovative technologies and products can be found in a variety of applications including hygiene components, stand-up pouches, super-strong cement bags, clever retail boxes and office paper. Our key customers are in industries such as automotive; building and construction; chemicals; food and beverage; home and personal care; medical and pharmaceutical; packaging and paper converting; pet care; and office and professional printing.

Mondi has a dual listed company structure, with a primary listing on the JSE Limited for Mondi Limited under the ticker code MND and a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange for Mondi plc, under the ticker code MNDI.

For us, acting sustainably makes good business sense and is part of the way we work every day. We have been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the JSE's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index since 2007.

About Pope Packaging

O.E. & D.R. Pope Pty. Ltd., later trading as Pope Packaging, was originally established at Kent Town, Adelaide, South Australia in 1956. Some 50 years later, it still remains, a privately owned Australian company, with operations located in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the United States of America.

Since inception, Pope Packaging was built on a strong foundation with the textile industry and has specialized in the supply of packaging products focused on flexible polypropylene, polyethylene, paper and woven fabrics, servicing a wide range of market applications and creating partnerships with leading companies, providing packaging solutions that complement and enhance clients' brands, market and supply-chain strategies.

About Pope Packaging - Papersack Division

Pope Papersack Division began operating in 1980, sharing the Kent Town premises with its other operations. Due to the rapid growth and expansion of this Division, it was moved to its current location at 10-12 Morgan Street, Wingfield, Adelaide South Australia.

It is now a completely integrated (self-contained) business unit, manufacturing a wide, full range of packaging products for the papersack market.

Pope Papersack aims for operational excellence through teamwork, continual improvement processes & systems, a customer focused culture throughout the division and the tailoring of packaging solutions to our clients' needs.

Our modern complex gives us the ability to supply all states of Australia with very fast delivery times. Bags are made to order and competitive prices can be obtained from any of our Australian wide branches.

The factory has capability to manufacture

• One through to four-Ply Multi-Wall Papersacks, Printed or Plain;
• Open-Mouth Block-Bottom Sacks,
• Open-Mouth Sewn-Bottom Sacks,
• Valve-Fill Block-Bottom Sacks,
• And more.

Last change: 13/09/2016