Mondi, Werner & Mertz collaborate on fully recyclable stand-up pouch

Mondi’s Werner has collaborated with Mertz to develop a fully recyclable, flexible, stand-up pouch for W&M’s Frosch-brand laundry detergent.

The project applied Cradle to Cradle (or C2C) principles to assess every aspect of the product, from design to optimal end-of-life options, to close the packaging loop.

StripPouch, the resulting product, recently earned certification from two independent bodies for being 100 per cent recyclable, and has been honoured with several industry awards.

The product’s first commercial application of Werner & Mertz’s Frosch-brand liquid detergents, is anticipated to be on store shelves by the end of this year.

Mondi commissioned sustainability services firm Quantis to conduct a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of the StripPouch that holds 2 litres of detergent.

Quantis concluded that the StripPouch is the best option in comparison to a PET/PE pouch or rigid HDPE bottle regarding carbon footprint. It can save up to 70 per cent of CO₂ emissions compared to the HDPE bottle.

The 100 per cent recycling potential, meanwhile, helps to decrease even more of its CO₂ emissions compared to the PET/PE pouch, the study concluded.

Jens Kösters, manager of technical services for Mondi Consumer Goods Packaging, said: “Werner & Mertz gave us a challenge to come up with a fully recyclable packaging solution. We embraced this and by applying our EcoSolutions approach, we have both met the challenge and been recognised for our industry effort. Now, applying the knowledge gained from developing StripPouch, others also stand to benefit from Mondi’s approach to being sustainable by design.”