According to a company statement, Mondi and Skånemejerier are collaborating to create a new monomaterial packaging for cheese. The new packaging is designed for recycling and replaces the previous non-recyclable solution. The packages protect food by keeping materials in circulation.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has worked with Skånemejerier to create a monomaterial packaging based on polypropylene (PP), including for the Hushållsost cheese from ICA.

The new packaging includes a monomaterial base tape and a cover film, all produced and printed by Mondi before being transformed into 1 kg and 2 kg cheese blocks by Skånemejerier. It will be sold in the Swedish supermarket ICA and is now available in packaging designed for recycling.

Mondi's monomaterial solution provides strong barriers against oxygen and water vapors, keeping the product fresh on the supermarket shelf. It offers high puncture resistance that protects the cheese and excellent printability, allowing brand messages and recycling information to be effectively communicated on the packaging.

This innovative packaging is launched at the same time as Site Zero, the largest sorting facility for used plastic packaging, opens its doors in Sweden.

This state-of-the-art facility, scheduled to start operating in November 2023, will process used plastic waste from both Sweden and Finland. Due to the monomaterial design of the packaging, the facility will efficiently sort this solution for recycling, contributing to a circular economy.

Helene Brynell, Regional Sales Nordic Consumer Flexibles at Mondi, says, "30% of the world's food is lost or wasted – equivalent to 1.3 billion tons – so the right packaging design plays a crucial role. Fresh products, such as cheese, need to be properly packaged – and protection must go hand in hand with sustainable packaging. Our new monomaterial solution does just that: it keeps the cheese fresh while keeping packaging materials in circulation through recyclability."

Ingemar Jönsson, Packaging Manager at Skånemejerier, adds, "Our collaboration with Mondi has been a thorough process: we started our first tests and trials in 2019, and we are excited to bring this fully recyclable packaging to the market before the end of 2023. The working relationship we've had meant we could efficiently adapt materials and equipment, resulting in a successful solution fit for purpose. We have a strong, efficient, and attractive packaging that keeps materials in flow and meets consumers' demands for more sustainable solutions."

Rickard Jansson, Development Engineer at Swedish Plastic Recycling, says, "We are very positive about the new packaging that Mondi developed together with Skånemejerier for ICA. By using monomaterial film instead of laminate made from different types of plastic, we can sort and recycle the packaging left in the system, thereby avoiding incineration. With the new Site Zero technology, this PP film-based packaging will be able to become new products, which was not possible in any unit in Sweden until now. It provides circular plastic flows that reduce the need for fossil raw materials and incineration."

The monomaterial cheese packaging on ICA shelves won the PackNorth award this year in the "Food" category and was also recognized at the October Empack fair in Stockholm, Sweden.