Packaging and paper producer Mondi is collaborating with Hamburg-based start-up Traceless, founded in 2020, on a new coating for paper. The raw materials are by-products generated in the agricultural industry. As the “first of its kind”, the new bio-circular solution is intended to replace conventional plastic coatings. The aim of the collaboration is to promote the use of Traceless throughout the paper industry on a large scale.
- 09/22/2024
- Article
- Sustainability
- New Paths
- Design
- Start-ups
Pioneer in Biomaterials and Packaging Specialist Mondi Team Up
Packaging group Mondi and start-up Traceless are developing a new, purely plant-based barrier for paper-based packaging with the aim of setting new standards in the industry. The two companies will be presenting their sustainable solutions at FACHPACK.
The Traceless biomaterial is a regenerative, bio-circular and certified plastic-free granulate made from plant residues that is garden-compostable. In conventional paper coatings, synthetic plastics are often used to improve the sealing and barrier properties of paper. These coatings, which are usually produced from non-renewable fossil resources, are not biodegradable under industrial composting conditions.
Agricultural Scraps as Base Material
Made from renewable materials such as leftovers from harvesting grain, the innovation does not require any fossil raw materials. According to a life cycle analysis carried out by Traceless, only just under a quarter (24 percent) of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with freshly produced plastic are generated when supplying the market with the material of the same name “from procurement to disposal.” However, if only the production and disposal phase is considered, the CO2 footprint could even shrink to as little as 5 percent of the comparable “fossil” amount, according to Traceless.
The granules required for coating are currently being produced in a pilot plant operated by Traceless. Partner Mondi then applies them to kraft paper in its own research and development center in order to test the combination further in its own laboratories.
Test series that have already been completed have shown that kraft papers coated with Traceless material are robust against water, oxygen, and grease. On the other hand, they can also be easily printed on in accordance with the special requirements of manufacturers from various FMCG segments.
Because the packaging of different consumer goods – especially food – requires functionally different barriers, Mondi and Traceless say they are carrying out fine adjustments for a range of different packaging applications. These include, for example, the frozen food, fatty and non-fatty food segments, as well as the e-commerce sector.
Experts have already predicted that the start-up will become a game changer. And the German federal government is also convinced by the start-up’s plans and is supporting it. Following the successful completion of a Series A financing round of 36.6 million euros, the start-up began building its first large-scale production facility in Hamburg in 2024. The project is being subsidized with around 5.1 million euros from the Federal Ministry's Environmental Innovation Program.
“Together, we are ready to change the paper coating industry by implementing our coating alternative on a scale that only a company like Mondi can achieve. This is an important step towards a sustainable future in which our material becomes the standard in everyday products,” explains Anne Lamp, CEO and co-founder of Traceless Materials. Marko Schuster, COO Functional Paper and Films at Mondi, explains: “This partnership fits perfectly with Mondi’s commitment to make packaging and paper sustainable from the ground up.”
Traceless is also cooperating with brand suppliers and manufacturers such as OTTO, Lufthansa, and C&A to develop product applications. A first pilot product in the packaging sector has been tested on the market since 2022. Since its foundation, the company has received numerous awards, including the German Founder’s Award and the German Sustainability Award/Next Economy Award.