Global sustainable packaging and paper supplier Mondi has partnered with Wiltshire-based Welton, Bibby and Baron (WBB) to introduce new recyclable bread bags for retail.
The collaboration sees WBB convert Mondi’s FunctionalBarrier Paper Reduce into brown and white paper bags for various pre-packed fresh bread products in the UK.
Warburtons and Jason’s Sourdough are among the bakery brands that have already employed the new packaging for their loaves with examples including their Baker’s White Bloomer and The Great White lines, respectively.
Mondi produces its FunctionalBarrier Paper Reduce using a strong base Kraft paper that comes from responsibly sourced fibres, coating it in-house to ensure the final packaging’s essential barrier properties. It is the thinnest paper in Mondi’s barrier paper range, offering the strength needed for higher filling weights while delivering superb food compliant protection against water vapour, grease, and moisture.
The final packaging keeps the bread fresh, soft and moist, while offering a sustainable alternative to unrecyclable plastic packaging. It qualifies for a recycling label from the On Pack Recycling Label Scheme (OPRL) and can be conveniently recycled via kerbside collection in the UK.
Both bags have a premium appearance with windows so that consumers can easily see the bread inside – the brown bag has a glassine window, which can also be disposed of together with the rest of the bag in the recycling bin, whereas the white bag comes with a detachable film window.
“With our MAP2030 sustainability targets, we are fully committed to developing circular packaging options to satisfy our customers and their end users, who are looking for more sustainable and convenient solutions in their shopping habits and overall lifestyles,” commented Mick Robinson, Mondi’s business solutions manager for functional paper and films.
“Long-standing partnerships like this mean we can actively support brands and retailers in their steps towards sustainability.”
WBB technical manager Andrew Lockyear commended the close collaboration with the Mondi team, which he said provided a lot of expertise throughout the whole process and enabled them to turn around the new bread packaging within a short time frame. “To meet possible future regulative requirements, we’ll be working with Mondi a lot more, further improving existing solutions and proactively leading the sustainability game,” he added.
Mondi employs around 22,000 people in more than 30 countries worldwide, and recorded turnover of €7.3bn (£6.09bn) last year with underlying EBITDA of €1.2bn. It offers customers a broad range of innovative solutions for consumer and industrial end-use applications. WBB, meanwhile, has been supplying packaging to the UK food and FMCG markets since 1858, and is a long-standing customer of Mondi.
Use of recyclable paper packaging for bakery items at retailers has increased in recent months, with Sainsbury’s adopting it for several of its ISB products while M&S rolled it out for its garlic butter baguettes last month.
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