Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper solutions, has launched a new, more sustainable band packaging. This serves as a replacement for the conventional plastic shrink packaging of 1.5 liter multipacks of carbonated soft drinks, which are manufactured by Coca-Cola HBC in Austria, and secures them reliably.
Mondi’s Hug-IT solution holds six bottles tightly together during transport, and is made from Mondi’s Advantage SpringPack Plus, recognized by Guinness World Records as the strongest paper in the world.
The Hug-IT band has high tensile strength and unparalleled stretch, reliably holding the six bottles together in an upright position during transport – from factory to retailer to consumer. The band will secure the 1.5 liter PET multipacks of the Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Mezzo Mix brands and will be sold in retail stores throughout Austria. Hug-IT is an innovative solution and Advantage SpringPack Plus is currently the only paper on the market that offers such unique capabilities and is strong enough to hold the bottle bundles together as the final Hug-IT solution.
Advantage SpringPack Plus is made from 100% kraft paper, which is made from wood, a renewable material. The kraft paper is made from responsibly sourced fibers and can be recycled in existing paper recycling streams: paper has one of the highest recycling rates among packaging materials in Europe (82% in the EU) and is convenient for consumers to dispose of.
The development of the Hug IT solution took three years, from conception through planning and testing to the finished product on the shelves. The development involved several Mondi business units and involved cross-segment collaboration, making the most of the company’s expertise in paper packaging and processing to create more sustainable, technically advanced solutions. The banderoles are produced on automated machines from Krones, a technology group and service provider for the beverage and liquid food industry.
The quick installation and close collaboration with Mondi enabled a smooth and efficient process. Expert teams from Mondi, Coca-Cola HBC and Krones worked closely together to overcome the challenges related to the required strength and stretch of the paper.
Our approach is paper whenever possible and plastic when practical – and the shrink wrap solution used to bundle bottles across all continents and across all industries provides the ideal opportunity to put this into practice. By producing such a strong paper, we are able to duplicate the function of plastic shrink wrap and enable safe transport of multipacks with our Hug-IT paper sleeves, which reduce plastic consumption, Silvia Hanzelova, Sales Director Specialty Kraft Paper at Mondi.
“Felix Sprenger, Supply Chain Director at Coca-Cola HBC Austria, says: “The careful use of resources and recyclable materials is one of the most important pillars of our sustainability strategy and plays a central role in shaping the sustainable packaging mix for the Austrian market. With the introduction With our new solution, which is unique in the world, we will be able to reduce the use of materials by a further 200 tonnes of plastic per year in the future. It was a pleasure to work with Mondi and our other partners to make a joint contribution to a circular economy.”
Advantage MF SpringPack Plus holds the record as the strongest paper in the world, according to Gunniess World Record /2001, Swedish edition). The strength of this brown MF variety was demonstrated by lifting a 4.2 ton container on a single sheet. In 2003, Mondi unofficially broke its own record by parking and lifting a 9.8-ton locomotive on a single sheet.