A patented stand-up pouch developed by Werner & Mertz in cooperation with Mondi was the first flexible packaging worldwide to achieve the ‚Product Scorecard Gold‘ in all individual categories of the Cradle to Cradle Certified. The two companies have thus successfully concluded their more than five-year joint project.
In order to harmonise the product with the recycling process and circular economy, both companies involved all stakeholders in the value chain from the outset. They were advised by EPEA Switzerland. The institute is an accredited assessor for the Cradle to Cradle Certified certification standard and has developed an 18-point Cradle to Cradle Reference Model which the two companies have followed step by step.
„No company can truly develop a product in the spirit of the circular economy on its own. interdisciplinary network of experts. Thanks to the consistent approach of the entire team according to the cradle-to-cradle principles, Werner & Mertz and Mondi have succeeded in creating a real lighthouse project with the stand-up pouch.“ Albin Kaelin, Managing Director of EPEA Switzerland
Development according to the cradle-to-cradle reference model
„51 per cent of all packaging that ends up in the yellow bag is film packaging. This harbours enormous potential for recycling that has hardly been utilised to date. We wanted to change that,“ says Property Sander, Head of Packaging Development at Werner & Mertz .
The decision in favour of a Mono-material packaging fell quickly. But the reduction to one type of plastic, namely polyethylene, was one thing. The collection and sorting process for the materials was also crucial (definition of innovation fields). High-quality recycling is only possible if the packaging actually ends up in the yellow bag after use and is recognised by the sorting systems.
For this reason, manufacturers of sorting systems and units were repeatedly consulted during the several years of development work to ensure separate sorting and recycling. At the same time, Werner & Mertz informs consumers about waste separation and recycling through the „Initiative Frosch“ and draws attention to the importance of the Yellow Bag in the recycling process (development of marketing statements).
The production and supply chain is also crucial (Definition of cycle scenarios)During the development process it quickly became clear that both Mondi and Werner & Mertz would have to procure new machines for the new bag or retrofit old machines, which would tie up both financial and time resources.
Certification for recyclable stand-up pouches
„Together with Werner & Mertz, we analysed the entire process depth of today's StripPouch, from production to the sorting and recycling process, in order to develop a Design 4 Recycling to develop. Optimising the use of the circular economy was our incentive and we are very proud of the external recognition from the Cradle to Cradle Certified Scorecard Gold,“ says Jens Koesters, Manager R&D/Technical Service, Mondi Consumer Flexibles.
Another criterion is the ABC-X categorisation of the ingredientsEvery little detail counts here. For this point alone, for example, a completely new recyclable printing ink system for flexographic printing has been developed, which has already been awarded the Material Health Certificate in Gold. This certification confirms the safety of the solvent-based printing ink for biological cycles.
Once all these criteria have been defined, the Product design and the Implementation and realisation of the previously decided processes including Investments. But even after the successful launch of the product in stores, the cradle-to-cradle process is not yet complete: The After-sales service must be guaranteed, i.e. the possibility for consumers to ask questions about the product. At Werner & Mertz, this is guaranteed by the consumer advice team.
[infotext icon]EPEA Switzerland GmbH is an accredited general assessor for the Cradle to Cradle Certified certification standard. It supports companies from various sectors in the development and implementation of the Cradle to Cradle design concept[/infotext].SourceWerner & Mertz
