VIENNA, AUSTRIA — Mondi Group announced June 9 its partnership with Mera Tiernahrung GmbH, a German pet food manufacturer, to produce novel packaging for its new semi-moist croquette-style dog food product. 

“Mondi’s FlexiBag Recyclable is a mono-material, polyethylene-based product with a barrier that is fully recyclable,” said Fitore Loshaj, regional sales, DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), for Mondi Consumer Flexibles. “This 12.5 kg bag is the largest of its kind using recyclable packaging in the pet food sector.”

Central attributes of the packaging solution include shelf stability, food safety and sustainability. The bag features a tight seal to ensure extended freshness, venting only from inside the package to outside through a one-way valve. There are also resealable zipper, slider or hook-and-loop options for consumer convenience.

The FlexiBag Recyclable solution is compliant with standards set by Institute cyclos-HTP GmbH, the Institute for Recyclability and Product Responsibility, according to Mondi. The institution rated the packaging solution as “95% recyclable in those areas where suitable recycling infrastructures are in place,” Mondi said.

The solution also features a matt finish for shelf appeal, and branding can be printed on all sides including the bottom of the package.

“The adoption of FlexiBag Recyclable for this application advances Mera down the path toward increased sustainability,” said Felix Vos, managing director of Mera. “Sustainability is a top priority for us and working together with Mondi to make our packaging better for the environment was a logical next step to help meet our goals.”

According to Vos, Mera is the first pet food company to be certified by TÜV Rheinland against the ZNU standard for sustainable management.

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