Sweden Timber takes over newspaper production at the Hylte mill Investment by Mondi in functional barrier papers

tailored barrier properties that reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging, supporting the development of a circular economy.

The range is being backed with an investment in a new extrusion coater and a slitting machine at Mondi Coating Štĕtí in the Czech Republic. Production is expected to start in 2024.

In addition, investment is currently under way at Mondi’s Jülich plant in Germany with the rebuild of an existing coater. Two new dispersion coating stations will improve barrier properties by ensuring good coverage on the base paper. The construction of a new coating kitchen is also part of the rebuild and will enable the pre-coating of base paper and expand the offering to include more paper grades, especially containing recycled content.

Mondi will also be investing in and optimising its Örebro production facility in Sweden, to further improve production of its FunctionalBarrier Paper range.

As a replacement for plastic films and laminates, the range offers fibre-based packaging alternatives that are particularly for its renewable products in packaging, building solutions and biomaterials innovations. suitable for fast-moving consumer goods which can be recycled in existing paper waste streams across Europe. With varying barrier levels, the range is tailor-made for industrial and eCommerce applications as well as personal care, frozen food and chocolate packaging.

In a separate announcement, Stora Enso said it was planning to to consolidate its book paper production and permanently close one of the two paper machines at Anjala in Finland following weak demand and “high input costs”, reducing the site’s annual capacity by 250,000 tonnes and sales by €100m.

Marko Schuster, operational chief for Functional Paper & Films at Mondi, comments:

“We are seeing a strong drive in the end markets to reduce the use of plastic and move towards more sustainable paperbased packaging solutions. Our FunctionalBarrier Paper range reflects Mondi’s commitment to this and promotes a circular economy, in line with our MAP2030 goals. We are excited to expand the portfolio and enable our customers to make a smooth transition to more sustainable packaging solutions to meet the growing needs of their consumers.”