Plastic and paper packaging group Mondi (Johannesburg / South Africa; www.mondigroup.com) says Austrian dairy producer SalzburgMilch (Salzburg; www.milch.com) will use the company’s “fully recyclable 80% paper-based packaging solution for cold meats and cheese.” The packaging is expected to cut the dairy’s plastics use by some 40 t/y and replaces rigid plastics trays with ones made of paper.

The containers will still have plastic film to cover the food, according to Mondi. Food products undergoing the switch include SalzburgMilch’s “Premium” line and the “Natur*pur” organic cheese slices that the supplier makes for the supermarket chain Spar.

Mondi said it introduced the “PerFORMing” packaging range in 2019, and the updated product consists of paper and fully removable plastic that “can easily be separated from the paper tray allowing for 100% paper recycling across Europe.” The product is made locally in Austria, which reduces transportation requirements and its environmental impact, the company said. It noted that the base paper for the tray “is predominantly from locally sourced wood”.

“The PerFORMing removable uses paper where possible, significantly reducing the carbon footprint, and plastic when useful, to extend the shelf life and help prevent food waste,” said Marko Schuster, chief operating officer at Mondi Functional Paper & Films. “As both components can easily be separated and the paper fully recycled across Europe, this is a big step for us with waste streams differing vastly across regions.”