Global packaging and paper company Mondi has confirmed €16m ($17.99m) of investment to support the production of its new packaging range, referred to as “FunctionalBarrier Paper Ultimate”.

The investment will be used to set up a new technology at the company’s Solec converting plant in Poland.

Using the new technology and efficient processes, Mondi will manufacture high-barrier functional paper at scale.

The company said it can now offer the complete in-house solution to its customers by leveraging its integrated value chain, which involves production, coating, printing, converting and the final packaging of a product.

The industrial-scale production of the new FunctionalBarrier Paper Ultimate range is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2024.

This range will be added to the company’s existing portfolio of FunctionalBarrier Papers.

Mondi Consumer Flexibles chief operating officer Dirk Gabriel said: “As a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions, we have been focused on the aluminium barrier challenge for some time.

“FunctionalBarrier Paper Ultimate helps our existing and new food-producing customers to switch to a more sustainable packaging solution and thus contribute to their sustainability goals. It is a tangible example of [the] Mondi Action Plan 2030 (MAP2030) commitment to making all our packaging solutions reusable, recyclable and compostable.”

FunctionalBarrier Paper Ultimate is an ultra-high barrier paper-based solution, designed to address the increasing demands of customers for sustainable food packaging solutions that can contribute to a circular economy.

It can be used as a sustainable alternative for packaging food products such as powdered milk, dried foods and for some home and personal care products.

All these products require protection from oxygen and water vapour to ensure longer shelf life, and to achieve this level of barrier protection most of the solutions available in the market are non-recyclable, including plastic or aluminium, the company noted.

Mondi said its new range can fulfil these requirements to provide necessary product protection. FunctionalBarrier Paper Ultimate can also easily be recycled in paper waste streams across Europe.