We’re excited to dive deeper into our partnership with Mondi Group, a global leader in packaging and paper. This collaboration is not just about creating regenerative products—it’s about pioneering innovations that redefine the industry standards. Today, we're chatting with Philip from our Sales Team and Hande from the Product Development Team to get their insights on this exciting development.
Could each of you introduce yourselves and tell us about what you do at traceless materials?
Philip: "Hi, I’m Philip, and I am the Head of Marketing and Sales at traceless. I have a background in B2B marketing & sales in the chemical industry in various markets and for various applications, for example working for global adhesive solution manufacturer tesa. At traceless I help bridge the gap between our innovative products and customer needs."
Hande: "I'm Hande, an application engineer focusing on developing and improving our traceless paper coatings. My training in Chemical Engineering and Polymer Material Science empowers me to contribute significantly to our eco-friendly innovations."
What makes traceless® materials a better option compared to traditional plastic and other synthetic polymer coatings?
Philip: "Besides being defined as a non-plastic material, which eases regulatory burdens, traceless® offers general environmental benefits over conventional coatings. Unlike fossil-based virgin plastic, traceless® is derived from renewable sources, namely residues of grain processing. Furthermore, traceless® does not rely on synthetic alterations, which is the case for water-based synthetic polymers. Taken together, this means at the end of their life, our materials can be processed in the regular paper waste stream without leaving harmful residues, aligning with our commitment to biocircularity."
Can you elaborate on the environmental and regulatory benefits of using traceless® materials?
Hande: "Absolutely. traceless® stands out because it is made from unmodified natural polymers, making them fully regenerative and not classified under the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). This means products coated with traceless® don't require specific labels about plastic content, which is a significant advantage for compliance. Moreover, our materials avoid issues like microplastics in recycling processes and are free from harmful chemicals like PFAS, making them safe for humans and nature."
How did this partnership with Mondi come about?
Philip: "Our discussions with Mondi started a while ago already, as we both share a deep commitment to sustainability. We were looking for a partner who could help us globally scale our innovations in paper coating applications, and Mondi’s expertise in converting materials into market-ready products was a perfect match."
What kind of impact do you think this collaboration will have?
Hande: "By leveraging Mondi's conversion capabilities with our traceless® material, we expect to set new benchmarks in the paper and packaging industry. This partnership will help reduce environmental impacts significantly and demonstrate the viability of regenerative alternatives on a large scale. Our consequential life-cycle assessment (LCA) has shown by replacing conventional plastics with our traceless® material, we can save up to 76% of greenhouse emissions over the whole lifecycle. Considering only the production and disposal phases, the savings can even add up to 95%.''
How would you assess the demand for such a solution in different markets?
Philip: ''We see a strong momentum away from plastics and towards sustainable paper coatings, especially on the packaging and single use market. Besides ongoing consumer demand, this shift is being driven by legislation. The most recent example is the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which aims to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of packaging, push circularity and bring the value chain on track to net zero. It will even ban plastics in some packaging formats.
Against this backdrop, business as usual is not an option anymore, which will increase the willingness to invest in innovation on the brand owner's side. To make fibre-based packaging applicable for an even wider range of products, barrier coatings play a key role. But they need to support the overarching goal of sustainability, and not lead to unintended trade-offs. For a holistic and entirely natural solution like traceless® which is PPWR compliant already today as it allows recycling at scale in the paper stream, we see great growth potential.''
Any final thoughts on what this partnership means for the future?
Philip: "This is a major step forward in our mission to revolutionize natural biomaterials in the industry. Working with Mondi will help us bring these innovations to a wider market, showcasing the practical and environmental benefits of switching to sustainable alternatives. We are really excited about the possibilities this partnership opens up. It's about making a real difference over the whole life-cycle on a large scale, hereby contributing to a healthier planet."
Our conversation today with Philip and Hande highlights how our partnership with Mondi is not just transforming our product offerings but also setting new industry standards for regenerative solutions. We are looking forward to seeing the positive changes this collaboration will bring.
Interested in learning more about our traceless® material and how it can benefit your business? Contact our sales team for more information via sales@traceless.eu