Frosch cleaning products upgrade to a fully recyclable pouch

Werner & Mertz, a German company that specializes in home-care products, has partnered with Mondi Group to create the ultimate in consumer-friendly sustainable packaging: The companies have developed a 100% recyclable pouch decorated with detachable film panels.

The package, which is a stand-up pouch with a die-cut handle, will roll out commercially in 2019 for Werner & Mertz’s Frosch-brand cleaning products. The pouch is made from a polyethylene mono-material, and the no-spill spout and cap are also polyethylene.

Brand and product information are flexographically printed on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) panels that are sealed to the pouch in a proprietary process. No adhesive is used, assuring recyclability of all parts of the package. To prepare for recycling, consumers peel the front and back film panels off the empty pouch. The film and pouch may then be directed to the appropriate recycling stream. This video shows how the panels detach.

Mondi will convert and ship the finished, decorated pouches to Werner & Mertz for filling. The Frosch pouches will range in volume from 0.5 to 3.0 liters.

Werner & Mertz and Mondi worked with European recycling-services providers EPEA Switzerland, Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland and Institut cyclos-HTP to develop the pouch. Thomas Kahl, regional manager Dach at Mondi Consumer Goods Packaging, provides further details about the new package.

How do you make sure the printed film panels don’t detach from the pouch during distribution?

Kahl: The perforation is designed so that someone must intentionally remove the panels—this requires more force than the stresses shipping and stocking typically produce.

Will this package be available as a stock item from Mondi? If so, when?

Kahl: Werner & Mertz have an exclusive agreement that the packaging can only be used for household cleaners and soaps sold under the Frosch label. But Mondi plans on rolling out the packaging for unrelated applications in 2019.

What type of package does the Frosch pouch replace?

Kahl: It will replace both rigid and non-recyclable flexible packaging.

What Frosch products will be filled into the new pouch?

Kahl: In addition to laundry detergent, Frosch will use the packaging for other detergents, fabric softeners and refill packs, as well as private-label products.

Are there instructions on the Frosch pouch regarding removing the panels prior to recycling?

Kahl: The packaging will feature simple, easy-to-follow solutions for consumers to follow—and our research shows that we can expect significant in-home adoption of the separation process. But through our work with EPEA Switzerland, Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland and Institut cyclos-HTP, we also made sure that sorting facilities can easily handle post-consumer separation of pouch and panels.

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