Mondi has developed an innovative banana box packaging solution that it says is 10% lighter than a previous solution, while being made with roughly 40% recycled fibre.
The project began when Mondi’s technical team for containerboard conceived the objective of creating a lighter, “more sustainable” banana box without compromising on strength.
What followed was a cross-border collaboration between Mondi, trading partner Europcell, Ecuadorian banana exporter Incarpalm, and a leading European importer.
The teams redesigned the structure and paper composition of the traditional banana box, testing multiple scenarios in a bid to balance durability, weight and humidity resistance.
The new concept combines Mondi’s ProVantage SmartKraft Brown, and its strength and protective qualities, with ProVantage Frescoflute, a semi-chemical fluting that aims to enhance firmness in lightweight packaging boxes.
The result is a box made, according to Mondi, with around 40% recycled fibre and up to 10% less weight than the previous design.
To validate performance under real-world conditions, a full-scale production trial took place in Ecuador in summer 2024. Bananas packed in the new boxes were shipped to Europe over a 33-day journey, with sensors monitoring humidity and temperature.
Mondi says that despite extreme humidity levels of up to 100%, the boxes maintained their integrity throughout transit.
“Seeing the new box perform under such tough conditions was incredibly rewarding,” says Marek Motylewski, Technical Service Expert for containerboard products. “It started as a question on a customer visit and turned into a solution that delivers measurable benefits for the entire supply chain.”
“The reliability of the box is everything,” adds Jorge Romero, Operations Manager at Incarpalm. “This collaboration proves that innovation and practicality must go hand in hand.”
“This project shows what’s possible when we combine technical expertise with open collaboration,” said Gijs Huisman, Sales Director at Mondi Containerboard. “It’s a great example of co-creation that delivers tangible results in strength, sustainability and supply chain efficiency.”
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