Mondi and Sherwin-Williams now provide recyclable spouted pouches of concentrated paint refills – thought to reduce plastic consumption by 90% versus a 5-litre bucket – and urge consumers to reuse plastic paint tubs for the paint mixing process.
The partners have replaced rigid, 5L plastic tubs of pre-mixed paint with concentrated paint refills packaged in the 950ml re/cycle SpoutedPouch – a lightweight, mono-polyethylene spouted pouch.
At its Halle/Steinfeld plant in Germany, Mondi has implemented a wider spout; this is set to help Sherwin-Williams fill the paint concentrate, while also improving the pouring process when mixing the concentrate with water to create paint. Instructions for mixing are printed on the side of the pouch.
Consumers are encouraged to reuse a plastic tub for the mixing process, seal the pouch after use to keep any remaining concentrate fresh, then recycle the pack once it is empty. This is hoped to cut down on packaging waste and provide ease of use in outdoor painting projects, all without sacrificing the pack’s protective properties.
Compared to a 5L pre-mixed paint tin, 230% more units of pouch refills are expected to fit onto each pallet, in turn improving supply chain efficiency. Additionally, they are set to take up less space on retail shelves and, due to their delivery in ‘shelf-ready’ tear-front boxes of five units, are anticipated to streamline stock replenishment.
“It’s more convenient for consumers to carry home and the leftovers are easily stored,” said Christina Rowe, head of Product Marketing at Sherwin-Williams. “It will also increase transport efficiency thanks to the reduced weight and size of the packaging.
“By selling concentrate in spouted pouches rather than premixed fence stain in rigid tubs, we’ve reduced plastic usage by up to 90%.”
This claim refers to a single unit comparison by weight of plastic content between a 950ml concentrate pouch and a 5L bucket.
“Our newly introduced solution has big potential for industrial applications, and we leverage our integrated value chain for pouch production, from the film extrusion to lamination to the spout insertion,” continued Gary Knight, Regional Sales at Mondi. “We were careful to ensure high-quality printing, so the branding stands out on the shelf, and the mixing instructions are clear and easily readable.”
Previous solutions have sought to improve the longevity of paint cans, from Dulux Decorator Centre collecting over one million paint cans in a recycling scheme back in 2022; to Berry Global’s nomination for the Sustainability Awards 2023 with its Closed Loop Recycled Paint Containers, which sought to recover both containers and paint residue.
More recently, Amcor and AVON have distributed refill pouches for the AVON Little Black Dress classic shower gels in China – said to reduce carbon footprint by 83% and water consumption by 83% when recycled. This is anticipated to align with AVON’s goal of using 50% recycled content by 2030 for all plastic used in weight.
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