RDM Group has launched Vincicoat PLUS (V+), a new generation of recycled cartonboard engineered to reduce the gap to virgin-level performance while enabling packaging weight reductions. Krzysztof Krajewski, Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer at RDM Group, tells us more in this edition of the Spotlight.
This is in direct response to a market that is demanding the preservation of primary resources: brands and converters need packaging that is strong, while also taking circularity commitments and ramping up recycled-fibre content to the next level.
Vincicoat PLUS addresses both priorities. It minimizes the performance gap with virgin materials while being engineered to reduce the amount of packaging required altogether. The product launch builds on RDM Group’s longstanding leadership in circular packaging solutions, extending the company’s commitment to both recyclability and resource efficiency.
Reduction, on top of sustainability priorities
While recyclability and the use of recycled materials have dominated packaging sustainability conversations for the past decade, packaging reduction has always been on top of the priority list. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes across Europe are tying fees directly to packaging weight for the given material type.
Corporate carbon targets demand reductions across Scope 3 emissions, where packaging materials often represent a significant portion - and consumers, increasingly well versed in sustainability issues, are questioning why products need multiple layers of protection in the first place.
But the challenge is to achieve lightweighting without compromising performance. Successful packaging reduction requires mechanical reinforcement that maintains structural integrity throughout the supply chain – from conversion and filling to transit, shelf-life, and consumer handling. While stronger packaging performs reliably at lower weights, it delivers on both environmental and commercial objectives simultaneously.
Engineered to remove trade-offs
Vincicoat PLUS represents RDM Group’s latest innovation in this area. Delivering 15-20% higher strength than the company’s established, white-lined chipboard (WLC), the new recycled board enables packaging weight reductions of up to 20% while maintaining structural integrity and product protection. Alternatively, brands can maintain existing grammages and significantly increase packaging quality.
Designed for demand
Performance claims in packaging are only as robust as the testing behind them, and this is where the industry has often seen promising innovations stumble. Laboratory conditions don’t always reflect the reality of frozen distribution chains, humid climates, or high-speed packaging lines running at maximum capacity.
Vincicoat PLUS has undergone extensive external laboratory validation, including final box compression tests, top and side-load strength assessments, and high-speed conversion trials with converter partners. Critically, testing has also covered challenging conditions such as freezing temperatures and high-humidity environments – scenarios that demand exceptional material performance and where reliability is most critical.
The Vincicoat PLUS range also includes a hard-sized option engineered for low water absorbency, specifically designed to excel in these demanding conditions.
Superior stiffness in both machine and cross directions makes the board particularly well-suited to applications where structural integrity is non-negotiable. This includes large-format boxes that need to withstand significant top-load pressure in retail stacking, packs containing heavier contents such as cosmetics, soaps, and detergents, or small pharmaceutical secondary packaging that must run at very high conversion speeds.
The multi-mill advantage
A key factor in successful packaging innovation is the ability to scale breakthrough performance across entire networks. This matters because packaging supply chains demand consistency and reliability above almost everything else.
A superior product that’s only available from one facility creates vulnerability for the manufacturer. Multi-mill capability gives procurement teams the supply contingency they need to confidently adopt innovative solutions. The challenge, therefore, lies in standardising technical breakthroughs across multiple manufacturing sites – turning an innovation case study into a scalable solution.
RDM Group’s approach with Vincicoat PLUS has aimed to find an answer to this challenge. Following the integration of Sweden’s Fiskeby mill – long recognised for producing some of the strongest recycled cartonboard in Europe – the company has worked to replicate and scale that performance expertise across its broader mill network. Providing a direct equivalent, the new strong board is now also produced at RDM Group’s Santa Giustina mill in Italy, supporting consistent quality and reliable supply for customers across Europe, providing regional flexibility.
The sustainability hierarchy
As packaging specifications continue to evolve under regulatory pressure and market expectations, the ability to maintain or even enhance performance while cutting material weight may prove to be the competitive advantage that defines the next generation of cartonboard solutions.
For RDM Group, Vincicoat PLUS represents both a technical milestone and a strategic statement: that recycled cartonboard can lead – not just compete – on circularity and performance. Learn more about the product here.
This content was sponsored by RDM Group.
