Mondi has commissioned a rebuilt machine for specialty kraft paper at its Czech mill in Štětí. The company said that the PM, which previously produced containerboard, can now make up to 130,000 tpy of specialty kraft paper for shopping bags. As a raw material, Mondi uses a combination of fresh and recycled fibres. The amount of the investment was put at EUR 67m.
According to earlier reports, containerboard capacity was cut by 30,000 tpy.
The Eco Vantage paper produced on the 4.4 m-wide PM 1 is a two-ply paper with grammages ranging from 70-135 g/m². It can be used in a number of bag applications from fashion stores to home deliveries, Mondi explains. It will be made with predominantly fresh fibre, but can also be composed of a combination of fresh fibres and recovered paper.
Mondi says that this investment makes it a leader on the European kraft paper market and that it will have the largest product portfolio for consumer shopping bags in Europe. The company sees much potential in this market sector. «The European specialty kraft paper market is expected to grow strongly driven by legislation to eliminate waste caused by plastic shopping bags» the company noted. As announced earlier, the conversion was also intended to improve efficiency and productivity of containerboard production at Mondi’s Swiecie mill in Poland.