Millions of tons of goods are moved around the globe every day in the logistics sector. This is usually done on pallets in transport containers. The goods are traditionally wrapped in plastic film. A necessity for the protection of cargo, but also a source of gigantic quantities of plastic waste. But what if this flood of plastic could be replaced by a stable, recyclable alternative made from renewable raw materials? This is exactly where PaperWrap comes in and revolutionizes pallet wrapping with an innovative paper solution.

If you’ve ever been to a warehouse or loading bay, you’ll recognize this image: mountains of stacked pallets, tightly wrapped in stretch film. This plastic film protects the goods from damage, moisture and slipping. But after transport, millions of tons of plastic film worldwide end up in the trash. The consequences are an enormous burden on our environment: microplastics in ecosystems, a large CO₂ footprint during production and overfilled landfills. Added to this is the growing pressure from legislators and consumers. Plastic taxes, bans on single-use plastics and increased environmental awareness require companies to make their supply chains more sustainable.

PaperWrap offers a technologically advanced plastic alternative. This smart offering is the result of a visionary collaboration in a development project between the paper manufacturer Mondi and the Upper Austrian specialist machine manufacturer EW Technology. Their mission: to develop a sustainable alternative to plastic stretch film that meets the high demands of logistics. That sounds easier than it is. By nature, paper has different properties to plastic: it stretches less, is more susceptible to tears and reacts more sensitively to moisture.

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PaperWrap: a technologically advanced plastic alternative for packaging goods. This smart offering is the result of a visionary collaboration between the paper manufacturer Mondi and the Upper Austrian specialist machine manufacturer EW Technology.

The solution lies in a clever combination of materials science and mechanical engineering. Mondi has developed a special paper that has a high tensile strength thanks to a unique fiber arrangement. It is robust enough to hold pallets securely in place and is fully biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. This means no microplastics, significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions and a genuine circular economy. “Our innovative Ad/Vantage StretchWrap paper is a 100% kraft paper with no coating or plastic that is recyclable in conventional recycling streams. It offers outstanding stretchability, excellent strength and high tensile energy absorption, making it the ideal paper for pallet wrapping,” says Bartosz Babicz, Product Manager Ad/Vantage StretchWrap at Mondi, who also emphasizes the company’s strong focus on sustainability: “As a global leader in sustainable packaging and paper, Mondi works closely with its customers to select the best packaging solution for each application. The focus is always on keeping materials in circulation, reducing ecological footprints and making sustainability an integral part of economic activity.”

Clever combination of materials science and mechanical engineering

However, the technology that wraps the paper around the pallets is also the highlight. EW Technology has developed special wrapping machines that wrap the material around the goods precisely and with the necessary tension. “Plastic forgives almost everything. It stretches more or less, adapts to shapes and therefore does not produce such large tension peaks,” explains Patrick Wagner, Managing Director and co-founder of EW Technology, before going on to explain the differences to paper: “With paper, the tensile force must be regulated very precisely during winding. Here, the control system and winding machine have to compensate for everything that the paper lacks in flexibility.” “This control quality is made possible by the SIMATIC control system with fast computing power and short access times in conjunction with the SINAMICS S210 servo drive system for highly dynamic applications,” says Bernhard Fath, Sales Specialist at Siemens Austria. Siemens technology can also be found in the EW Technology special machines in the control cabinet (power supply unit, switchgear, operating elements, etc.) and in the SIWAREX weighing technology and safety components.

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Precise control of the tensile force during winding is made possible by components such as the Siemens control system.

PaperWrap has so far concentrated primarily on the European market and can already boast a number of references from customers and showrooms: whether in the electronics industry or in the storage and logistics sector in Germany, in the paper and packaging industry in Spain, in the packaging industry in Poland, in the retail packaging sector in Switzerland or in the cork industry in Portugal. The network of distributors and partner companies was also recently expanded to the USA.

A strong indicator of the relevance of a technology is its adoption by industry leaders – something the PaperWrap team has achieved in the case of IKEA. “IKEA has very strict requirements for suppliers when it comes to pallet loading. Everything has to be packed perfectly in order to utilize the full volume of the shelves. Previously, only plastic was used here,” reports Philipp Ertl, the second Managing Director and co-founder of EW Technology. After a test phase lasting around a year, IKEA adopted the PaperWrap solution this summer as the globally approved load securing solution. Nestle and other companies are also running tests with pilot plants.

Performance and reliability

Such a step by a global player sends a clear signal to the entire market and confirms the efficiency and reliability of the paper-based solution. These major customers recognize that “it’s not just about the material, but about the entire ecosystem – from production to processing to recycling”, as Wagner points out. It is a holistic approach that considers the entire life cycle of packaging and aims to achieve a circular economy. “We see ourselves as an enabler for a circular economy. Our solutions enable companies to significantly reduce their ecological footprint without compromising on product safety,” says Ertl, summarizing the mission.

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Patrick Wagner (2nd from left) and Philipp Ertl (2nd from right) from EW Technology surrounded by PaperWrap colleagues.

In addition to the ecological and strategic advantages, high-tech paper packaging also opens up new possibilities in marketing and logistics. The surface of paper is an ideal carrier for branding, product information or even interactive elements such as QR codes. “The ability to print directly onto the paper with our machine – with branding, QR codes or logistics information – opens up completely new marketing opportunities,” explains Wagner. This makes the packaging an active means of communication.

PaperWrap has a wide range of applications, from the food industry to retail and the manufacturing industry. PaperWrap paves the way for a new generation of packaging solutions that are sustainable and at the same time meet the requirements of a globalized economy. But PaperWrap is more than just a new packaging solution; it is a symbol of change in the industry. It shows how creative thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration and the use of state-of-the-art technology can tackle a seemingly unsolvable problem. The development of PaperWrap is a strong signal that sustainability and high-tech are not opposites, but complement each other perfectly.