Mondi, a sustainable packaging and paper company, has announced that it co-founded an alliance aimed at enhancing the circular economy for paper bags within the construction industry.
The alliance, named Paper Sacks Go Circular Spain, brings together 12 European companies from the entire value chain to close the loop on paper bag recycling within the sector.
Paper Sacks Go Circular Spain says it is committed to advancing the circularity of paper bags used for construction materials such as cement and plaster.
The alliance will explore synergies with other construction and demolition waste streams to improve recycling rates and achieve economies of scale.
In Spain, more than 30% of total waste generated comes from construction, with only a 48% recovery rate, as reported by the Spanish National Statistics Institute.
The alliance, hosted by industry associations Eurosac and CEPI Eurokraft, aims to address this by balancing sustainability with economic viability, potentially transforming the industry's business model.
Recently, Paper Sacks Go Circular Spain hosted a webinar titled 'Construction Goes Circular', which drew more than 80 industry participants.
Mondi Flexible Packaging circular economy manager Carlos Martinez Ezquerra said: “This initiative demonstrates Mondi’s commitment to collaborating with industry partners across the value chain to increase recycling rates for used paper bags.
“It creates a scalable approach for the rest of Europe and other industries, leading to a reduction in waste management costs, a significant increase in the valorisation rate, and supports transparency and traceability of the circular economy. We are proud to be one of the founding initiators.”
The alliance's future plans include forming working groups focused on process optimisation, traceability and certification, training, best practices, communication, and exploring synergies with other construction waste materials.
In June this year, Mondi rolled out its water-soluble cement bag, SolmixBag, in the Balearic Islands, Spain.
