Cutting Plastic – Mondi Develops New Sustainable Packaging for Kao’s Salon Hair Cosmetic Brand Goldwell

• Mondi creates new recyclable, lightweight packaging for leading Japanese consumer goods company Kao and its salon hair cosmetic brand Goldwell.
• Professional stylist hair lightening products now packed in an innovative stand-up pouch, reducing plastic by 80% compared to the former packaging.
  Pouch replaces rigid plastic box and helps Kao work towards its Zero Waste goals as part of its overall sustainability strategy.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has partnered with Japanese consumer goods manufacturer Kao to create a recyclable, lightweight packaging solution for its Goldwell hair lightening products. The new stand-up pouch reduces plastic usage without compromising on strength and durability and thus supports Kao and its salon business in their efforts to reduce their environmental footprint and to help salons run their businesses more sustainably.

Goldwell is a salon-quality brand of Kao Salon Division, the fourth biggest professional hair care business in the world. Its broad offering of hair care, styling and colour products also includes a range of hair lightening products created for in salon use. These were previously packed in rigid plastic containers, however working with Mondi and along its EcoSolutions approach, Kao is reducing the overall amount of plastic in individual packs by 80%.

Mondi’s innovative solution packs the powdered products in flexible, re-closable stand-up pouches that are made of mono-material, meaning they are recyclable. The pouch is provided to the user together with paper instructions inside a carton box, enabling the pouch to be stacked when stored, and results in a lower carbon footprint compared to the previous packaging alternative.

The empty pouches can be folded flat to ensure efficient transport to the factory. When filled, they provide optimum protection for the product, preventing contact with moisture or vapour coming in, which would render it unusable. The packaging is completely safe as chemicals cannot diffuse through the tightly sealed packs. For convenience, the packaging is also easy to reclose with a recyclable top slider and temper-evident membrane.

Iris Ross, Regional Sales Consumer Flexibles, Mondi, says: “The solution we developed with Kao contains a chemical-based product that is particularly sensitive, so we needed to consider safety and quality at all times. The new packs are completely secure during shipment when filled and easy to transport. Kao is passionate about making the right changes for a more sustainable world while ensuring the high quality and user-friendliness of its products, to deliver the best customer experience. It was a pleasure to work with the Kao team on creating this product.”

Elmar Mussenbrock, Director Sustainability, Kao Salon Division adds: “Sustainable packaging is one of the key elements of our ESG strategy and reducing plastic is our first priority – what hasn’t been produced cannot cause any harm. With its great expertise and professional approach, Mondi has enabled us to deliver a much more progressive pack for our Goldwell LightDimensions SilkLift range, reducing the carbon footprint of the packaging by 65% compared to its former box.”