Mondi renews partnership with UN WFP to curb packaging waste and food loss

Mondi and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have extended their partnership to help aid packages reach conflicted regions and reduce food and packaging waste on site.

The UN’s WFP provides food aid to those in hostile environments due to war, violence, or natural disasters. 

Mondi has collaborated with the UN’s WFP since 2021 to improve packaging standards and reduce the environmental impact of plastic packaging waste. The partnership has now been extended by another three years.

Andrew King, CEO at Mondi, says: “Our partnership with the UN’s WFP reflects Mondi’s purpose of contributing to a better world through innovative and sustainable packaging and paper solutions. Leveraging WFP’s humanitarian reach and expertise, we promote long-term resilience in emergency food supply chains while supporting the transition toward a circular economy.”

Mondi’s packaging expertise, R&D knowledge, and financial contribution have supported UN WFP in improving packaging solutions to withstand difficult transport, storage, and handling conditions. The renewed contract aims to source alternatives to packaging materials like virgin or recycled fibers and optimize materials. 

Virginia Villar Arribas, deputy director of Private Sector Partnerships at UN WFP, says: “We are proud to enter the next phase of this partnership with Mondi. At a time of shrinking humanitarian resources, Mondi is stepping up to help WFP fight hunger with valuable funding and sector-leading expertise.” 

Humanitarian aid

Recently, the UN WFP 2025 Global Outlook sounded the alarm on the escalating global food crisis. According to the organization, it would require US$16.9 billion to address current conditions. The UN WFP stated that the sum is essential to meet the needs of 123 million of the world’s hungriest people across 74 countries where the organization operates.

Mondi’s extension of the UN WFP partnership comes after the release of its 2024 growth report. The report highlighted the company’s resilience in 2024 despite lower market demand and pricing-associated pressure. The data suggests Mondi is delivering on its growth strategy and supporting shareholder returns through capacity expansion and a €1.60 (US$1.7) per share special dividend.  

In other developments, Mondi recently partnered with Proquimia to create paper-based, stand-up dishwasher tab pouches using Mondi’s recyclable Functional Barrier Paper 95/5. The pouches, designed to meet local recycling needs, have been released in Spain and Portugal.