How can packaging make sustainability visible? Mondi’s digital print solution for Kärcher

For the launch of a new push sweeper S 4 Twin Go!Further, whose plastic components are made from 30% recycled material, Kärcher, a globally recognised cleaning technology brand, needed packaging that did more than protect the product. It had to make the product’s sustainability credentials visible while maintaining strong brand impact, colour accuracy and print quality. Together, Kärcher and Mondi developed a solution that uses advanced digital printing on brown substrate to achieve exactly that. 

The challenge: how to make sustainability visible on packaging without compromising brand impact 

For Kärcher, the goal was to make the recycled content of its new push sweeper visible through the packaging while maintaining the high standards expected of the brand. Brown paper was deliberately chosen to reinforce the product’s sustainability message, but printing on a brown substrate introduced specific technical demands. The solution therefore needed to combine sustainability communication with precise colour reproduction, sharp detail and strong shelf presence. 

Key challenges included:

• making the sustainability aspect of the product immediately visible through packaging design
• achieving accurate colour reproduction and strong contrast on brown substrate
• ensuring sharp readability of small text, delicate design elements and EAN (European Article Number) barcodes
• maintaining high brand impact and design quality alongside efficient, resource-conscious production 

The solution: how Mondi combined brown paper with advanced digital printing

To meet these requirements, Mondi developed a premium packaging solution that combined material choice with advanced digital printing technology. Multi-colour digital printing with a white underprint made it possible to achieve strong colour contrast, precise detail and high visual impact on brown substrate. The white underprint also gave images and graphic elements added depth, creating a distinctive three-dimensional visual effect. 

The solution included: 

• multi-colour digital printing with a white underprint to enable opaque, brilliant colours on brown paper
• precise reproduction of Kärcher’s signature yellow, images and graphic elements
• sharp rendering of small fonts and EAN barcodes to support readability at the point of sale
• computer-to-print technology that eliminates printing plates and enables demand-driven production
• water-based inks approved by Swiss Quality Testing Services for use on primary packaging

• As a long-standing partner, we particularly value Mondi’s ability to translate our requirements for brand impact and sustainability into packaging solutions that work in practice. For the launch of our new push sweeper, Mondi helped make the sustainability concept of our product visible on the packaging without compromising colour reproduction, design quality or brand presence. 

Janis Walker, Lead Buyer Packaging at Kärcher  

The outcome: clear sustainability communication with strong shelf impact 

The final packaging solution demonstrates how digital printing on brown substrate can support sustainability communication, brand presence and efficient production. 

• the sustainability credentials of the product are clearly communicated through the use of brown substrate
• accurate colour reproduction ensures strong brand presence at the point of sale
• fine details, small text and EAN barcodes are printed with sharp contours and high readability
• demand-driven digital printing supports efficient production without surplus quantities
• water-based inks and plate-free printing contribute to resource-efficient packaging production 

This collaboration illustrates how digital printing technology can turn sustainability ambitions into practical packaging solutions. By combining technical expertise with a strong understanding of brand requirements, Mondi helps customers such as Kärcher develop packaging concepts that make sustainability visible while supporting shelf impact and production efficiency.