Norma, a chain of discount grocery stores in Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and Austria, has recently taken an important step towards greater sustainability. Effective immediately, select convenience products from its private label will be packed in an innovative and recyclable paper product made by Koehler Paper: ‘Koehler NexPlus Advanced.”
This product is heatsealable, features an oxygen and oil barrier, and is grease-resistant, ensuring that it can reliably protect the products inside it while remaining highly recyclable. In fact, the paper’s recyclability has been verified in conformity with the Cepi standard, confirming its value as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional plastic packaging. The products were manufactured by Frießinger Mühle.
Focus on closed-loop recycling
“Here at Norma, we’ve set concrete goals when it comes to packaging: First of all, we want to reduce unnecessary packaging material. To do that, we’re taking a very close look at the packaging we’re using for our private label and analyzing which packaging materials are needed and which aren’t. Secondly, we want to check all our packaging to see whether we can replace it and use environmentally friendly materials instead. Our goal here is to make sure that we conserve resources along our entire value chain – all the way from production to sales. Fortunately, and together with our partner Frießinger Mühle, we’ve found an innovative alternative in the form of Koehler Paper’s flexible packaging paper,” says Norma’s head of central advertising and communications Katja Heck while explaining her company’s strategy.
“Our packaging paper is not just ideal for convenience products, but also shows the kind of potential that paper has as a whole when it comes to its use as a packaging material. High recycling rates, certified supply chains, and the use of renewable raw materials make paper the ideal choice for recyclable packaging,” underscores Christoph Wachter, director of Flexible Packaging Paper at Koehler Paper.
Sustainable packaging
The research and development team from Koehler Innovation & Technology worked with the experts from Koehler Paper to develop the NexFlex product range, a unique and recyclable generation of flexible packaging paper products. The aim here is to replace plastic in packaging by using so-called barrier paper wherever possible. The range covers a broad spectrum: It includes standard coated and uncoated paper used in laminates for pouches, sachets, and other applications, making them suitable for a wide range of packaging for food and non-food products.
The next generation of paper for flexible packaging are sustainable barrier paper with functional surfaces for product-specific protection (Koehler NexPlus). The NexFlex product family also includes paper coated on one side with good dimensional stability and high smoothness (Koehler NexCoat, as well as uncoated paper with a natural appearance (Koehler NexPure). Various flexible packaging paper products from Koehler Paper have been awarded the “Made for Recycling” seal by environmental service provider Interzero.
