Katjes Has Cosmetic Bags Developed from Packaging

The confectionery manufacturer Katjes sees upcycling as an even more sustainable alternative to recycling. The company is therefore working with the Berlin-based start-up Moot to produce new goods from old films. Some of the winnowed packaging material from Katjes confectionery is upcycled and used for new products. The materials used in the bags were therefore not previously in circulation, but were sorted out by Katjes at the factory, the company emphasized on request.
As these sorted films do not have to be disposed of, dismantled, and produced again, but Moot processes and upgrades them directly, energy and production steps are saved, explains a Katjes spokeswoman. The films are used to produce sealable and water-repellent cosmetic bags. In collaboration with Moot, Katjes has produced a limited number of these and offers them in its own web shop. The films used for the upcycling would have been disposed of if it wasn’t for this project in collaboration with Moot, according to Katjes. 

Moot Gives Textiles a New Lease of Life

Moot has been producing clothing from supposed textile waste since 2020. However, the Berlin-based company’s range of services goes beyond the sale of sustainable fashion: the two founders and managing directors, business economist Michael Pfeifer and designer Nils Neubauer, have also been offering their expert knowledge of upcycling as a service for companies since this year. The founders call the model “Upcycling-as-a-Service.” 

In various projects, Moot supports companies across Germany in changing their waste concepts and works with them to develop tailor-made solutions. To do this, companies first send Moot samples of the materials that are to be returned to the cycle. A team of product developers tests these for their upcycling potential and develops product ideas that are manufactured near Berlin and delivered to the companies.

The background: of the average 4.7 kilograms of clothing waste that each person in Germany produces each year, around 80 percent is unusable and ends up in landfill or is incinerated. After completing his training as a fashion designer, Nils Neubauer immediately realized that he did not want to be part of the fast-moving and wasteful fashion industry. When he saw the mountains of clothing made from textile donations, he came up with the idea of mass upcycling, which was transformed into a viable business model with the help of his friend Michael Pfeifer. 

Pioneer in the Field of Vegetarian Fruit Gums

Katjes Fassin GmbH + Co KG, based in Emmerich on the Lower Rhine, is one of the three largest companies in the German confectionery market with the brands Katjes, Wick cough sweets, Ahoj-Brause, and Sallos. The Katjes brand is considered a pioneer in the field of vegetarian fruit gums and licorice. The company does not use animal gelatine in the manufacture of its products and has converted its entire Katjes range in Germany to vegetarian. The products are produced locally at three locations in Germany. The legally independent Katjes Fassin GmbH + Co KG is part of the Katjes Group together with its sister companies Katjes International GmbH + Co KG and Katjesgreenfood GmbH + Co KG.