Sustainability and the multiple use of packaging are at the top of the Kohler Group’s list. The producer of specialty paper for packaging is on the way to increasingly replacing plastic with sustainable materials such as paper. However, this is just one step in the company’s environmentally friendly approach. After being processed at the converter and used in retail, the paper is then returned for recycling and prepared for the next use to close the loop.
In 2023, Koehler Paper found a partner in the confectionery manufacturer Loacker from South Tyrol, which has since been offering some of its wafer products in recyclable paper from Koehler’s NexPlus product range. Together with the SIT Group based in San Marino, three family-run SMEs are keeping the cycle moving: Koehler produces, SIT molds and designs, Loacker uses, and Koehler recycles.
Packaging Paper Made from Virgin Fiber Pulp
The cycle begins with the production of the flexible packaging paper Koehler NexPlus Seal Pure MOB at the Koehler Paper site in Kehl. The completely recyclable paper is based on 100 per cent virgin fiber pulp from certified and controlled sources, according to Koehler. The heat-sealable paper has the barriers required for food, which protect against grease, oxygen, and water vapor. “It is indeed a paper with excellent properties that is both FSC-certified and easily recyclable according to the Cepi method,” says Gaia Ferrandi, Product Manager at Loacker. Koehler also uses almost exclusively renewable energy to further reduce its ecological footprint through lower CO₂ emissions.
The Doypacks go from San Marino to South Tyrol
After paper production in Germany, the next step on the road to food packaging takes place in San Marino. SIT Goup, which has been working as a converter for Koehler Paper for several years, is responsible for printing and converting the specialty papers for Loacker confectionery into doypacks for “Best of Moments”, Loacker’s wafer mix. The bright red stand-up pouches by the company from Unterinn, which is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, can often be found on the shelves in duty-free retail.
Waffle Bags Become Boxes for Luxury Watches
After the customers have indulged in the waffles, the bags do not end up in the yellow bin for disposal, but in the wastepaper. But the cycle is not yet closed, the packaging paper continues into recycling and back to Koehler Paper. The next stations are the wastepaper sorting plants and then the recycling machines at Koehler Paper in Greiz.
Together with other paper products, the old packaging forms the resources for new recycled paper, which consists of 100 percent secondary fiber raw materials and is awarded environmental certificates such as the “Blue Angel” or the EU Ecolabel.
According to the company, recycling also makes it possible to save on the relatively energy- and water-intensive pulp production process. This also makes paper recycling a success factor for the production of packaging paper, according to Oberkirch. Overall, Koehler quotes a recycling quota of 25 applications. One exception, however, is another use for food, as this is no longer possible due to the specifications for barriers.
The cycle now continues for other products. The red wafer bags are turned into black recycled paper, which is then processed into packaging boxes for the luxury watches of the Saxon watch manufacturer Mühle-Glashütte at another converter.
Presentation at FACHPACK 2025
Similar collaborations from the production of packaging paper through to recycling and further use are rare. This is one of the reasons why Koehler wants to present the right products for a closed product cycle to a wider audience at this year’s FACHPACK. “With our flexible packaging papers for the food and non-food sectors, we offer sustainable and recyclable products. But they will only become the packaging of the future in collaboration with partners, so the industry meeting is a unique opportunity to advance new projects,” explains Christoph Wachter, Director Flexible Packaging Paper Division, Koehler Paper. “Customers and potential customers don’t just want to see and touch concepts, but successful products that are already on the market.”
Koehler will present such packaging together with national and international brand manufacturers. The switch from plastic to paper is possible and in full swing, the technical feasibility is given.
by Wolfram Marx, freelance journalist
