With a view to offering consumers a completely sustainable product, the German chocolate producer Alfred RitterAlfred Ritter is embracing alternatives to plastic packaging, such as paper. Stepping in to meet this demand, Koehler Group provided a sustainable solution with Koehler NexPlus® flexible secondary packaging, a barrier-coated paper with barriers for odors, grease, mineral oil, water vapor, and also gases, which combine with the paper’s inherent capabilities, for example, high strength properties and a natural feel, to create a strong overall concept.
The main advantage of Koehler NexPlus® is that it is manufactured from sustainable raw materials. They can be fully fed back into the recycling loop, possible for paper in many countries world-wide, and are also embraced by consumers. Eckhard Kallies, Head of Flexible Packaging Paper at Koehler: “Barrier paper is part of our future vision. Paper has an increasing number of capabilities that in the past only plastic could offer. And the difference with paper is that it has a much more sustainable life cycle.”
Koehler NexPlus® is used to make the mini mix pouches, which have been distributed in all international markets since January and available in Germany since early March. In Ritter’s case, the existing packaging lines were used without the need to make major adjustments. Moritz Steinle, Packaging Development Engineer at Alfred Ritter, “*Open and rapid communication was ultimately crucial for the successful implementation of this project, as was close coordination with Koehler.” *
