Less plastic, more recycling: Norma uses Koehler packaging paper

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 a remarkably innovative and recyclable paper product made by Koehler Paper – Koehler NexPlus Advanced.

This product is heat sealable, 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.

‘Here at Norma, we have set concrete goals when it comes to packaging: first of all, we want to reduce unnecessary packaging material. To do that, we are taking a very close look at the packaging we are using for our private label and analysing 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 have found an innovative alternative in the form of Koehler Paper’s flexible packaging paper,’ said Norma’s head of central advertising and communications Katja Heck.

‘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,’ said Christoph Wachter, director of flexible packaging paper at Koehler Paper.

The research and development team from Koehler Innovation and Technology worked with the experts from Koehler Paper to develop the NexFlex product range, a 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.