Expanded product range for silphia paper
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OutNature, a brand of the environmental services provider PreZero, is expanding the production of silphia paper on an industrial scale together with Koehler Paper. The two partners successfully launched the production of silphia-based paper and board grades at the Koehler Paper mill in Greiz, Thuringia, in July 2022.
At Koehler Paper, the silphia paper will in future be produced in a basis weight range of 130-330 g/m2 and thus extended to board qualities. In the further course of the cooperation, work will also be done on higher basis weights. In the paper and board qualities, a combination of at least 35 % silphie fibres and recovered paper will be realised.
"The partnership with Koehler Paper offers us the opportunity to put the production of silphie paper on an even broader basis. With the new board qualities, we will be able to offer new product applications for the first time in the future, especially in the area of folding boxes, for example for the cosmetics or food sector," says Thomas Tappertzhofen, Managing Director of OutNature.
The Koehler Group was founded in 1807 and has been family-run from the beginning until today. The core business of the group, which also includes Koehler Paper, is the development and production of high-quality speciality papers. These include thermal papers, playing card board, drink coasters, fine papers, carbonless papers, recycled papers, decor papers, groundwood board, sublimation papers and also innovative special papers for the packaging industry. In Germany, the Koehler Group with its approximately 2,500 employees has five production sites, three more are located in the USA.
"We see ourselves as a technology driver. We are constantly on the lookout for alternative raw materials and sensible resources that can be used in paper production," says Udo Hollbach, Managing Director of Koehler Paper at the Greiz site. "The silphia fibre in combination with recovered paper is another sensible solution to drive the circular economy in packaging, for example," adds Hollbach.
With OutNature, PreZero has developed a completely new and regional raw material source for use in the paper industry based on the Danube silphia. And the silphia plant also offers farmers a sustainable perspective, as it is insect-friendly, stores CO2 in the soil and protects it from wind and water erosion.
