OutNature wins German Design Award 2022 in Gold

OutNature, a brand of the environmental service provider PreZero, was awarded gold for silphia paper by the German Design Council in the "Material and Surfaces" category of "Excellent Product Design". The ecological packaging and paper material made from the energy plant silphia impresses with its very good printing and processing properties as well as its natural look and feel.

"OutNature uses silphia fibers, which are produced during the generation of biogas, a regional plant raw material to produce an ecological packaging and paper material with its own character. To this end, the company separates the plant fibers of the energy plant by means of a biothermal process, thereby obtaining high-quality, resource-saving natural fibers that are processed together with pulp to produce silphia paper. A sensible bioeconomic cascade use of the regional energy plant silphia," reads the jury's official statement.

"Silphia is a perennial crop that is particularly insect-friendly due to its long flowering period and promotes native biodiversity. At the same time, it enriches the soil with humus, stores CO2 and protects the soil from wind and water erosion. We use this unique plant to produce our innovative silphia paper as the basis for sustainable packaging solutions. Receiving the internationally renowned German Design Award 2022 in gold is a very special recognition for us. appreciation, which further encourages us and gives our market entry additional impetus," says OutNature Managing Director Thomas Tappertzhofen.

OutNature already received the German Packaging Award at the end of 2020, followed by the prestigious WorldStar Award from the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) at the beginning of 2021. Recently, silphia paper has already been used by Kaufland and Lidl in the fruit and vegetable sector.