The #Koehler Paper Group has joined the #4evergreen alliance, thereby underlining its efforts to ensure sustainability and protect the environment. This forum was created by the Confederation of European Paper Industries (#CEPI) with the aim of increasing the role played by fibre based #packaging in achieving a sustainable circular economy, while at the same time also minimising the impacts of packaging on our climate and environment.
4evergreen brings together the entire value chain and unites it behind a common goal: to increase the role of the bio based economy within the packaging industry. The alliance is made up of paper manufacturers, food and drink brands like Nestlé and Danone, and companies within the packaging industry (including market leaders Tetra Pak and AR Packaging), but it also includes brands, retailers, and suppliers within the technological and material sectors, right up to those working in sorting and recycling.
‘The decision to get involved with 4evergreen was an obvious one for us,’ said Jens Kriete. For the Koehler Paper Group sustainability manager, the alliance of companies from across a wide range of very different sectors represents a targeted concentration of forces. ‘4evergreen comes at just the right time for us. We require intelligent and effective solutions to the global issue of plastic waste. We can make a big difference here ourselves, by producing fibre based packaging that protects goods effectively while also being climate friendly and recyclable.’
The Koehler Paper Group’s investment of around €300 million in its new Production Line 8 has made it a major player in the world of flexible packaging solutions. Among other things, the NexFlex product line makes it possible to produce flexible paper based packaging that can then be treated as regular waste paper after use. A life cycle assessment commissioned by Koehler has shown that the carbon footprint of products made of Koehler Paper can be up to 60% lower than that of conventional plastic products when taken over their entire life cycle, from the raw material right up to recycling.
The goal of the 4evergreen alliance is to raise overall awareness of the advantages of fibre based packaging materials. Some 84.6% of these are already recycled in Europe, according to Eurostat. The forum also supports the development of optimized systems for collection and appropriate recycling infrastructures.
‘With 4evergreen, the industry’s entire value chain now has a place dedicated to simultaneous participation and cooperation,’ says Jori Ringmann, director general at CEPI.
Jens Kriete added, ‘We are happy that a cross sector platform exists that promotes cooperation and innovation within fibre based packaging. We look forward to exchanging ideas and working together on an issue as important as that of transforming our economy to use more renewable resources.’