Ritter Sport is making a change: Ritter Sport minis are no longer available in a tray wrapped in plastic film, but in a stand-up pouch made of paper. The company wants to switch all packaging to a paper-based solution by 2025 at the latest.
Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG is taking another step towards more sustainable packaging. Following initial tests with paper-based primary packaging last year, the mini bag is now the first product to be permanently available in the range whose Secondary packaging made entirely of paper exists.
„The mini bag is an important step because for the first time we have an outer packaging that is made from renewable raw materials, is recyclable and allows us to save 15 tonnes of plastic film per year compared to the previous packaging.“ Katja Binder, Head of Packaging Development at Ritter Sport
The paper for the mini bag was produced together with the Koehler Paper Group and is FSC-certified. Koehler NexPlus Seal Pure 65g/m2 is used. Koehler NexPlus are Papers with barrier coating with various functionalities. They are made from renewable raw materials and can be fed 100 per cent into the recycling loop, which works for paper in many countries around the world. According to the company, the life cycle analysis of Koehler's flexible packaging papers shows significant CO2 savings compared to conventional papers with PE coatings or even plastic duplex products.
„In our view, the future belongs to barrier papers. Paper is increasingly taking on functionalities that only plastic could offer in the past. And in contrast, paper fulfils a much more sustainable life cycle.“ Eckhard KalliesHead of the Flexible Packaging Paper Division at Koehler
Ritter Sport mini paper bag
With Ritter Sport minis, a coating on the inside allows the paper bag to be mechanically sealed by heat-sealing. It also offers additional product protection. Despite this coating, which is applied as a functional coating with a low plastic content, the Dispose of bags in waste papert be.
However, the individual minis are still packaged in the familiar polypropylene film, which not only offers product protection and product safety, but is also fully recyclable and certified to Cradle to Cradle (Material Health Certificate, Bronze Standard). Even if Initial tests with paper-based primary packaging Although the tests have been promising, the company says that the materials available to date do not yet fulfil all of Ritter's requirements in terms of product protection and machine processing.
Ritter Sport Sustainability Report
Packaging is also the subject of the current Ritter Sport Sustainability Report 2020. Its title, „Doing the right thing“, refers to the family-owned company's own commitment to action. The sustainability report has been published every two years since 2014 and documents strategies, processes and measures as part of sustainability management. As a progress report, it provides information about the company's sustainable development and the progress made towards short, medium and long-term goals as well as future plans. One goal is to switch all packaging to a paper-based solution by 2025 at the latest.
Source: Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG and Koehler Paper Group
