With OutNature, PreZero has developed sustainable packaging based on the Silphie plant. They are now being launched for the first time in the fruit and vegetable section at Kaufland.
„OutNature's sustainable concept has fully convinced us. With the new Silphie packaging, we are strengthening the identity of our own K-Bio brand,“ says Jürgen Schartschinski, Head of Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing at Kaufland.
The first vegetables to be offered in the innovative packaging are cress, white and brown mushrooms and tomatoes from Kaufland's own K-Bio brand.
The plant-based paper can be used in a variety of paper applications. The focus here is on packaging applications, especially those with direct food contact.
„The launch of our Silphie packaging at Kaufland is an excellent starting point for OutNature's market entry, enabling us to inspire other customers with our innovative packaging solutions in the future. With OutNature, we are tapping into a completely new source of raw materials and want to continue to break new ground.“ Dietmar Böhm, Managing Director of PreZero
Packaging made from Silphie wins multiple awards
At the end of 2020, OutNature was awarded the "Silphie Award" for its novel idea of producing sustainable packaging from silphie fibres. German Packaging Award in the Category New material honoured. This was followed in early 2021 by winning the prestigious WorldStar Awards of the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) in the category Packaging Materials & Components.
The special thing about the idea is that silphia is an energy crop that has so far only been used to produce biogas. Using a biothermal process OutNature separates the plant fibres before bioenergy production and thus makes it usable as a new raw material produced in Germany.
In addition to replacing paper and cardboard packaging, products made from plant fibres will also be used as packaging in the future. Alternative for conventional plastic packaging be tested. PreZero performs with OutNature an important contribution to REset Plastic, the Schwarz Group's cross-group plastics strategy.
Source: PreZero
