With OutNature, German waste disposal company PreZero has developed new and sustainable fibre and paper products for packaging solutions in trade and industry. Following a successful pilot phase, the new packaging based on the silphium plant will be introduced in the fruit and vegetable department in German hypermarket chain, Kaufland. Vegetables including cress, white and brown mushrooms, and tomatoes from the Kaufland K-Bio brand will be the first to be offered in the innovative packaging.
The silphie-paper can be used in a multitude of paper applications. The focus on packaging applications, particularly those which come into direct contact with food.
Dietmar Böhm, COO for PreZero, elaborated: “The launch of our silphium plant packaging at Kaufland is a starting point for OutNature’s market entry, and will enable us to impress other customers with our innovative packaging solutions in the future. With OutNature, we are unlocking a completely new source of raw materials, and we will continue to forge new paths.”
OutNature received the German Packaging Award in the “New Material” category last year for the idea of manufacturing sustainable packaging from silphium plant fibres. Ealy this year, this was followed by the World Packaging Organisation’s (WPO) WoldStar Awards in the “Packaging Materials and Components” category.
The silphium plant is an energy crop that has previously been used to produce biogas. OutNature uses a biothermal method to separate the plant fibres before bioenergy generation, and enables its use as a new raw material produced in Germany. Besides replacing paper and cardboard packaging, silphium plant products will also be tested as an alternative to conventional plastic packaging in future.
