Ritter Sport Minis paper stand-up pouch proves to be a hit with customers

Ritter Sport at the forefront of addressing changes in consumer behavior

Family company Ritter Sport is committed to only using cocoa from certified sustainable sources across its entire product range. The use of plastic in product packaging is widespread in the FMCG sector. With a view to offering consumers a completely sustainable product, Ritter Sport started scrutinizing packaging made from plastic back in 2018. The company considered the advantages of alternatives such as paper to be far-reaching.

Switching packaging without changing the packaging lines

Ritter Sport sells its products in over 100 countries worldwide. With just two production sites in Germany and Austria, the company caters for the global market. Syntegon packaging machines are used at both sites. Moritz Steinle, Packaging Development Engineer at Ritter Sport explains: “We initially carried out several test runs with Koehler’s NexPlus® Seal paper, without putting anything inside at first, and then we got closer and closer to an optimal solution by making small adjustments.” The most important aspect was the heat-sealing process, which proved essential for neat product packaging. “Sealing temperature, sealing time, and sealing pressure all need to be optimally coordinated in order to seal the finished packaging product neatly. We placed great importance on all of these criteria during the qualification process of the packaging material,” continues Steinle. Koehler NexPlus® Seal Pure 65 gsm is used to make the mini colored wrappers. Right now, both Koehler’s flexible packaging paper and the classic duplex plastic can be used on Ritter Sport’s packaging line, ensuring maximum flexibility for the company’s needs.

Flexible packaging paper creates emotional customer experience

The use of paper as a packaging solution in the FMCG sector offers additional advantages other than just the sustainable aspect. Tearing open a paper wrapper gives the consumer an emotional and haptic experience that plastic solutions simply do not offer. When the consumer experiences the packaging in a positive way, it both reflects onto the product and creates an emotional connection.

The main advantage of Koehler NexPlus® barrier paper is that it is manufactured from sustainable raw materials. They can be fully fed back into the recycling loop, possible for paper in many countries worldwide, and are also embraced by consumers. Sustainability and recyclability were the key requirements for the paper developed by Koehler in collaboration with Ritter Sport. Requirements that have been successfully fulfilled, given that consumers can simply dispose of the mini wrappers in paper recycling trash cans so that they can be turned back into paper or cardboard.