Most sustainable paper bag

Growing and flourishing.
The triumphal march of the advertising bag made from grass paper!

Many companies are focusing on products made from renewable materials, but the extraction and processing of such natural materials is often not environmentally friendly at all. Some results seem to be more about greenwashing than real sustainability. Not so with us. Since the product launch of the advertising bag made of grass paper, we have already received two awards for the extraordinary design from the RIEDLE Nature product line.

So what are the special features of grass paper and why is its sustainability so credible? Grass is the fastest growing renewable material that can be used for a paper bag. In the time it takes to mow it and produce the finished product, the grass is almost ready for harvesting again. However, availability is still limited because the grass cuttings mainly come from otherwise unused compensation areas, which as biotopes may only be mowed 2-3 times per year. This benefits agriculture. The use of compensation areas enables additional sources of income and thus supports employment in rural areas.

Bees also love grass paper. The grass used for this grows in local wild meadows alongside flowers and weeds, free from pesticides and fertilizers. Late mowing encourages biodiversity and thus protects the bees. By that time the grass has grown so high that it can no longer be used for animal feed.

However, in order for the grass paper to be used as a bag and be filled with the usual loads, the grass pulp is mixed with approx. 60% wood pulp or recycled paper. Nevertheless, the figures for the production process are impressive in terms of its ecological balance:

• 97% energy saving: Only 136 kWh per tonne compared to about 5,000 kWh per tonne of wood pulp. 75% less CO² emissions during raw material production.
• 99% less water used: Industrial water demand less than 2 litres per tonne of grass fibre pulp compared to over 6,000 litres of water per 1 tonne of paper using wood fibre pulp.
• 100% elimination of process chemicals: There’s no need to dissolve the stiffening agent lignin with grass fibres. Lignin is found in wood fibres and serves to strengthen the wood. For the production of other papers, lignin must be chemically extracted in a complex process.
• And how does the raw material get to the factory? Long transport routes are of course off-limits here. Whereas the average production covers 4,000 km, the grass pulp from Baden-Württemberg manages it in just a few 100 kilometres.
• Uniquely multisensory: The unique structure of the grass paper not only creates a haptic and optical highlight; the gentle processing means the characteristic grass smell remains on the bag for some time until it is used as a brand and image ambassador.

It is therefore not surprising that our innovative paper bag specialist and managing director of the company, Volker Riedle, has combined these properties with his strict quality requirements to create a reusable paper bag of the highest sustainability quality.

The "brand ambassador fresh from the meadow", as the trade magazine WA-Nachrichten called it, has already received two awards since its market launch. At the Promotional Gift Award 2019, the RIEDLE Nature design made from grass paper convinced the jury. The Promotional Gift Award is an international prize for haptic advertising. The year before, the bag made from grass paper won in the "Sustainable Product" category at the PSI Sustainability Awards. These are much more than just product awards. They fully appreciate that advertising materials not only have impact in a sustainable way, but can also be an expression of corporate social responsibility.

Apple pomace ingeniously processed into reusable paper bags

The apple appears in many well-known stories as a symbol of temptation, power and immortality. Whether as a nickname for New York, the Beatles' record label or the famous computer manufacturer’s company name, the apple always manages to be associated with the extraordinary. It even occupies a leading position among fruit juices. According to the Association of the German Fruit Juice Industry, apple juice is the most popular fruit juice in Germany. No wonder that we also have an eye on the apple.

Our managing director Volker Riedle made a sustainable commitment, so to speak, back when the company was founded. "From nature, into nature" has always been his motto, which ultimately led to his unwavering focus on paper as a recyclable material all these years. As the quality leader for reusable paper carrier bags, he is consistently focused on the ecological balance of the most important advertising and image carrier and forgoes any other material in his product portfolio.

No wonder, then, that the busy "paper pioneer" Volker Riedle has discovered apple paper for the tried and tested brand ambassadors. Carefully analysed and processed accordingly, the apple processing residues have proven rich in primary materials such as cellulose and hemicellulose: ideal for the production of paper and at the same time meeting the raw material quality requirements for Riedle’s reusable paper bags.

In apple paper, up to 15% of the usual tree cellulose is replaced by apple pomace. Because of the risk of fungal contamination, these fruit juice residues cannot be spread in fields or used as animal feed. Instead of costly disposal, this valuable raw material can now be reused in a very special way.

The apple paper is characterised by its ivory tone, elegance and excellent processing properties. It has a very pleasant, velvety warm feel. There are no limits on the creation of motifs for the bag design. Printing can be implemented as perfectly as with any other natural paper, as can finishing with hot or blind embossing. The combination with a 100% cotton cord has proven to be the perfect handle solution.

Long delivery routes sometimes have a devastating effect on a product’s overall ecological balance. That’s why Bags by Riedle produces exclusively in Germany and the EU. Riedle has always refused to use Asian imports throughout his company’s 25-year history. He is convinced "Sustainability is worth it."