With concerns about plastic pollution and materials in the ecosystem that do not biodegrade, paper and cardboard are obvious solutions for sustainable packaging. With consumers aware of the environmental impact of plastic, paper and cardboard are making a comeback – and developing new products to answer the needs of modern life.

Schumacher Packaging is one of Germany’s largest family-run manufacturers of packaging solutions made of corrugated and solid board. As an integrated company with its own raw material production, Schumacher Packaging runs 18 production sites in five European countries. 

Hendrik Schumacher CEO at Schumacher Packaging says that there is more to the sustainability story thank the material used in production: 

“At Schumacher, we always try to think a step ahead, not only about producing packaging, but also thinking about how we source the energy we use in the manufacturing process.” 

With consumers sensitive to businesses that “greenwash” their companies, Schumacher is at an advantage by working with a truly renewable resource. Björn Schumacher, CEO at Schumacher Packaging explains that the company is investing heavily in becoming a truly sustainable company: 

“We always think and act with future generations in mind. We have set ourselves the goal of producing our packaging in a climate neutral way by 2035. By 2025, we will invest around 700 million euros in the steady expansion of our company in the construction and expansion of our plans and paper mills and in sustainable future technologies.”

Schumacher Packaging already sources its raw material from waste paper, recycled fibers and FSC certified woodland that guarantees a sustainable forest management. It is an approach that has seen the company partner with other companies with a similar sustainability outlook, as Lars Engel, Managing Director at BHS Corrugated explains: 

“Schumacher is one of our main customers in regard to corrugators, and we are their main supplier for corrugators, for paper supply, as well as digital imprint in line with the corrugator. We are the only supplier who develops the corrugators, manufactures them, services them, and also provides the IOT platform from in-house developments.”

Most impressive of all is the ability to print onto packaging at speed: 

“Our printer is a CMYK digital printer producing a 2.5 meter width with speeds up to 300 meters per minute. This is the world’s largest digital printer for a corrugated box plant. It is really unique because it goes in line with the corrugate.”

For Jochen Drösel, CSO at Schumacher Packaging, this ability to print is a key differentiator: 

“With a much faster time to market we can realize colorful promotions for individual events, for seasonal events or for versioning of products.”

With many of Schumacher Packaging’s clients coming from eCommerce and food industries, such responsiveness is critical to keeping pace with demand. With clients keen to promote sustainability as well, there is appeal in a new product that is made out of a hundred percent recycled fibers that saves thousands of tons of plastic bags every year, as Leena Gaebler, Managing Director at Schumacher Pack Solution explains: 

“HALOPACK extends the shelf life of perishable foods, such as meat and ready meals, resulting in less food waste. HALOPACK trays can resist a wide range of temperatures and be used in many different ways: you can store it in the freezer and then put it in the microwave or oven. It is also very easy to recycle. The film can be easily removed and disposed of, while the cupboard tray goes into the waste paper where it is 100 percent recycled.”

This closes the loop, creating a genuinely circular economy for the product. Adding in further digitalization to streamline the development and production processes saves further time, resources and energy. Lars Engel says that Schumacher has been relentless in their pursuit of excellence: 

“When you do this kind of a development, you need to have somebody at your side who has the spirit and the guts to make such a project a success. And that’s why we found that Schumacher is the ideal partner for innovation.”

Closing the loop is not easy, but it is a driving force behind the company’s motivation to improve, to be innovative and make a contribution to safe resources for the coming generations. For Jochen Drösel, the end goal is simply to lead by example in a constant process of refinement and improvement. His vision is clear: 

“We will create a better, smarter and greener sustainable future for our customers.”