Grass paper packaging - The most ecological solution for mail order
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The growing online trade needs cardboard boxes, for which many trees are cut down
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Grass fiber can be used to produce environmentally friendly paper and cardboard
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Grass paper requires significantly less water and energy than conventional paper
Packaging made from grass instead of wood?
Booming online commerce is crying out for cardboard boxes, and supermarkets are increasingly using paper instead of plastic bags. Deforestation is increasing worldwide, with few exceptions.
"The majority of pulp in Germany is currently imported, for example from eucalyptus farms," says Nico Arbeck of the Competence Center for Sustainable Raw Materials (CARMEN eV) in Straubing. Imports come from all over the world, including Scandinavia, Southern Europe, and Latin America.
Can grass paper be a sustainable alternative to traditional wood fiber?
Expert Nico Arbeck (CARMEN eV) sees numerous advantages in grass paper : significantly less water and energy consumption, a regional, widely available raw material and short transport routes.
A pioneer in this field is Uwe D'Agnone, owner of Creapaper in North Rhine-Westphalia. The company manufactured various cardboard and paper products until the owner read in the newspaper that vast areas of forest were being cleared every year in countries like Indonesia.
"Per ton of wood pulp produces 510 kg of CO2 emissions," says D'Agnone. "We save 75 percent of that," the inventor adds.
Even compared to recycled pulp from waste paper, CO2 emissions during production are 25 percent lower.
The rapidly renewable raw material grass protects resources and the environment
Unlike wood, grass contains hardly any lignin . Lignin is a natural adhesive that holds the cellulose fibers in wood together. Anything that grows tall also contains a lot of lignin. However, for paper production, this substance must be removed using a lot of water and energy.
That is why, according to research by the environmental organization BUND A paper bag is only more sustainable than a plastic bag if it is reused at least eight times.
For a more ecological solution, it's better to use plants with a low lignin content—that is, flat-growing "greens." For this, grass clippings from practically any meadow can be used.
6,000 liters of water are used per ton of wood – our grass paper solution saves more than half of that.
Naturopathy and sustainability go hand in hand - Salufast
"Of course, grass paper is still a long way from replacing conventional paper made from wood. But 90 percent of applications can also be made from grass!" says the inventor.
Salufast GmbH wants to do its part and support this sustainable solution as best as possible. Therefore, from the very beginning, all fasting boxes have been packaged exclusively with environmentally friendly grass paper solutions.
