Breakfast with a Future
From fruity to chocolatey, porridge offers a quick and easy breakfast solution for hassle-free daily routines. RUF and Koehler Paper demonstrate how practical convenience and recyclable paper packaging can be combined.
When mornings are short on time, everything needs to happen quickly. With coffee, calendars and the first glance at a smartphone to fit in, there's no time for a complicated breakfast. That's when it's useful to have a porridge pouch on hand. For many people, warm oatmeal has become part of daily life, whether as a quick breakfast while working from home, a warm meal before commuting, or an easy start to a long day: tear open, prepare, done.
These routines feel natural. This is precisely why people often fail to notice the changes taking place behind the scenes. While the product itself has long represented conscious nutrition, the packaging is now catching up, too.
Did You Know?
Although porridge is often considered a traditional English dish, it most likely originated in Scotland. Even today, it remains extremely popular there. An example of this is the annual Scottish Porridge World Championship, the 'World Porridge Making Championship'“.
Between Convenience and Responsibility
Flexible plastic laminates still dominate the market for dry foods such as oats and porridge mixes. While they offer reliable product protection and are easy to process, they can only be integrated into existing recycling systems to a limited extent. This is the core dilemma for many manufacturers: functionality on the one hand, sustainability on the other.
Delicious on the Inside, Responsible on the Outside
RUF Lebensmittelwerk KG is taking a new approach. For its porridge pouches, the company is using a paper-based packaging solution from Koehler Paper. This packaging uses Koehler NexPlus© Seal Pure MOB, a flexible paper solution that is particularly well-suited to dry food packaging. An integrated mineral oil barrier protects sensitive contents reliably, while the heat-sealable properties ensure a secure closure. Thus, the barrier paper fulfils the necessary product protection requirements.
At the same time, the material offers new possibilities for the circular economy. According to the CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries), the material can be recycled within the existing paper recycling system and thus fits seamlessly into established recycling infrastructure.
This also makes a difference in everyday life. Anyone reaching for a porridge pouch in the morning should not have to choose between convenience and a more conscious approach to packaging. The pouch can simply be disposed of in the wastepaper bin.
Developed Together
The new packaging was developed through close collaboration between RUF and Koehler Paper. The goal was to develop a solution that would meet both the functional requirements and the sustainability targets of RUF.
“This new paper packaging will enable us to get much closer to our sustainability objectives,” says RUF Packaging Procurement Team Leader Martina Baumann. “And at the same time, we’re making sure that the corresponding quality, product protection, and processing characteristics remain at the same high level that we’re used to.”
During development, Koehler's focus was not only on technical feasibility, but also on the impact at the point of sale. “Together with RUF, we were able to develop a new paper-based packaging solution that not only provides exceptional product protection, but also strengthens the company’s brand image visibly,” explains Koehler Paper Flexible Packaging Paper Brand Owner Manager Stefan Sinning. “The material combines natural properties, functionality, and recyclability and makes sustainability something that consumers can experience directly.”
This new paper packaging will enable us to get much closer to our sustainability objectives.
Packaging Procurement Team Leader at RUF
Our solution not only provides exceptional product protection but also strengthens the company’s brand image visibly.
Brand Owner Manager Flexible Verpackungspapiere bei Koehler Paper
Moving Toward a Circular Economy
In light of regulatory developments, the shift towards paper-based packaging is becoming increasingly important. The upcoming European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation will challenge manufacturers to make their packaging more circular and reduce plastic usage. Solutions such as the one developed by RUF demonstrate how these requirements can already be put into practice today.
The empty breakfast bowl goes in the dishwasher and the porridge pouch in the paper recycling bin. Ready for the day! The routines remain the same, but the packaging is changing. Together, RUF and Koehler Paper demonstrate how practical everyday solutions and forward-looking requirements can be successfully combined. In this way, a quick breakfast becomes a small step toward the future.
