Germany recently saw the launch of the first-ever chocolate bar covered in 100% paper-based packaging. Thanks to a collaboration between packaging giant Koehler Paper and chocolate start-up Nucao, German consumers can now buy chocolate bars and chocolate-covered fruit snacks with a new type of sustainability offering. The paper-wrapped Nucao product is said to be a market first.

According to a Koehler press release, the paper packaging offers “excellent oxygen, mineral oil, and grease barrier properties” while being 100% recyclable. The aim is to replace plastic in packaging by using barrier paper wherever possible and the new packaging type is a result of a collaboration between the R&D team from Koehler Innovation & Technology, experts from Koehler Paper, and the brand Nucao.

The new packaging is referred to as “the next generation of paper for flexible packaging” which suits a young company like Nucao, who claims to want to revolutionise the chocolate market in a sustainable way. It does this partly through packaging, but also by being vegan, organic, certified B Corp and focusing on fair trade as well as reforestation endeavours.

Nucao promotes the new packaging in out-of-home ads, social media posts and on its website. On TikTok, the video announcing the new packaging has 49.8 thousand views – significantly more than any of its other videos which tend to have views in the region of 1-2 thousand.

“From a technical point of view, this is revolutionary as vertical packaging machines have a very high production speed,” explains Alexander Rauer, Head of Business Development for flexible packaging paper at Koehler Paper. “Paper needs excellent strength properties to be processed in this way, without being too thick for the machines to handle it. Koehler NexPlus® Advanced offers all the necessary properties for this, allowing production speeds of 600 bars/min.”