Natural Nils
Your recyclable paper packaging for food items
Choose Nils for innovative paper food packaging designed for food and non-food products alike. Our recyclable paper packaging combines sustainability with premium packaging quality. Its innovative paper structure creates a natural barrier – without containing any plastic film. With Nils, we're presenting you a protective, food-safe paper packaging that can be fully customised with your individual designs!
Food-safe packaging
Certified according to BRCGS and free from MOSH and MOAH
Top of the class for recyclability
Recyclable in the paper recycling bin, Design without compromise
Functional product protection
The most plastic-free paper pouches on the market
Outstanding innovation
Sustainable innovation certified by the German government
Characteristics
Naturally strong: What sets Nils apart from other paper packaging
Natural paper - recycling guaranteed
Thanks to its natural paper texture without a plastic film, Nils offers a matt, high-quality finish that gives your product a natural look.
The paper comes from responsible sources, is one of the most plastic-free flexible paper packaging options available, and can be easily recycled in the paper bin.
A thin coating ensures a reliable sealing, so that Nils offers your product solid protection – ideal for products with lower barrier requirements.
The perfect shapes & sizes for your product
Stand-up pouch
- 6 sizes: XXS - XL
- 35 ml to 3.000 ml capacity
- Functional all-rounder
Flat pouch
- 7 sizes: XXS - XXL
- 15 ml to 950 ml capacity
- Ideal for small quantities
Printed roll
- Individual sizes
- Perfect fit if you own a packaging machine
- For packaging bars, sachets and flowpacks
Other advantages that Ben always brings
Tested premium quality
Production within Europe
Full-surface printing
Delivery within 4-7 weeks
Nils is ideal for
Dry food products (e.g. nuts), snacks, but also textiles and other non-food items
Design & Style
Showcase your product by embracing a natural look
Take it to the next level: with fully printed packaging
Our fully recyclable paper material stands out thanks to its matt finish and subtle texture. The packaging can be creatively printed with your own designs without compromising on quality. And all this is available from a small minimum order quantity of just 500 units – whether as stand-up pouches, flat pouches or flow packs for your muesli bars.
Please note: Due to the natural paper texture, the material may crease slightly.
Your new paper packaging could look like this!
For a first date with Nils: Our free sample kit
Get the sample kit and get to know Nils better: Does your product fit into your desired size? Does the paper feel the way you want it? You have all the time in the world to test it. You're guaranteed to find the perfect packaging.
Sustainability
Nils is a true natural
5 years in the making: That's why Nils is in fact sustainable
As product developers for flexible, sustainable packaging solutions, we know what matters in modern packaging solutions. We believe that sustainable packaging today should be one thing above all else: recyclable.
That's why we rely on a recyclable paper structure for our Natural Nils, which combines sustainability and function in a meaningful way. Nils' innovative, sustainable paper does not contain any plastic film. This means that this paper packaging can be easily disposed of and recycled with waste paper!
Nils is probably the most plastic-free, recyclable and food-safe paper packaging on the market. With our Nils, you are choosing paper pouches that conserves resources, promotes the circular economy and makes your company more sustainable and future-proof.
Twofold proof of sustainability
Our Nils carries two certifications: the renowned FSC® seal and Interzero's Made for Recycling seal.
While the FSC® seal confirms the responsible origin of the paper material used, the Made for Recycling certificate proves that Nils can be recycled in the best possible way in the paper cycle (waste paper) after use.
In Interzero's independent testing procedure, Nils achieved an impressive score in the recyclability assessment with 18 out of a possible 20 points – a result that only few paper food packaging products achieve!
Having both sustainibility seals printed on your packaging, you can easily demonstrate your commitment to sustainability to your customers without any additional effort.
Outstanding innovation
In developing Nils, we were able to draw on almost 200 years of experience in the coatings and printing sectors of our parent company, Siegwerk Druckfarben AG. Together, we have thus been able to create a truly innovative solution.
And the fact that Nils is a genuine sustainable innovation is confirmed by the BSFZ seal from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. The seal is awarded exclusively to companies that actively engage in research and development in accordance with the Research Allowance Act.
Technical details
This is what Nils looks like in detail
Simple but effective - How Nils protects your product
No flexible paper packaging can do without plastic entirely, as plastic-based resins are used to seal the final packaging shape. Every moulded package requires this. This means that many packages advertised as completely plastic-free are not actually plastic-free.
Thanks to Nils’ protection against grease and water vapour, it preserves the freshness and quality of your products.
Technical data from Nils
Data, Facts & Figures
General
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Material structure | BOPP_matt/OPP_AlOx_transparent/CPP_Transparent |
| Layout | With tear notches, rounded corners and flat bottom seal |
| Available add-ons | PP Pocket Zipper, Degassing valve |
| Material thickness | 116 μm ± 10% |
| Bond strength | >1.2N/15mm ± 10% |
| Sealing Strength | >20N/15 mm |
| Sealing temperature | 120 – 170 °C |
| Print method | Flexo print, Digital print |
Protective properties
| Feature | Test method | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Humidity WVTR |
ASTM F 1249 | <0.3g/m²*24h |
| Oxygen / Aroma OTR |
ASTM D 3985 | <0.7cm³/m²*24h |
| Sun protection factor UV (A/B/C) |
UV spectroscopy | 56% |
Sustainability
- Fully recyclable (mono-plastic)
- Without aluminium
- BPA-free
- solvent free
Recycling (Germany)
- Yellow bin (Germany)
You want to compare the technical details of Nils? Click here to download!
FAQ
You still have unanswered questions? We have the answers!
Which foods is our recyclable paper packaging particularly suitable for?
Our Nils is ideal for dry goods. As the paper bag is free from plastic film and we try to use as little plastic as possible, Nils cannot be configurated with a Zipper (press-seal) or an aroma valve. This makes it particularly suitable for foodstuffs with a short shelf life that do not require a strong oxygen barrier. For products with a strong aroma, you should carry out an aroma test beforehand.
What kind of designs options are available for Nils?
There are virtually no limits to your creativity. We can print over the entire surface of our bags, including the front, back and base. We use high-definition digital printing (CMYK colour format), which means we can also print high-resolution photos and graphics. Of course, you can also easily print any shade of kraft paper onto your packaging.
What add-ons are available for this material?
By default, our Nils comes with a tear-off notch. Unfortunately, our classic add-ons such as zips, Euro holes or aroma-protection valves are not available in combination with Nils, as they are made from single-layer plastic and our Nils material is designed to be plastic-free.
How do I seal the paper bags?
Like all our other pouches, they can be filled either by machine or by hand. They can be sealed at the top. Nils is one of the few paper materials suitable for use with heat-sealing machines. You can also find further information in our blog post on filling and sealing pouches.
Is it possible to package food without any plastic at all?
We are not aware of any packaging material that can currently be moulded into a package (‘sealed’), offers high levels of protection, and is entirely free of plastic. All binding agents used to seal packaging currently available on the market are based on plastics.
However, we have managed to reduce this proportion to a minimum. We use only synthetic resins in the form of our ultra-thin coating – but we do not use a permanently bonded plastic film. For this reason, our Nils paper packaging can be easily recycled in the paper waste stream. The more packaging materials that are recycled, the better for our environment!
What does ‘food-safe paper’ mean?
Paper packaging can be recycled via the waste paper collection in many European countries – provided its material composition is suitable for this purpose. Recyclable paper packaging supports effective paper recycling systems and conserves resources.
Our Nils material, for example, holds the ‘Made for Recycling’ certificate and seal, which confirms the full recyclability of this paper packaging!
What is the difference between coated and uncoated paper packaging?
Uncoated paper packaging is made entirely of paper and offers a particularly natural and recyclable paper structure. Coated paper packaging usually features additional barriers against grease, moisture or oxygen, thereby providing greater product protection.
Our Nils contains no plastic film at all, but is partially coated to provide your food product with a solid protection.
Is paper packaging fully recyclable?
Many people rightly wonder just how sustainable coated paper packaging really is. The vast majority of paper bags are not fully recyclable. In practice, much paper packaging usually contains plastic coatings. This means they cannot be recycled or reused.
To be fully recyclable, packaging must be made from a single material (mono-material). This is the case with our Natural Nils (and, incidentally, with our materials Transparent Toni and Metallised Martha). This is also confirmed by the independent certification from the recycling service provider Interzero: our Nils scored 18 out of a possible 20 points in the ranking. No other food-safe paper packaging on the market has achieved this score according to Interzero.