The Bel Group is selling its snack-sized Babybel cheese in a paper flowpack made from Koehler Paper’s NexPlus Seal Pure, designed to align with recyclability requirements in Europe and the United States.
Reportedly, over two billion portions of Babybel are consumed worldwide every year. In France and Germany, most of its consumers are children; but as Babybel expands into the United States, adults have become the target group, with 49% of grown-ups believed to eat more than one Babybel at a time.
To address these requirements, Babybel 2 Go packages two Mini Babybels in one paper flowpack. Available in the US, Canada and parts of Europe, the format is believed to optimize hygiene, minimize food waste, and cater to on-the-go consumption.
The flowpack is made from Koehler NexPlus Seal Pure, a packaging paper designed to improve sustainability while maintaining reliable functionality. It consists of 100% virgin fibre pulp and can be recycled in accordance with regulations in Europe and the United States, including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
Koehler explains that achieving recyclability certification in both continents can be a challenge due to the different processes.
“Manufacturers of flexible paper packaging with innovative barrier properties are under a great deal of time and performance pressure due to new EU regulations,” says Bettina Bastien, brand owner manager, Business Development Flexible Packaging Paper at Koehler Paper.
“The power to innovate is crucially important. We have to develop high-performance paper that is similar to films.”
“A lot of plastic packaging is now recyclable,” comments Victor Desmonts, packaging development manager at Babybel. “But plastic is made from fossil fuels. Paper, on the other hand, is made from sustainable forestry; i.e., from renewable raw materials.
“I believe that consumers are increasingly preferring paper packaging, even though it is not easy to change habits. We want to support this development.”
During the transition, the Bel Group required the hot-sealable packaging paper to process smoothly on existing packaging lines at all its plants. The material was expected to match the speed of conventional plastic films and function at low sealing temperatures.
The paper needed to resist bending and breakage, offering optimal grammage and sealing properties. Additionally, it needed a smooth surface and good printability to ensure appealing brand presentation.
“We’re delighted to have found a great solution with Koehler so that we can now replace the outer packaging plastic with paper,” Desmonts continued.
“Thanks to the stable and dimensionally stable paper, we were able to also save on the inner cardboard packaging, which improves our brand image and evokes strong emotions. This reduces costs and the environmental load.”
Last year, The Bel Group revealed its plans to wrap all its Babybel cheese snacks in responsibly sourced paper by 2027. The move is anticipated to eliminate 60% of plastic per net and save 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions.
In France, the Bel Group’s Évron factory – said to produce one out of two Babybel snacks consumed worldwide – is operating a functional paper packaging line following a series of technical tests and the development of industrial parameters.
Babybel aspires to make a full transition into recyclable packaging by 2030, and the Bel Group is currently researching a new formula for its iconic wax coating.
