Sappi Europe and Felix Schoeller Group, Osnabrück, Germany, have entered into a collaboration agreement that includes the joint development of sustainable barrier paper solutions for flexible packaging applications. The two companies will be combining their unique competencies in their respective business fields in the future to provide brand owners with more sustainable and more efficient packaging solutions for their products.

Sappi Europe's Packaging & Specialty Papers is a global manufacturer of specialty paper and carton board. The company has acquired comprehensive expertise in the packaging sector over several decades. In recent years, Sappi has evolved from a pure substrate supplier to a provider of complete paper and carton packaging solutions. Innovative products are designed to find intelligent answers to tomorrow's questions and trends in the packaging market.

"Felix Schoeller Group is the ideal partner to help us further enhance the functionality of our high-quality specialty papers," explained Thomas Kratochwill, VP of Sales & Marketing at Sappi Packaging and Specialty Papers. "Together, we will create innovative and sustainable packaging solutions to meet our customers' demands."

Global manufacturer Felix Schoeller Group produces high-quality papers for analog and digital photographic and digital printing, nonwovens for the wallpaper industry, as well as release liners and decor papers. In addition, the well-established company has been developing flexible food packaging for some years and has built particularly strong process technology expertise in the production of photographic and digital printing papers. 

"Our collaboration with Sappi creates many synergies. We will be integrating our specialist expertise to pursue the development of unique packaging solutions that will benefit the industry and the environment," said Hans-Christoph Gallenkamp, COO at Felix Schoeller Group.

Founded in 1895, the Felix Schoeller Group is a family business with worldwide operations producing specialty papers. With around 2,390 employees, the company produced and marketed almost 302,000 metric tons of specialty papers in 2015 and posted a total turnover of approximately EUR 725 million. The Group develops, produces, and markets specialty papers for photographic applications, digital printing systems, the packaging market, self-adhesive applications and for the furniture, wood-based products, and wallpaper industry.

In addition to its Osnabrück main site and headquarters, the Felix Schoeller Group has four other production facilities in Germany—in Weissenborn and Penig in Saxony, in Titisee-Neustadt (Baden-Württemberg), and in Günzach (Bavaria). It also has production facilities in the U.S. and Canada, and is involved in a joint venture in the Russian Federation. It has sales & service centers in Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, and Prague.