Grass — or rather sun-dried hay, to be specific – is a major component of this eco-friendly paper by HERMA. Processing these fibers for paper production is very resource-friendly and generates very little CO2, compared with paper produced from fresh fibre or even recycled cellulose.

Since 2017, grass papers have been widely used for various kinds of food packaging, and have received a lot of attention from companies committed to sustainable packaging. Made from grass paper, the new label material, HERMAnature fieno (grade 340), allows users to also apply special sustainability requirements to labels. The production of such grass papers is based on special grass pellets developed and patented by a German company from the Rhineland.

In this process, grass fibers are processed mechanically, requiring no chemicals. Compared to wood pulp processing, this results in energy savings of 97% and water savings of 99%. As the grass originates from domestic compensation areas, logistics expenses are also minimized, resulting in CO2 savings of up to 75%. In the end product grass paper, CO2 savings amount to a considerable sum of 20 to 25%, the company says.

The new label material contains 30% of this sustainable resource. In principle, it can be processed like conventional paper and offers very good printability in offset and flexo printing.