A One-Stop Circular Economy Model – Two Materials, One Solution
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- Closed material loops achieved with a combination of Blue4est® Pro thermal paper and recycled paper
- Event badge solution quickly becoming a fixture at leading sustainability events
- Resource conservation meets practicability
Koehler Paper, a Koehler Group company and a leading producer of specialty paper, has come up with an innovative event badge solution to show how circular economy practices can be implemented in real life. More specifically, by using Blue4est® Pro thermal paper together with “Creative Board Diamond” recycled paper from the Koehler Paper mill in the German town of Greiz, the company has created the first-ever one-stop, fully recyclable badge solution for use at events.
While Blue4est® Pro produces its printed images with zero chemical color developers, Creative Board recycled paper is made from 100% secondary fibers. And after being used, both components can be fed right back into the recycling stream together, forming a closed material loop in which functionality and resource-efficient materials complement each other perfectly.
“We’re laser-focused on the use of secondary fibers at our mill in Greiz, and that’s one of the ways in which we’re helping conserve resources. A key aspect for us here is to ensure that our recycled paper is part of an integral circular solution so that it can make an important contribution to the responsible use of materials,” says Udo Hollbach, the Managing Director of the Koehler Paper Greiz mill. This is the foundation that the Koehler Group is using to pursue its circular economy endeavors – all the way to customers’ concrete applications: “By combining both materials, we’re showing how we’re always thinking of the next step to take in regard to material loops here at the Koehler Group – and that goes from raw materials all the way to how our customers use our products. This makes it even more important to go to future-oriented events and show that this solution actually works in real life,” explains Sebastian Früh, the Director of Thermal Paper at Koehler Paper.
Recyclable Badge Solution Makes a Real-Life Splash
There is no better proof of how compelling this new badge design is than the fact that it is already being used at a series of renowned events. Ever since its successful launch at Circular Republic Festival 2025, the solution has become a fixture within the circular economy scene and is increasingly being used at sustainability-focused events.
One such event is Forum UnternehmerTUM 2026, the flagship event in UnternehmerTUM’s network. The event brought around 600 guests – including German Federal Minister of Research, Technology, and Space Dorothee Bär – and more than 50 speakers together and focused on key topics related to the future, including innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable transformations. The badge solution not only fit seamlessly into this environment, but also provided attendees with the opportunity to see and experience what circular economies can truly be like.
Simple Implementation with Strong Impact
In addition to its positive environmental impact, the event badge solution also makes a compelling case as a result of its clear practicability. It can be smoothly integrated into existing event processes without any compromises in quality, design, or functionality.
“As event organizers, it’s crucial for us to have sustainability be not just a concept, but also something that can be easily implemented. This badge solution is perfect for daily use and is made of materials that can simply be fed back into the recycling stream, so you can definitely say it fits the bill,” says Julian Hirschmann, co-founder of ECENT GmbH.
The resoundingly positive feedback from event organizers and attendees shows that the approach is the right one: The new badges not only meet the most demanding requirements out there, but are also becoming a visible part of modern and sustainable event paradigms.
A Visible Contribution to the Circular Economy
The combination between Blue4est® Pro and recycled paper illustrates how using innovative materials together can make a measurable contribution to resource conservation – even in applications that might seem to be small at first, such as event badges.
With this solution, Koehler Paper is showing how circular economy practices can be implemented in real life – in a way that is visible, scalable, and practical. And at the same time, this solution is helping event organizers meet the increasingly demanding requirements of sustainable events while making sustainability something that guests and speakers can experience in the flesh.
Best regards
Alexander M. Stöckle Corporate Director Marketing & Communications Press Spokesperson
Koehler Holding SE & Co. KG
Tel: +49 7802 81-4749 Fax: +49 7802 81-5749 mailto:alexander.stoeckle@koehler.com