Silphium combines agriculture with industry, energy crops with packaging, ideas with solutions. Together with well-established partners, OutNature develops innovative fiber and paper products for trade and industry.
Hahnennest Energy Park
Four farmers from the village of Hahnennest in Baden-Württemberg shared a vision: shaping sustainable agriculture. In 2011, they formed Energiepark Hahnennest GmbH & Co. KG and built a biogas plant. The family-run farms themselves provide the raw material for the plant, with the digestate from the biogas process then spread on the fields as a valuable fertilizer.
Today, the company employs a total of 25 people in addition to managing directors Simon Rauch and Thomas Metzler and partners Edwin König and Felix Kaltenbach.
PFLEIDERER SPEZIALPAPIERE
PFLEIDERER SPEZIALPAPIERE is an agile mid-sized paper manufacturer that develops and markets custom solutions for food packaging, technical applications and decorative packaging. The company's three paper-making machines offer production capacity of 40,000 tons. PFLEIDERER leverages alternative fiber concepts and innovative barrier solutions to offer forward-looking solutions to cut down on plastic and composite packaging for customers all over the world. Its broad product portfolio of more than 100 special types and product variants is constantly adapted to customer needs and market requirements.
Koehler Paper
The Koehler Group was founded in 1807 and has been family-run from the beginning until today. The Group's core business is the development and production of high-quality specialty papers. These include thermal papers, playing card board, beverage coasters, fine papers, carbonless papers, recycled papers, decor papers, groundwood board, sublimation papers and, since 2019, innovative specialty papers for the packaging industry. In Germany, the Koehler Group with its approximately 2,500 employees has five production sites, and three more are located in the US.
Packaging Hub
In the Packaging Hub of PreZero Sustainable Packaging, experts in packaging technology, design and development work and research. Customers benefit from the know-how on material optimization and can have packaging tests carried out. In addition, the Packaging Hub develops product- and market-oriented packaging systems, especially on the basis of renewable raw materials.
The Packaging Hub has a cutting plotter for solid and corrugated board, a UV ink digital printer CMYK + White as well as Esko Artios CAD for the development and optimization of packaging.
Berberich Papier
Paper has always been the best choice to lend emotion to a message. This passion has driven Berberich Papier for more than 150 years. What is now Germany's only independent family-run paper wholesaler was established in 1863 and currently employs more than 350 people in Germany and Austria. The company places great emphasis on environmental protection and sustainability. VIVUS is Berberich's recycling brand. It brings together products manufactured sustainably, including VIVUS Silphie.
In addition to paper wholesale, Berberich Systems operates a second division covering the in-house production of presentation materials such as packaging, ring binders and calendars.