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24 August 2026

NEX Paper Tube Former nominated for ART OF PACKAGING 2026

NEX Paper Tube Former nominated for ART OF PACKAGING 2026

Our NEX Paper Tube Former paper sleeve has been nominated in the 20th edition of the ART OF PACKAGING competition, in the Technological Innovation category. Thousands of packaging entries from all over Poland reach the competition every year. A nomination means the project has come through the selection and made it into the leading group.

NEX Paper paper sleeve: ART OF PACKAGING 2026 nomination mark, Technological Innovation category

Category: Technological Innovation
Packaging: NEX Paper Tube Former
Entrant: Kablonex Sp. z o.o.
Final gala: 14 September 2026, Poznań Philharmonic

In brief: key facts
  • What: NEX Paper Tube Former paper sleeve, made by Kablonex Sp. z o.o. (Podanin near Chodzież)
  • Recognition: nomination in the 20th edition of the ART OF PACKAGING 2026 competition, Technological Innovation category
  • Construction: mono-paper, 100% paper, kraft 60-100 g/m², no PE barrier layer
  • Technology: flexo printing in up to 10 colours on the flat web before the tube is formed, web width up to 1,430 mm, up to 150 m/min
  • Final: 14 September 2026, Poznań Philharmonic

We entered the packaging, not a machine. And we deliberately entered it in this one category, because when you move from film to paper, the problem is never the paper. The problem is the process.

01 What exactly has been nominated

A paper sleeve formed, printed and glued in one production sequence at our plant in Podanin. Mono-paper construction, kraft material, flexographic printing applied before the tube is formed.

One paper packaging SKU is really four decisions at once: printing, forming, gluing and how it works with the customer’s packing line. The material changes in a day. The process takes several months.

02 Why the technology category

Because the difference between suppliers is not in the paper: anyone can buy that on the same terms. It lies in the four places where these projects most often break down. We take this apart in more detail in the article Paper instead of film? The problem isn’t the paper.

1
Printing

We print before forming, not after

Most suppliers print on the finished tube. You can see the result with the naked eye: uneven forming and distortion at the seal. For a premium brand, that packaging does not pass, because it ends up on the shelf next to a product costing several hundred PLN. We run flexo in up to 10 colours on the flat web, so the print is even and repeatable.

2
Forming

Geometry designed for the customer’s line

Film stretches, conforms to the shape and seals at low temperatures. Paper has stiffness, a fibre direction and a seam that has to be glued, and its behaviour on the line has to be predicted before production starts. The sleeve must keep up with a machine running at 150 m/min, without jams.

3
Compliance / PPWR

Mono-paper: a claim that holds up

The PPWR governs not only the material but also what a brand writes on the packaging. A sleeve with a PE barrier will not be accepted into the paper stream everywhere, and “paper, suitable for recycling” on that construction is a real risk of a greenwashing accusation. To see which PPWR obligations apply to your company, read Who are you under the PPWR?

4
Supply chain

One plant instead of four links

Printing at one supplier, forming at a second, gluing at a third, finishing at a fourth: four quality control points, four lead times to add up, four audits for your customer to get through. We have extrusion, printing, forming, gluing, finishing and recycling under one roof.

The last point has one more consequence, and it concerns what you are allowed to write on the packaging:

✕ Paper with a PE barrier

May not be accepted into the paper stream, depending on the country and the plastic content threshold in the collection system. The claim “paper, recyclable” is then risky.

✓ NEX Paper: mono-paper

100% paper. The claim follows from how the packaging is built, not from a marketing statement. FSC with our own licence code.

03 Paper sleeve specifications

MaterialKraft paper 60-100 g/m²; with the right construction we go down to 70 g/m² without losing strength
ConstructionMono-paper (100% paper); 2-ply structures also available
PrintingFlexographic, up to 10 colours, on the flat web before forming
Web widthup to 1,430 mm
Process speedup to 150 m/min with repeatable geometry
FormatFlat or side-gusseted sleeve, formed to the product dimensions and the packing machine parameters
CertificationFSC with our own licence code; BRC, ISO 9001, EcoVadis

04 Where it is already working

The technology is in series production, not at prototype stage.

  • Global furniture and home textiles retailer: duvets and pillows moved from a film sleeve to a paper sleeve. Forming, printing and gluing in one sequence, FSC material, no juggling of four subcontractors.
  • Global manufacturer of construction bricks: film bags inside the packaging replaced with paper ones. The difficulty was not the paper, but whether the bag opens just as easily and runs on the same line.

05 The final: 14 September 2026

The results of the 20th edition of ART OF PACKAGING will be announced at the Final Gala in the Poznań Philharmonic. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

06 Frequently asked questions

What is the NEX Paper Tube Former paper sleeve?

It is paper packaging in sleeve form, made from a flat web of kraft paper, printed flexographically before the tube is formed and glued in one production sequence. It replaces the film sleeve for packing products such as duvets, pillows, home textiles and the contents of toy packaging.

Can the NEX Paper sleeve be recycled in the paper stream?

Yes. The construction is mono-paper, meaning 100% paper, with no inner PE barrier layer. As a result, the recycling claim follows from how the packaging is built rather than from a marketing statement, and it holds up against PPWR requirements.

Will paper packaging work on my existing packing line?

The sleeve geometry is designed for the product dimensions and the parameters of the specific packing machine, not for a supplier’s average standard. The sleeve runs on lines with an output of up to 150 m/min. Before signing a contract, we prepare a trial sleeve in the target construction for testing on the customer’s equipment.

What are the production parameters for paper sleeves at Kablonex?

Kraft paper 60-100 g/m² (with the right construction down to 70 g/m² without losing strength), web width up to 1,430 mm, process speed up to 150 m/min, flexographic printing in up to 10 colours. Certification: FSC with our own licence code, BRC, ISO 9001, EcoVadis.

When will the ART OF PACKAGING 2026 results be announced?

The Final Gala of the 20th edition of ART OF PACKAGING will take place on 14 September 2026 in the Poznań Philharmonic.

Planning a move from film to paper?

Send us the parameters of your product and your line, and we will prepare a trial sleeve in the target construction. You can check machinability and appearance on your own equipment before you sign a contract. Order a trial sleeve

The nomination entitles us to use the ART OF PACKAGING trademark. The results of the final will be announced on 14 September 2026.

See how this looks in your industry: Furniture and wood processing. On every page: what goes wrong, what we calculate instead of price per kg, and implementations with numbers.

About the author

Radosław Koperski

R&D, Kablonex

Designs formulations and structures of multilayer PE films for specific industrial applications: stretch hood (including with PCR content), films for automatic FFS lines and shrink films. He validates every solution on customers’ packaging lines. He has worked in the film and packaging industry for almost 20 years, previously as Packaging Development Manager at PDO (Pałucka Drukarnia Opakowań). His starting point is always the real application: the product, the machine, transport and storage.

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ask@kablonex.com.pl

Open Mon–Fri 8:00–16:00
Podanin 76
64-800 Chodzież

Kablonex Sp. z o.o.
VAT ID: PL6070084790, REGON: 366758006
KRS: 0001095366, District Court Poznań - Nowe Miasto i Wilda, 9th Commercial Division of the National Court Register
Share capital: PLN 4,000,000

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Kablonex is a member of the Polish-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Poland).