What Papeteries du Rhin does

Papeteries du Rhin is a French paper mill founded in 1840 and headquartered in Illzach (Mulhouse), France. The company manufactures high-quality core board (Hülsenkarton) used as the primary raw material for paper tubes, cones, and winding cores serving the foil, paper, and textile industries. Its product range spans quality grades K40 through K100 with ply bond strengths from 400 to 1,000 J/m², thicknesses of 0.5–0.8 mm, and grammages of 330–550 g/m², all produced from 100% waste paper on a modern 2.40m paper machine with annual capacity of approximately 90,000 tonnes.

The company has been wholly owned by the German family-owned Kunert Group since 2006 and operates as a vertically integrated upstream supplier to the group's downstream paper core and edge-protector manufacturers, including Paul & Co (Germany, Austria, Indonesia), Beillard Tubes Carton (France), Halaspack (Hungary), and Carl Macher (Germany). Approximately 80% of site steam demand is met through waste-heat combustion in cooperation with Region Mulhouse and ADEME, reducing CO2 emissions by 75% relative to prior energy mix. The site holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and FSC-C131122 certifications valid through 2029.

The business model is B2B direct sales of core board, primarily as an internal transfer to Kunert Group sister companies and secondarily to external paper tube manufacturers. Revenue mechanics are volume-based (tonnes sold) on a hardware-sales model with no disclosed public pricing. The company employs 11–50 staff at the Illzach site, embedded within the larger Kunert Group of 2,000 employees across 17 European and Asian sites.

Name

Papeteries du Rhin

Legal name

Papeteries du Rhin

Website

https://papeteries-du-rhin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1840

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Papeteries du Rhin is a French paper mill, founded 1840, that manufactures 90,000 tonnes/year of recycled core board (Hülsenkarton) grades K40–K100 for paper tube makers within the Kunert Group and external converters across Europe and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Paper Manufacturing

NAICS

Paperboard Mills (322130), Paperboard Mills (32213)

SIC

Paperboard Mills (2631)

akta.pro primary industry

Recycled Specialty Paper (Filter, Release, Construction, Technical) (IMAMAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty & Technical Paperboard (Barrier/Release/Greaseproof) Manufacturing (IMAMAFAK)

Keywords

• Paper manufacturing
• Core board production
• Recycled paper products
• Industrial paper materials
• Sustainable packaging raw materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Illzach

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Core Board Manufacturing and Sales: Manufactures and sells core board (Hülsenkarton) to paper tube and core manufacturers. Production capacity of approximately 90,000 tonnes per year. Products supplied both internally to Kunert Group sister companies and externally to the market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Papeteries du Rhin manufactures high-quality core board (Hülsenkarton) for the paper tube and core industry. Products are produced from 100% waste paper and supplied in grades K40 through K100, with ply bond strengths ranging from 400 to 1,000 Joule/m², thicknesses from 0.5 to 0.8 mm, and grammages from 330 to 550 g/m². The Illzach site produces approximately 90,000 tonnes annually, serving both internal Kunert Group operations and external customers.

Product overview

Papeteries du Rhin is a paper mill producing high-quality core board (Hülsenkarton) as its core product, sold under quality grades K40, K50, K60, K80, and K100. The company operates as part of the Kunert Gruppe, producing approximately 90,000 tonnes of core board annually at its Illzach, France facility. The products serve as raw materials for paper tube (Hülsen) manufacturing across the group. Core board specifications include ply bond strengths ranging from 400 to 1,000 J/m², thicknesses from 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm, and weights from 330 to 550 g/m². All products are sustainably produced from 100% waste paper and are fully recyclable.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hülsenkarton / Core Board (Grades K40, K50, K60, K80, K100)

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of steam requirements met through waste combustion, reducing CO2 emissions by 75%

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Papierfabrik Carl Macher (Carl Macher GmbH & Co. KG)coreTechnology or IntegrationCarl Macher is the sister company producing paper cores and tubes in Germany. Close collaboration with Papeteries du Rhin on product optimization. Both are part of Kunert Group. Carl Macher is described as the most modern and efficient core board plant worldwide, producing 210,000 tonnes per year with ply bond strengths of 250-500 Joule/m².
• Region Mulhouse (Communauté de communes de la région de Mulhouse)coreOthersCooperation with the joint board of the Region Mulhouse for energy supply. Since 2015, approximately 80% of steam needs are covered through domestic waste combustion. Jointly financed a heat pipeline network of about 1,200 meters from waste incinerator to the paper mill.
• French Agency for Energy Management (ADEME)coreOthersPartnership with the French Agency for Energy Management (ADEME) for the energy project. Together with Region Mulhouse, financed the heat pipeline network enabling 75% CO2 emission reduction.
• Kunert GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company. Papeteries du Rhin is a company of the Kunert Group, which includes paper tube manufacturers (Paul & Co), edge protector producers, corrugated cardboard packaging (Kunert Wellpappe), and paper factories. The group has 17 sites in Europe and Asia.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Palm Paper: UK-based newsprint and specialty paper producer using 100% recycled fiber, comparable in raw-material strategy and integrated mill scale.

Broad incumbents

• Smurfit Kappa: Global paper and paperboard producer with integrated recycling operations supplying recycled containerboard and specialty grades to converters, comparable in raw-material mix and downstream customer base.
• Heinzel Group: Austrian pulp and paper producer with recycled-fiber containerboard and specialty paperboard mills (Zellstoff Pöls, Laakirchen), competing for similar European paper-mill customers.
• Mayr-Melnhof Karton: Specialty paperboard mill group producing recycled and virgin folding boxboard with focus on packaging converting customers; directly comparable in recycled-paperboard category.
• Sappi Europe: European paper and packaging producer with specialty paperboard grades (e.g., Sappi Algro) made from virgin and recycled furnish, overlapping with specialty paperboard markets.
• LEIPA Georg Leinfelder GmbH: German recycled-paperboard mill producing solid board for packaging and graphic applications; comparable in raw-material mix and conversion-focused customer base.
• Mondi Group: European integrated paper and packaging group producing containerboard and specialty paper from recycled and virgin fiber, serving similar converter customers.
• Stora Enso: Major European forest-products company producing virgin and recycled paperboard, comparable in scale of specialty paperboard output and European converter customer overlap.

Regional players

• VPK Packaging Group: Family-owned European recovered-paper-based packaging and core-board producer with mills in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany — direct recycled-paperboard competitor in the Benelux/German region.

Direct peers

• Carl Macher (Papierfabrik Carl Macher GmbH & Co. KG): Sister-company within Kunert Gruppe producing core board at ~210,000 tonnes/year with ply bond strengths of 250–500 J/m². The closest product/customer match to Papeteries du Rhin.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Papeteries du Rhin