It's a Fact
Did you know that 68% of consumers buy environmentally-sound packages to preserve the environment for future generations and that 26% claim to frequently purchase a product with environmentally sound packaging?*
In fact, today's consumers want to minimize the environmental impact of their purchases and this is also evident in this period as activities, businesses and on-the-go consumption, a constantly growing trend in recent years, takes off again as lockdowns are eased. The majority (65%) of people across the globe also support a green recovery following COVID-19.**
*Tetra Pak Environment Research, 2019.
**Ipsos report: Now what? Climate change and Coronavirus Long, Gordon and Townend, June 2020.
In fact, today's consumers want to minimize the environmental impact of their purchases and this is also evident in this period as activities, businesses and on-the-go consumption, a constantly growing trend in recent years, takes off again as lockdowns are eased. The majority (65%) of people across the globe also support a green recovery following COVID-19.**
*Tetra Pak Environment Research, 2019.
**Ipsos report: Now what? Climate change and Coronavirus Long, Gordon and Townend, June 2020.
So, if you’re striving for ways to be better than before, it’s important that as a business, you’re making sustainable choices.
As global experts in processing, packaging and marketing a wide range of food and beverages, we can help you achieve your sustainability goals at a time when consumers are seeking healthy beverages, the demand for water and on-the-go consumption resumes and concern for the environment is top of mind.
Tetra Pak® cartons are made mainly of plant-based materials
Tetra Pak carton packages are on average more than 70% paperboard, which comes from continuously growing forests, where new trees replace the ones that are harvested.
Because we only use wood from FSC®-certified forests and other controlled sources to make cartons, they proudly wear the FSC® logo. It means we’re looking after the future of the world’s forests and you and your customers are too when you choose our packaging.
Because we only use wood from FSC®-certified forests and other controlled sources to make cartons, they proudly wear the FSC® logo. It means we’re looking after the future of the world’s forests and you and your customers are too when you choose our packaging.
And we are reducing further the carbon footprint of our carton packages for water
At Tetra Pak, thanks to the mainly plant-based renewable contents of our packaging, we already start with a low carbon emissions solution. We are continuously reducing the climate impact of our packaging by replacing some of the fossil-based layers of plastic and caps in our carton packages with plant-based alternatives.
By switching to plant-based plastics, the carbon footprint saving for the Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 330 Square plant-based package is 16 – 20%, and for the Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 500 Edge plant-based package is 14 – 18%*, as certified by the Carbon Trust™.
*Compared to standard Tetra Prisma Aseptic 330 Square package and standard Tetra Prisma Aseptic 500 Edge package, respectively.
By switching to plant-based plastics, the carbon footprint saving for the Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 330 Square plant-based package is 16 – 20%, and for the Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 500 Edge plant-based package is 14 – 18%*, as certified by the Carbon Trust™.
*Compared to standard Tetra Prisma Aseptic 330 Square package and standard Tetra Prisma Aseptic 500 Edge package, respectively.
Certifications Used on Tetra Pak Carton Packages for Water
As well as carrying FSC® and Carbon Trust™ labels, our plant-based water packages can also carry the Bonsucro label. This certification guarantees that all the sugarcane plastic used in our packages is fully traceable, supporting sustainable agriculture. Learn more at www.bonsucro.com.
Plant-based caps and closures by Tetra Pak also carry the Tetra Pak Be Natural™ logo. When you choose Tetra Pak cartons for water, our sustainability and marketing experts can support you in creating a fitting sustainability positioning on and off-pack, and in selecting the fitting on-pack labels.
Plant-based caps and closures by Tetra Pak also carry the Tetra Pak Be Natural™ logo. When you choose Tetra Pak cartons for water, our sustainability and marketing experts can support you in creating a fitting sustainability positioning on and off-pack, and in selecting the fitting on-pack labels.
Tetra Pak cartons for water use minimal fossil-based plastics
A Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 500 Edge plant-based carton for water by Tetra Pak consists of 7.7 g of plastic in total of which only 4.1 g is fossil-based plastic compared to the 16.0 g to be found in a standard plastic bottle for water.
The fossil-based component in the Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 500 Edge carton package for water is only 18.7% of the entire packaging materials used.
The fossil-based component in the Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 500 Edge carton package for water is only 18.7% of the entire packaging materials used.
Roll-fed carton packages are logistically efficient minimising CO2 emissions
Tetra Pak cartons for water like the Tetra Prisma® Aseptic carton package featured here, started life as rolls of material.
The packaging material is prepared and printed in Tetra Pak converting factories and travels flat to the water packaging factory to be cut, shaped and filled with the water-based beverage recipe you have selected.
Therefore, each truck can carry hundreds of thousands of future cartons. And when filled, the beverage cartons are still very efficient to transport due to their rectangular shape. As a result, less trucks are needed for transport and logistics-related CO2 emissions can be minimised.
The packaging material is prepared and printed in Tetra Pak converting factories and travels flat to the water packaging factory to be cut, shaped and filled with the water-based beverage recipe you have selected.
Therefore, each truck can carry hundreds of thousands of future cartons. And when filled, the beverage cartons are still very efficient to transport due to their rectangular shape. As a result, less trucks are needed for transport and logistics-related CO2 emissions can be minimised.
And are of course, recyclable!
After use, consumers simply flatten the carton packages and put them in the right collection bin. The high-quality strong paper fibres can be recycled several times. Tetra Pak cartons also consist of thin layers of plastic and aluminium to keeps the packed products protected and safe and along with the paperboard, these are recyclable.
Recycling
Recycling Partnerships and Investments
Tetra Pak has established external collaboration and commitments to achieve the recycling of all components of used beverage cartons collected within the EU by 2025.
There are currently 160 fibre recyclers in +70 markets globally (up from 40 in 2010), of which +25 in Europe; polyAl recycling in 60 countries and the recycling rate of beverage cartons in Europe in 2019 was 50% (source: ACE).
There are currently 160 fibre recyclers in +70 markets globally (up from 40 in 2010), of which +25 in Europe; polyAl recycling in 60 countries and the recycling rate of beverage cartons in Europe in 2019 was 50% (source: ACE).
Through our partnership with Veolia, the goal in Europe by 2025, is to demonstrate PolyAl recycling is sustainable by creating demand for PolyAl to incentivize recycling of all available and accessible PolyAl generated by companies recycling fibre from used beverage cartons.
Tetra Pak Sustainability Initiatives
At Tetra Pak, we work towards reducing emissions on our packaging and right across our business operations. We see renewable energy as key to our carbon reduction strategy and have an ambitious target to source 100% renewable electricity by 2030, through a public commitment to RE100.
We became the first company in the food packaging industry to have our climate impact reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets (SBT) initiative measuring greenhouse gas emissions.
This year Tetra Pak confirmed its strategic priority of net zero emissions across the value chain by 2050 and net zero emission in its own operations by 2030. In 2019, Tetra Pak achieved the Leadership band, for the third year in a row, for both the climate disclosure (A- score) and for the supplier engagement rating (A score).
Tetra Pak has joined the European Alliance for a Green Recovery, launched by the European Parliament on April 14, 2020, with a view to build a better future post the COVID-19 pandemic. The alliance gathers stakeholders to support a green recovery plan that puts the fight against climate change, the protection of biodiversity, and resilient food supply chains at the centre of Europe’s economic policy for the next seven years (2021 – 2027).
