Tetra Pak: 43bn cartons recycled in 2013
Claes Du Rietz, vice president of environment for Tetra Pak, said the company views sustainability progress as vital to the company and its food and beverage clients.
“We drive environmental performance in every step of our operation, from sourcing, development of processing and packaging systems, to services and support provided to customers,” he said. “This is the very reason that we have continued to be successful in meeting ambitious targets.”
Sustainable content
Tetra Pak’s cartons are made of an average of 75% wood-derived paperboard; its aim is to source 100% of that paperboard from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified material. In 2013, the company achieved 41% FSC sourcing, up from 38% just one year earlier.
The number of FSC-certified Tetra Pak packages also is up. Last year, the company put 32bn such packages in consumers’ hands, about 5bn more than in 2012.
Renewable and recyclable
Tetra Pak development teams are working on creating fully renewable packages. In 2013, it expanded distribution of the LightCap 30, a closure made of HDPE derived from sugar cane. About 1.1bn packages with the closures were sold in 2013, doubling the number circulated in 2012.
The Tetra Brik Aseptic Edge carton was released in the US. The package promises a range of environmental edges, such a low product-to-package ratio, relatively thin aluminum foil barrier, and low carbon emissions.
The company also marched closer to its end-of-life goals. It aims to increase the recycling rate of its cartons to 40% by 2020; that figure hit 24.5% last year, or 43bn total cartons recycled (4bn more than the year before).
