Tetra Pak, the world’s largest carton manufacturer, is making strides towards sustainability with its 2030 goals and commitment to reducing its environmental impact. In a recent podcast episode with Earth911, Lisa Ryden, the Sustainable Development Director (now Vice President of Social Sustainability) at Tetra Pak, discussed the company’s efforts and progress.
Tetra Pak, known for selling 183 billion cartons in 2020, has set ambitious targets to reduce its carbon emissions by 46% compared to 2019 and achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by the end of the decade. One of the key initiatives includes launching a plant-based carton made with renewable materials and replacing the aluminum liner in early generations of cartons with a polymer that has a 25% lower carbon footprint.
In addition to these efforts, Tetra Pak has also shipped 12 billion caps made from plant-based materials and reduced the volume of food waste in its manufacturing processes by 50% over the past decade. The company has more than 170 recycling processor partners globally and aims to increase the recycling rates of its cartons, with a goal of reaching 70% recycling rates in Europe by 2030.
While cartons have emerged as a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging for beverages and food, they still face challenges in the U.S. due to limited recycling processing facilities. With only four carton recycling facilities in the country, cartons often have to be shipped long distances for processing, which impacts their overall sustainability.
Despite these challenges, Tetra Pak remains committed to driving sustainability in the packaging industry and continues to innovate with new solutions. To learn more about Tetra Pak’s sustainability initiatives, visit their website at https://tetrapak.com.
(Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on Dec. 13, 2021.)
