Page 15 - Packaging New magazine Jan-Feb 2023

high recycling rate emissions from the production of plastic packaging fall by just 20 per cent.
The study recommends substitution of plastics with fibre-based packaging as one of the largest potential levers to decarbonise packaging.
BARRIER BREAKTHROUGH
One of the factors presenting a challenge when it comes to recycling Tetra Pak cartons is the aluminium barrier layer integrated into the paperboard struc- ture. But this could soon be overcome.
In exciting news from Tetra Pak, fol- lowing the successful completion of a 15-month commercial technology val- idation in Japan of a polymer-based barrier replacing the aluminium layer, the company has now also moved to the next level of development – testing a fibre-based barrier that marks a first for food carton packages distributed under ambient conditions.
“This is currently at market trial stage; however, it signals yet another break- through in the company’s long-term roadmap towards developing an aseptic package that is fully renewable, fully recy- clable and carbon-neutral,” Pagdato says.
CARTON RECYCLING IN AUSTRALIA
While the sustainability case for cartons is strong from a packaging production perspective, recyclability and material recovery remains important, and here the responsibility extends beyond bev- erage companies alone. There needs to be an effective recycling infrastructure that can process the carton packaging once consumers dispose of it properly.
In further exciting news from Tetra Pak, February sees the opening of a recycling facility in New South Wales, developed in partnership by Tetra Pak and saveBoard Australia, together with other industry players. The facility will turn carton packaging and other waste into high-performance low-carbon building materials to substitute plas- ter board, particle board, and oriented strand board.
As the first of its kind in Australia, the pioneering recycling facility aims to reduce the dependency on exporting cartons overseas, the practice that has been in place to date, and increase the number of cartons collected for recy- cling onshore.
saveBoard has also received funding support from the Victorian Government
Above: Tetra Pak is accelerating the expansion of its paper straws offering.
and is finalising similar arrangements with the Queensland Government, with plans to have a recycling facility operat- ing in Queensland within 2023, and in Victoria in 2024.
Pagdato says, “The saveBoard reman- ufacturing process has ‘full carton’ capability – the entire used beverage carton, including any on-pack straw, neck and cap can be recycled together.”
AHEAD OF THE PACK
Joining forces with leading beverage producers, last year, Tetra Pak launched tethered caps on carton packages. Marking a significant milestone in the company’s long-term work on design for recycling, five new tethered cap
solutions have been intro- duced across Ireland, the Baltics, Spain and Germany in different product categories – a market first for these geographies, and timely as the EU introduces legislation mandating tethered caps from July
this year.
“Tethered caps play
an important role in pre- venting litter, as the cap will stay attached to the package,” Padgato says. “This helps reduce the carbon footprint of the
carton when they are chosen. Plant- based options, made from polymers derived from responsibly sourced sug- arcane, increase the renewable content of the package.”
In tandem, the company is acceler- ating the expansion of its paper straws offering to ensure further renewable and low carbon materials across its range of packaging solutions. The aim of this is to address a broad range of customer sustainability needs without compromising on food safety, while still delivering on the end-user drink- ing experience
“Significantly, Tetra Pak did not lock in the IP on this development so that other packaging producers could have easy access to the technology,” Pagdato says. Paper straws are now widely available.
Across the board, Tetra Pak has its eye on new end-use opportunities, developing products for emerging mar- kets such as alcoholic beverages in cartons, collaborating with customers to drive innovation towards a sustain- able future. ■
“Beverage cartons have an important and growing role to play in de-carbonising packaging because they are made mostly of paperboard, which is renewable plant fibre.”
JAYMIE PAGDATO, MARKETING DIRECTOR, TETRA PAK
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JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2023 ❙ 15
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