Paper trail for cartons with a 'conscience'

From a consumer's standpoint, FSC-labelled cartons are independently certified to assure that the package materials come from forests that are managed for present and future generations

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HEEDING a call to action, resolve and innovation for environmental sustainability, food carton giants Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc ensure that only timber from well-managed forests and other controlled sources is used in the production of their carton packs. Using only Forest Stewardship Council™ certified raw material for their paperboard guarantees that the wood fibres in the package are traceable all the way through the supply chain back to FSC-certified forests and other controlled sources. Elopak, which together with Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc forms the Big Three of beverage carton makers, also offers FSC-certified packaging. This triumvirate controls four-fifths of the global drinks carton market, according to the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE). Packaging with a conscience When sourced from responsibly managed forests, wood is a virtually infinitely available resource. Responsibly managing forests means sustainably maintaining their ecological, social and economic value. In 2007, ACE members (the group includes paperboard suppliers Stora Enso and Korsn鋝) committed to ensuring that, within 10 years all wood fibres used in beverage cartons can be traced back to legal and acceptable sources in their forest of origin. The choice of a renewable, low-carbon primary raw material for carton packages makes them a viable, environmentally sound choice, according to ACE. Up to 75 per cent of the carton content is pulp fibre obtained from wood, and this is what makes carton packs fundamentally different from all other types of packaging used for beverages and long-life foods. From a consumer's standpoint, products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure that the package materials come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations. Working with retailers Since Tetra Pak launched the world's first FSC labelled carton in 2007, the company has introduced similar cartons in several markets worldwide, with the total number exceeding 2.3 billion in 2009. More than 100 million FSC-labelled carton packages will be supplied to Carrefour stores across France during 2010. The supply agreement announced in April is as an important milestone in Tetra Pak's global FSC deployment ambitions. In the case of France, the company has set a goal of having FSC labelling on at least 90 per cent of the 3 billion packages it sells in the country each year, before the end of 2012. Another step toward that goal was reached in May when the world's 12th largest food retailer, Auchan, chose the FSC-certified Tetra Gemina Aseptic package for a store brand milk produced by small, local dairies. More than 60 per cent of the packaging material used for the Gemina format comes from renewable sources. Packaging solution for the future SIG Combibloc first launched its FSC-certified carton packs in 2009. "We as a company and, indeed, the entire carton packaging industry, are aware of our responsibility towards making an effective contribution to global environmental and climate protection," Rolf Stangl, CEO of SIG Combibloc Group, told the recent Business for the Environment (B4E) Conference in Seoul. Mr Stangl said SIG Combibloc remains committed to reducing the impact of its carton packages. "This allows us to make an effective contribution to sustainably maintaining one of the most important natural CO2 sinks of all, our worldwide forests. Using renewable, low-carbon raw materials is an important factor in creating a climate friendly economy," he explained. "By 2015, we aimNike Air Force 1