Tetra Pak shows progress in meeting sustainability goals

Tetra Pak has made strong progress in 2013 towards its 2020 environmental targets, focusing on developing sustainable products, reducing environmental footprint across the value chain and increasing recycling. 

To make packaging products more sustainable, Tetra Pak focuses on increasing the use of renewable materials from natural resources that grow back when properly managed, such as wood and sugarcane. On average, 75% of a Tetra Pak package is paperboard, made from wood. 

As a Forest Stewardship Council? (FSC?) certified company, Tetra Pak is committed to sourcing from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources with the aim of using 100% FSC certified paperboard. This percentage has risen from 38% in 2012 to 41% in 2013. Meanwhile, 32 billion Tetra Pak packages carrying the FSC-label reached consumers last year, an increase of more than 5 billion over 2012.

As a long term ambition, Tetra Pak aims to develop a fully renewable package. One major step forward in 2013 was the global release of the bio-based LightCap? 30 made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) that derived from sugar cane. Across the portfolio, 1.1 billion packages with such bio-based caps hit the market in 2013, almost doubling the number for 2012.

Last year, Tetra Brik Aseptic? Edge launched in the U.S., and is the result of the company's green design innovation process. The ergonomic shape delivers major environmental improvements, including a more efficient product-to-package ratio that is 11% lighter, has a 30% thinner aluminum foil barrier, and creates 23% less carbon emissions from materials.

Tetra Pak has set a goal to cap climate impact across the value chain at 2010 levels by 2020 while still growing the business. To achieve this, a number of initiatives have been introduced, including the development and audit of an accounting and reporting system in line with the Green House Gas Protocol Corporate Value Chain standard. Between 2010 and 2013, Tetra Pak reduced the climate emissions from its own operations by 2,000 tons CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), while achieving a 12% growth in the number of packages sold.