Switzerland: Tetra Pak launches first fully plant based-carton

Packaging developer Tetra Pak has announced the launch of what it describes as the industry’s first carton made entirely from plant based, renewable materials.

Tetra Pak said the new version of its Tetra Rex carton would be the first product in the market to have bio-based low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films and bio-based high-density polyethylene (HDPE) caps, both derived from sugar cane, and Forest Stewardship council certified paperboard.

The new pack can be used with existing filling machines without the need for any additional investment or modification, Tetra Pak said.

“Environment excellence is one of Tetra Pak’s strategic priorities and a driver of our product development activities”, said Charles Brand, VP Marketing & Product Management at Tetra Pak. “Together with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders, we are leading the industry towards 100% renewable packaging. We believe that increasing the renewable content of our packages is not only good for the environment, but also offers our customers a competitive advantage in the overall environmental profile of their products”.

The new package was developed in partnership with biopolymer producer Braskem and will be available from early 2015.

Source: Tetra Pak