Circularity

The food industry as a whole accounts for about 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A large portion of these emissions come from the dairy industry, but they also include emissions related to containers and packaging.

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Tetra Pak's aseptic carton technology enables room temperature, long-term storage of beverages and liquid food products, helping to reduce energy consumption and food waste. In addition, the containers are on average made to 70% from paper, meaning they contain a very high ratio of potentially renewable resources.

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On the other hand, whilst containers and packaging account for 20% of all waste generated in Japan, the recycling rate for paper packages is 30% for chilled cartons, and just under 4% for aseptic cartons - in both cases, the majority of packages are instead incinerated. When compared to plastic bottles and cans, 90% of which are currently recycled, these are very low numbers.

 

Tetra Pak believes that recycling and upcycling of paper packages will contribute to the effective use of our limited resources and the realization of a decarbonized society. To increase the recycling rates for paper containers in Japan, we want to:

• Realize a full-scale value chain for carton recycling in Japan

• Increase the collection rate for carton packaging, ensuring that all consumers have accessible recycling points

• Find new application areas for the recycled carton material to increase the material value

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Team Sweden and Tetra Pak are calling for partners to jointly take on the challenges of recycling, upcycling and circularity. We hope to involve municipalities and governmental stakeholders, recyclers, chemical companies, academic experts, and other companies who believe they have something to contribute to solving this challenge.