Tetra Pak to Cap Carbon Emissions, Double Recycling Rates
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Tetra Pak, Switzerland, has announced plans to cap carbon emissions at 2010 levels by the end of 2020 and increase efforts to double the recycling rate for used beverage cartons by the end of the decade. The 10-year targets are part of a new environmental program designed to deliver on the company's ultimate aim of providing sustainable packaging using only renewable materials, achieving a minimal environmental footprint and creating zero waste.
More specifically, the targets announced this past week include:
- Capping of carbon emissions at 2010 levels by the end of 2020 while continuing to grow. With an estimated 5% compound annual growth rate, achieving this goal would require a 40% relative reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. This target not only includes Tetra Pak's operations, but those across the entire value chain, meaning that it will ask suppliers to meet agreed on targets and support customers' activities to reduce their own emissions.
- By 2020, doubling the global recycling rate of the company's used beverage cartons to provide valuable raw materials for a host of new products. With an estimated 5% compound annual growth rate, achieving this goal would mean that about 100 billion used beverage cartons are recycled in 2020 alone. This will be done through active engagement of the entire recycling value chain.
- Increasing the supply of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paperboard used in Tetra Pak's products to 100%, with an interim target to achieve 50% in 2012. By the end of 2011 alone, the number of Tetra Pak cartons carrying the FSC logo will nearly double from 2010 levels to 16 billion.
- Developing packaging material based on 100% renewable materials. Tetra Pak cartons are already mainly based on paperboard from a renewable resource, wood fiber. The company has signed an agreement with Brazilian producer of green polyethylene, Braskem, to launch caps containing renewable polymers made from sugarcane in 2011.
Through improved energy efficiency and with increased use of renewable energy, Tetra Pak says it has cut its absolute carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 12.9% while increasing production by more than 23% over the past five years (a relative reduction of more than 30%), according to just released independently audited figures. In 2010, 40% of the company's paperboard supply was FSC certified, with 8.5 billion cartons carrying the FSC logo. Some 30 billion used Tetra Pak cartons were recycled around the world in 2010, a twofold increase since 2002, diverting 473,000 metric tons of material from landfills.
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