Tetra Pak's 1.5 billion eco-cartons in UK & Ireland

22-Oct-2009 - Last updated on 23-Oct-2009 at 11:30 GMT

Tetra Pak has given a boost to its green credentials after announcing that more than 1.5 billion of its cartons on sale in the UK and Ireland in the next year will carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label.

Some 75% of the cartons made by Tetra Pak for the UK and Ireland will become FSC-certified using paperboard sourced from certified forests and other controlled sources within the next 12 months. The development demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to responsible forest management, said Tetra Pak.

The move comes as part of the company’s drive to attain certified traceability from forest to consumer according to the highest available standard, FSC. The company added it builds upon its successful launch of a FSC-certified Tetra Recart range for UK supermarket Sainsbury’s in late 2007.

This development will see supply increase from 200 million FSC-certified packs available globally in 2008, to over 1.5 billion packs, in the UK & Ireland alone. All the European mills supplying Tetra Pak’s paperboard have FSC Chain of Custody certification in place, demonstrating traceability and acceptability of the board used.

Said Nils Björkman, Tetra Pak executive vice president commercial operations: “We have an ongoing commitment to the highest standards of forest management and are thrilled to be able to achieve the highest standard of certification for the majority of our UK and Irish cartons.

“We know a sustainable approach to business is of critical value to retailers, brands and consumers, and FSC certification demonstrates our commitment to manufacturing to the highest level of environmental performance.”

Said Julia Young, WWF-UK: "We applaud Tetra Pak's comprehensive commitment to move their cartons to FSC sourced materials. This is a positive step to make sure that every-day consumption is reducing its impact on the forests of the world, and supporting a more sustainable pattern to the way we lead our lives. I hope this initiative continues to grow, as Tetra Pak innovate in the market"

Tetra Pak said it was committed to increasing the recycling of its cartons, which can be used as raw material for other products. In 2008, 25.6 billion cartons were recycled, up 64% since 2002.