Rethinking food packaging from the ground up

Food packaging plays a critical role in getting food and beverages safely to consumers around the world, but it can also cause problems for the planet. Fortunately, we don’t have to choose between protecting our planet and meeting the need for safe food. In fact, food packaging can play a strong role in bringing about this harmony.

Expanding the view of sustainability

The dynamics are simple. Consumers want to make sustainable choices to help protect the planet’s future – and they need their packaging to be one such choice. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Sustainability is an ever-evolving and complex topic.

While many consumers equate recycling with sustainability, recycling is only a part of the solution. For example, despite high pressure and growing industry initiatives, only 9% of total plastic is recycled globally today.

To make a real impact, we must look across the value chain and consider many other aspects, including carbon emissions, biodiversity, food safety, regulations and much more. In other words, we must consider the full lifecycle of the package.

The future food packaging

At Tetra Pak, we already offer recyclable, paper-based carton packages with reduced climate impact. But we won’t stop there. Our ambition is to create the world’s most sustainable food package: a carton made solely from responsibly sourced renewable and recycled materials that is fully recyclable and carbon-neutral, allowing ambient distribution and meeting food safety requirements.

Creating this future food package won’t be easy—and it won’t happen overnight. But we remain fully committed to this goal. After all, it’s an integral part of our brand promise, ‘Protects what’s good’ - protecting food, people and planet.

And we’re not on this journey alone. We’re collaborating with our customers, suppliers, retailers and other stakeholders across the value chain to take an industry-wide view, not just looking at the environmental impact of our products, but also the production, manufacturing, distribution, and beyond.

Only then can we be a part of building a sustainable future that works for people as well as the planet we all call home.