Global packaging company Tetra Pak has announced the launch of what it said is the first carton made entirely from plant based, renewable packaging materials.
Tetra Pak said the new Tetra Rex carton will be the first 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, in addition to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC ) certified paperboard.
“Environment excellence is one of Tetra Pak’s strategic priorities and a driver of our product development activities,” said Charles Brand, VP Marketing and Product Management at Tetra Pak.
“Together with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders, we are leading the industry towards 100 per cent renewable packaging,” Mr Brand said. “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,” he said.
Developed in partnership with Braskem, one of the world’s leading biopolymers producers, the new Tetra Rex package will be commercially available in early 2015. Tetra Pak customers using the standard 1 litre Tetra Rex with TwistCap OSO 34 can easily transfer to the new version without the need for any additional investment or modification to their existing filling machines.
Tetra Rex ‘Peak freshness’
Tetra Pak said its Tetra Rex packaging is “easy to pour, easy to distribute”, and that the blank-fed solution means beverage manufacturers can shift volumes in just minutes. Tetra Pak said the Tetra Rex package was a great solution for chilled products.
Key benefits
200 billion packages produced and counting Blank-fed solution enables quick change of volumes Broad portfolio of packages and closures Choice of print and types of board Available with FSC certified paperboard* The chilled icon and hero in the fridge
*Forest Stewardship Council certified paperboard from Sunne, Sweden
Environmental profile
Tetra Pak said 80 per cent of the material in a one-litre Tetra Rex carton is paperboard, which is made from wood, a renewable resource. With the new TwistCap OSO 34 bio-based cap, the content of renewable material in the package increases by an additional 4 per cent, helping to further improve the environmental performance of the package without compromising its functionality or recyclability.
Formats
The Tetra Rex gable top carton package comes in four formats (Base and Base Plus, Max, Mid and Slim). The gable top package is available with or without an opening device, and both are easy to pour from. Volumes range from 237 ml. portion packs to 2000 ml. family packs.
Openings
Opening devices for Tetra Rex carton packages: Easy Opening, TwistCap and bio-based TwistCap OSO 34
