Elopak has launched a range of beverage cartons that are made of certified renewable polyethylene (PE), said to be the first for the European market.
Another first for the company is that Elopak has used second generation renewable PE, made out of European-sourced biomass that is not in competition with food supply.
The move is a part of the company's Future Proofed Packaging Strategy under which it plans to replace all fossil-based raw materials with renewable alternatives.
The company said that an increased use of bio-based PE helps in reducing the use of fossil-based materials and also leads to the reduction of the largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions in the beverage carton value chain.
Elopak's CEO Niels Petter Wright said: "This is a key milestone in Elopak's efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of our products. We have a vision to deliver products with zero net impact on the environment, and this is an important step towards that goal."
The bio-based PE used by Elopak is made from biomass from second generation feedstock which is sourced locally within Europe.
Elopak director corporate environment Kristian Hall said: "The beverage carton is the environmentally superior packaging choice, consisting of at least 75% renewable paperboard derived from responsibly managed forests.
"The remaining materials are mostly made of polyethylene, a polymer usually produced from fossil-based raw materials. Renewable PE brings us much closer to our vision of a 100% renewable carton. At the same time, we are further reducing the carbon footprint of the carton; a footprint which was already best in class within beverage packaging."
This bio-based PE is also certified through the entire value chain, by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification system (ISCC PLUS which sets strict requirements for sustainability and traceability through the entire value chain, with chain of custody certification based on a mass balance system.
Recently, Elopak had also launched the Pure-Pak Sense carton especially for highly viscous products which enable consumers to fold the carton and squeeze out more of the product from the pack.
Producing and selling 12 billion cartons, Elopka is considered to be a global leader in liquid food packaging production and supplying.
Image: Elopak is a leading producer and supplier of liquid food packaging. Photo: courtesy of Elopak.
