Tetra Pak sold more than 20 billion FSC-labelled cartons

Nov 21, 2012. /Lesprom Network/. Tetra Pak announced that more than 20 billion of its packages sold around the world during 2012 have carried the label of the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC). The label, which was carried on around 8.5 billion Tetra Pak packages in 2010, certifies that the paperboard used for the packaging material comes from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources, as the company said in the press release received by Lesprom Network. “This is a clearly positive achievement which contributes to protect forests and improve forest management globally,” said Håkan Wirtén, CEO of WWF Sweden. “WWF encourages Tetra Pak and other companies to continuously increase the use of FSC-certified materials and products.” The first Tetra Pak package with the FSC certification label was launched in the UK by Sainsbury’s in 2007. Today it is being applied by retailers and brand owners in 39 countries, including China, the USA, Canada, across South America and throughout Europe. “With more consumers and retailers demanding environmentally sound and ethically produced products, brands that carry the FSC label can attest that their products are packaged using material that has passed the toughest standards of responsible forest management,” said Charles Brand, Vice President Marketing and Product Management, Tetra Pak. Among the countries that have taken up FSC labelling is Argentina, which has 1.8 billion FSC-labelled Tetra Pak packages, representing 70% of total Tetra Pak packaging delivered in that country. The Benelux has 1.2 billion FSC-labelled Tetra Pak packages, representing about 60% of total Tetra Pak packaging material delivered there. Said Marcelo Magni, Marketing & Business Development Manager, at Argentinean dairy Williner: “Every day, more and more customers express concerns about the environment. Therefore, the inclusion of the FSC logo on our milk packages contributes positively both to the brand image of our Ilolay products and to public environmental awareness. FSC is a proof that our packages meet the highest industry standards in terms of the use of renewable raw materials, which allows our customers to choose responsibly.” Said Taco Kingma, Manager Sustainable Business of FrieslandCampina in the Benelux: “Consumers are increasingly looking at the environmental profile of the products they purchase. We have set clear goals on making our packaging more sustainable. FSC certification for our paperboard packaging is a major step in this development. We are glad to make this step together with Tetra Pak.” In a recent survey of 6,600 consumers in 10 countries conducted by Euromonitor for Tetra Pak, around half said that the absence of information about the environmental profile of a product was an issue in their purchasing behaviour. And the same proportion said they find on-pack logos helpful in understanding the environmental impact of beverage packages. “By displaying FSC labelling on their packages, Tetra Pak is helping raise awareness of the important role that responsible forest management plays in assuring the economic, social and environmental viability of one of the earth’s richest resources,” said Marcelle Peuckert, Business Development Director, FSC. Tetra Pak packages have strong environmental credentials: some 75% of the packaging material comes from renewable sources, and the used beverage cartons are fully recyclable. In addition, the shape of the packages, its material composition and low weight as well as its efficient transport, storage and distribution systems result in an overall lower CO2 impact than other alternative packaging solutions.