Tetra Pak Inc. is using bio-based low density polyethylene in all its containers in Brazil, and plans to increase the bio-based content of its packaging even further.
The LDPE — supplied by Brazil's Braskem SA — is used in combination with paperboard cartons, increasing the content of renewable materials to as much as 82 percent, the Lausanne, Switzerland-based company said.
It began using the bio-based LDPE in packaging for Coca-Cola Co.'s Del Valle juice beverages in February, and following success with that pilot project is extending it to all 150 customers of Tetra Pak Brazil.
“We are particularly proud to be the first in the industry to use bio-based LDPE in carton packages,” said Charles Brand, vice president for marketing and product management in an April 28 news release. “We believe that the best way to protect the sustainable future of the packaging industry and meet the global challenge of a growing scarcity of fossil fuel-based raw materials is to further increase the use of renewable resources.”
Future developments will push the use of renewable materials even further.
“We have set an ambition to develop a 100% renewable package, building from an average of 70% today,” Brand said. “This launch is an important step in that direction.”
