Tetra Pak Insider Interview: Why Consumers Are Demanding Sustainable Packaging

Speaker 1 [00:05] Hey folks, it's Ray with Taste Radio, and right now I'm speaking with Jason Peelz, who is the vice president of Sustainability Americas at Tetrapac. Jason, how

Speaker 2 [00:13] are you? I'm good, Ray. How are you?

Speaker 1 [00:15] I'm very good. I'm very good. Thanks so much for taking the time to be with me today. So Jason, could you talk a bit about what Tetrapac is and how it works with food and beverage companies?

Speaker 2 [00:26] Sure. Um, Tetrapac is, uh, a world-leading food packaging and processing, uh, company. We work with our customers and we work with our suppliers to, to create new innovative ideas to, uh, Sustainably packaged food and provide food to the growing population of the world. Uh, we have a promise that says protects what's good, which really is what our vision is to drive how we go about our business. So,

Speaker 1 [00:53] Tetrapac recently announced its ambition to deliver the world's most sustainable package, which sounds pretty amazing. Can you talk a bit about that?

Speaker 2 [01:02] Sure, it's, uh, we're excited about this. Um, food packaging plays a critical role in getting food to people. Uh, it helps keep it safe. Uh, it makes sure that it, it maintains its, uh, nutritional qualities. Um, and again, uh, not every place has potentially refrigeration or, or easy, uh, infrastructure to deliver food. So, um, We want to make sure that the package that we deliver going forward has the least effect on the environment possible, but at the same time, can provide the safe delivery of food. Um, so it's a balance. It's a balance between Uh, providing people with, with the nutrition they need, and at the same time, providing it in a package that does not create any issues for the environment or as few issues as possible for the environment. Um, we're happy, we're, I mean, we're excited in the fact that our cartons already are very, uh, environmentally sound, but, uh, we do realize that there's more that we have to do.

Speaker 1 [01:59] So, let's talk about the package itself. Um, what would it look like and when can we expect it, uh, to come to market?

Speaker 2 [02:06] The challenges are that you have to have that work within a system of the technology that's available now and what's gonna come in the, in the future. So we've set a target to, to have, um, uh, this package by 2030, um, but we've got work to do. Uh. What we're gonna do, and what we, we wanna make sure is that we really develop new technologies that will allow for, for example, um, new polymers, renewable polymers, um, the ability to have increased fiber content, to increase the, again, the renewable content in our packages. Uh, we want to figure out a way to replace the aluminum barrier, which is a, is a, has a high, uh, has a high carbon footprint with something else. Um, We need to make sure that this package will be fully recyclable and, in systems not only now but in future systems. And, and really one of the big important things is that we want to make sure that whatever's left, nothing can be recycled forever. Um, we need to make sure that the package can be, um, when it goes back to nature, it, it has the least effect on nature possible.

Speaker 1 [03:11] Now, Tetrapa currently uses plastic in its cartons. Uh, is there a plan to reduce that use of plastic, uh, and when?

Speaker 2 [03:21] There is a plan to reduce uh the amount of plastic in our cartons. We, as I said, we've, we've got this commitment to develop this package in the future. Um, and as one of the goals that, that we have is to, is to create a more renewable package, which is gonna require the reduction of polymers. We, we will use some renewable, but, but we'd like to have less polymers be in there. You know, Tetra Tetrapac has committed €100 million a year over the next 5 to 10 years to do this, to make this kind of stuff happen. So, um, right now, we're about 75, 70 to 75% fiber in our packages. Um, Our hope is to grow that, you know, to have a larger portion of that, which in turn means that we'll have a lower portion of plastics.

Speaker 1 [04:10] Now Jason, this is a question that comes up pretty often about beverage containers. Are they fully recyclable? And with that in mind, er, does Tetrapac offer the most sustainable option in that category?

Speaker 2 [04:24] Yes, the simple answer is that Tetra pack cartons and, and used beverage cartons are recyclable. Um, now, they're not all being recycled, and there's a lot of work to be done to get them all recycled. Uh, We, we've spent a lot of time um working with the recycling value chain over a number of years to really grow the recycling of cartons. Uh, we realized um back in 2009 when there was about 20% household access to carton recycling for uh US households. That we had an issue. We needed to create an opportunity for people to be able to recycle their cartons. Uh, we, we needed to figure out solutions for those cartons to be recycled. And, and it's a journey that we continue on today. We're happy to say that at this point now, we're at over 60% household access. So we've made a lot of great progress, but we also know that the job's not over, and that we'll have a job to go with for a long time, and we're committed to that, uh. Because we do know that in order for things to be considered sustainable, recycling is one part of the, uh, of the life cycle of a carton that has to be taken into consideration and has to have a strong uh solution.

Speaker 1 [05:36] Outstanding. Well, I'm looking forward to following that progress. Uh, for folks who want to know more about Tetrapac and its sustainability initiatives, uh, where can they

Speaker 2 [05:42] go? Um, just please go to Tetrapac.com and click on the sustainability tab, and you'll have plenty to read.

Speaker 1 [05:50] Fantastic. Jason, it's been so great speaking with you today. Thanks so much for the time. My

Speaker 2 [05:54] pleasure. Thank you.