The sustainability challenges underscore the need for a radical new approach to the way we feed the world while minimizing the impact on the planet. From how we source, produce and process our food, to its transportation, the materials we use to package it, and the critical role of collaborations in making it happen.

The report highlights the company’s achievements and progress in the last year and detailing the actions to help realize resilient and sustainable food systems

Adolfo Orive, President & CEO at Tetra Pak, said:“Sustainability is not just in the agenda. We must ‘walk the talk’ by maximizing our positive impact on nature and society, by continuing to embed sustainability as a key business driver and decision-making criteria.

“Our ambition is to lead sustainability transformation within our industry and our initiatives in this regard have continued over the last 12 months, working together with our customers and partners to support their own efforts as well. The cost of inaction on sustainability today is a world we won’t recognize tomorrow. Our progress depends on being able to embrace a mindset which drives both growth and sustainability for a better future.”

Tetra Pak’s 23^rd Sustainability Report highlights the company’s achievements and ongoing initiatives – to protect food, people and the planet. These include:

• Reduced operational GHG emissions by 36 percent, with 80 percent of energy coming from renewable sources, doubling the solar energy capacity to 5.55MW.
• Launched a pioneering land restoration initiative in Brazil, in collaboration with local NGO Apremavi in early 2022. The aim is to restore up to 7,000 hectares of land by 2030 for biodiversity recovery, carbon capture and climate change mitigation.
• Sold 17.6 billion plant-based packages and 10.8 billion plant-based caps in the past year, enabling the saving of 96 kilo tonnes of CO₂, compared to fossil-based plastic.
• Invested €40 million to support the collection and recycling of 50 billion cartons, contributing to a circular economy.
• 61 million children in 41 countries received milk or other nutritious beverages in Tetra Pak packages through school feeding programs.
• Successfully completed a commercial validation of a polymer-based barrier to replace the aluminium layer in aseptic cartons. Testing has started on a new fibre-based barrier - a first within food carton packages distributed under ambient conditions.
• Became the first carton packaging player in the food and beverage industry to launch a cap using attributed recycled polymers, in partnership with Elvir, a subsidiary of world leading milk processor Savencia Fromage & Dairy.
• Partnered with several innovative companies to transform potential food waste into sources of nutritious food, as well as developing alternative protein-based food applications. Along with the potential for a lower carbon footprint, alternative proteins offer scope for significantly reduced land and water use, compared with traditional sources.
• Committed to halve food waste, water consumption and carbon footprint of its best practice processing lines by 2030.

Adolfo concludes:“I recognize the long journey ahead and the step change needed by the industry. Collective action, innovation, new operating models and unconventional partnerships will be necessary to accelerate the current pace of change towards a more sustainable tomorrow.”

Vietnam's highlights

In Vietnam, despite the impact of the pandemic, Tetra Pak has achieved significant progress in advancing sustainable development. In the past year, the company has carried out a number of initiatives as follows:

• Investing 1.2 million Euro in Dong Tien Paper Company to double annual recycling capacity to 17,000 tonnes of used beverage carton to support Vietnam’s F&B manufacturers in fulfilling their responsibility of recycling used package in compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility regulations;
• Cooperating with VECA to digitalize carton collection upon including cartons in the collection list of VECA scrap collection app, thereby making cartons collectable and sellable everywhere;
• Investing an additional 5 million euros in Binh Duong’s factory to increase its annual output from 11.5 billion to 16.5 billion packages, ensuring supply for the growing need of the food industry.
• Installing 2,300 solar panels at the factory as part of efforts to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the company’s operations by 2030;
• In 2021, Tetra Pak Binh Duong saved 1,665 MWh of electricity and 1,673cu.m of water as well as reducing emissions of more than 3,100 tonnes of CO2 compared to 2020.
• 100 percent of beverage cartons in Vietnam are labeled with the FSC logo of the World Forest Council - which certifies that all materials used come from responsibly managed, FSC-certified forests.
• Cooperating with big names in the retail industry such as Aeon Mall, MM Mega Market to expand the network of carton package collection at shopping centers and supermarkets.

PV