FSC label on 20bn Tetra Pak packages in 2012

Twenty billion Tetra Pak packages sold in 2012 carried the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label, up from 8.5 billion in 2010, the company has announced. The label certifies that the paperboard used for the packaging comes from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources.

“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.”

Tetra Pak first launched its FSC certified packaging in 2007, in the UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s. It is now used by retailers and brand owners in 39 countries, including China, the USA and Canada and throughout Europe and South America.

“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.

In Australia, three Tetra Pak customers are launching products in FSC-labelled cartons: Freedom Foods is launching its Australia’s Own Organic almond, rice and soy milks; Emma & Tom’s is launching a one-litre, long-life package for its Quenchers With Benefits range; and Harvey Fresh is launching its two-litre milk and juice products.

“Our long-term goal is to offer all our customers the option to use FSC-certified material for their cartons,” said Noel Ayre, Managing Director of Tetra Pak Oceania. Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious and are seeking sustainably sourced products. We are excited to work with our customers on the introduction of FSC-certified cartons for their products.”

Argentina has an impressive uptake of FSC-labelled packaging, with 70% of total Tetra Pak packaging - 1.8 billion Tetra Pak packages - delivered in the country sporting the label.

Around half of 6600 consumers in 10 countries said that the absence of information about a product’s environmental profile was an issue in their purchasing behaviour when surveyed by Euromonitor on behalf of Tetra Pak. The same proportion reportedly said they find logos on packs help their understanding of beverage packaging’s environmental impact.

“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 says 75% of its packaging material comes from renewable sources, and its used beverage cartons are fully recyclable. The company also claims the shape of its packages, their material composition and low weight - in addition to efficient transport, storage and distribution systems - result in an overall lower CO₂ impact than other packaging solutions.