PURE-PAK® is the natural solution

Plastic waste remains the number 1 challenge in packaging. Plastic has become the cause of the evil in the minds of consumers. The problem is very visible, and everyone knows about the plastic islands in the oceans and the environmental damage caused. Already 30% of all households are reluctant to use plastic packaging when shopping and alternatives are available. This sentiment is only growing. Consumers attach even greater importance to avoiding plastic today compared to 2019, even though the topic of hygiene was placed very much in the foreground at the Point-of-Sale during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, environmental concerns have become only broader and stronger in the course of 2020. Gfk asked its consumer panels amid the COVID-19 pandemic what keeps them awake at night and the primary answer is Climate Change.

Most FMCG companies and retailers has a strategy on sustainable packaging. It is however no secret that the sustainability credentials of packaging solutions vary considerably. Choosing the right pack has several potential benefits: the first in reducing the overall carbon footprint of a finished product, and the second in ensuring the product is kept safe and fresh, helping to minimize waste.

While weighing up the options on an offer can be a daunting process, it is worth noting that beverage cartons have strong environmental credentials when compared with alternatives such as plastic bottles. A Lifecycle Assessment study from 2018 showed the carbon footprint of a standard carton to be up to 80% lower than that of a disposable PET bottle*. Recycled content does not significantly change that picture. Even with optimized logistics and adding 75% recycled content to the PET bottle, the difference remains approximately 50%. In Europe, an average of 8% recycled PET is currently used in bottles.

Low carbon, circular packaging offered by Pure-Pak® cartons and fibre-based packaging in general is the natural solution, which has been finding traction over 2020 also in non-traditional carton segments like water.

*: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performed by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) in 2018. The study compared 1 litre beverage cartons for milk and juice with commercially available disposable and reusable systems in the German market including glass and PET packaging. The entire life cycle of all market-relevant packaging was considered.

Packaging is also a straightforward and strong communication vehicle. And innovation is continually driving improvements in the industry, hence opening up exciting new options in the field of low carbon and carbon neutral packaging. One of the latest innovations to gain traction is Elopak’s Natural Brown Board carton, which is renewable, recyclable where collection and recycling schemes exist, and has a lower carbon footprint than conventional cartons, owing to reduced wood consumption and the elimination of the bleaching process. These are a rustic take on the company’s iconic Pure-Pak® cartons, made with one less layer to allow the natural colour of the wood fibres to shine through.

Recent studies show consumers addressing spontaneously the highest preference in terms of environmental credentials, to Pure-Pak® cartons in Natural Brown Board, well above glass and far above typical brick-shaped cartons and definitely PET bottles. As such, launched in 2017, today approximately 20 per cent of the Pure-Pak® milk cartons sold in Western Europe are produced with Natural Brown Board. Towards the end of 2020, the volume of these cartons surpassed one billion units. Their lower CO2 footprint means an estimated 3,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions have been avoided as a result.

Many FMCG brands are going even further in their quest to reduce their carbon footprints by removing the caps again. A clear and visible answer to the engaged consumer of today by explicitly replacing plastics.

Since its launch, Elopak’s Natural Brown Board has served as a platform for further sustainability-focused innovations, including the Pure-Pak® Imagine carton launched in 2020. This carton is a modern version of the company’s original Pure-Pak® carton, containing 46% less plastic and designed with a new easy open feature. It has no plastic screw cap, is 100% forest-based and carbon neutral, making it Elopak’s most environmentally friendly carton to date.

Going further, we will continue to reduce emissions from packaging, while working with stakeholders to ensure that recycling rates for beverage cartons continue to increase.