Tetra Pak announces agreement with Carrefour France to supply FSC labelled packages to French stores

Tetra Pak will supply more than 100 million FSC-labelled carton packages to Carrefour stores across France during 2010, the two companies announced yesterday.

The supply agreement is seen as an important milestone in Tetra Pak’s global FSC deployment ambitions. In the case of France, the company has set a goal of having FSC labelling on at least 90% of the 3 billion packages it sells in the country each year, before the end of 2012.

The agreement has been welcomed by Serge Orru, general manager of WWF France, who says: “This major initiative, led by two WWF partners, is a great example of how leading companies are supporting the green economy, working together to provide products with a better environmental profile, but without additional cost. Now it is up to consumers to act!”

Tetra Pak launched the first FSC-labelled carton package, Tetra Recart, in 2007. The following year, 2008, it sold around 100 million FSC-labelled packages worldwide, and in 2009 it reached more than 2.3 billion. The ambitious deployment will continue in 2010 with roll-out of FSC-labelled packages with customers in several new countries.

A significant constraint to making FSC-labelled packages available everywhere is the limited supply of FSC certified wood … with only 6% of the world’s forests certified today. Tetra Pak continues to work with different stakeholders to support increased FSC certification of forests, with the ultimate aim of producing all of its cartons using wood fibre from responsibly managed forests with FSC certification.

Said Paul Bousser, Managing Director Tetra Pak France: “We are committed to the highest standard of forest management and are thrilled to be announcing the partnership with Carrefour to deliver FSC-labelled cartons to French consumers. We know a sustainable approach to business is of critical value to retailers, brands and consumers, and FSC certification demonstrates our commitment to manufacturing to the highest level of environmental performance.”

A carton package is mainly made from paperboard and the FSC label is a guarantee that this material is sourced from well-managed forests and other controlled sources. FSC labelling informs consumers and enables conscious consumer choice.

ABOUT FSC CERTIFICATION
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization that brings people together to find solutions which promote responsible stewardship of the world’s forests. It is the only global standard setting organization in forest management.
The FSC system independently guarantees a chain of custody from forest to stores. Achieving the FSC certification enables Tetra Pak to use the FSC label on its packages and is a guarantee that all wood-fibre used in the manufacturing process comes from FSC certified well-managed forests and other controlled sources. More information about FSC is available at www.fsc.org

For more information please contact:

Francesca Balestrazzi, Trade Media Relations Manager, Cell: +39 340 1273084

Charlotta Lyon, Director Enviroment Communications, Cell +46 733 364990

Nick Rabin, Weber Shandwick for Tetra Pak, Tel: +44 (0) 207 067 0209