February 23, 2026
How we’re innovating towards the world’s most sustainable food package1
Food packaging plays an essential role in our lives. It helps keep food safe and supports efforts to limit food loss along the value chain. It also gives people access to everyday products in many different parts of the world.
At the heart of our packaging design is paperboard, which we have sourced from FSC™-certified forests and other controlled sources since 2007. Every carton uses just the right amount of paperboard to ensure strength without unnecessary weight, reducing material use and lowering the carbon footprint compared to many alternative packaging solutions2.
And we continuously innovate in packaging materials to further reduce the carbon footprint of our cartons, support a circular economy and maximise value for recyclers processing our beverage cartons today.
This is why we work to develop the world’s most sustainable food package3. Our aim is to develop a carton package that is paper-based, with the lowest possible carbon footprint, made only from responsibly sourced renewable or recycled materials and fully recyclable.
I often reflect on a thought that has guided Tetra Pak since the beginning. Ruben Rausing said that a package should save more than it costs. That’s something that still holds true for us today, as we work to keep our commitment to make food safe and available, everywhere. And it takes on an even broader meaning. We need packaging that protects food while helping to protect the resources we rely on.
Consumers are pushing for sustainable change
Across the value chain, I see a shift in how people think about packaging. Consumers are more aware of the environmental impact of the products they choose, and this awareness is shaping expectations.
Our latest consumer research shows that 75% of consumers say they are concerned about environmental issues. Many are thinking beyond immediate choices. 60% say their sustainable purchase decisions are motivated by a desire to preserve the environment for future generations.4
These insights resonate with what I hear from customers and partners around the world. People want packaging that feels responsible and easy to deal with at end of life. According to the same study, consumers see terms such as `recyclable´ and `made of recycled materials´ as strong indicators of an environmentally sound packaging solutions. Carton packages perform well in this context. They score high on ease of flattening for disposal, recyclability and renewability, which reinforces consumer confidence in beverage carton credentials.4
For me, this confirms that we are moving in the right direction. As I often say,
“What encourages me most is how strongly consumers are driving this shift. Their interest in responsible choices is growing, especially among the younger generation, and that motivation is pushing all of us to explore better solutions.”
This insight strengthens our focus on increasing the share of responsibly sourced renewable and recycled materials and to design for recycling, an approach we have adopted with industry partners to make carton packages more attractive to recyclers and in which food packaging is considered from a full lifecycle perspective, including its end of life.
We are making progress, although there is still a distance to go. Moving toward our ambition requires continued innovation and collaboration. Meeting future needs depends on close cooperation with customers, suppliers, recyclers and policymakers who help shape the conditions for opportunities and successful change.
“The landscape is changing quickly. With constructive engagement across the value chain, we can shape solutions that respond to what people need.”
New ideas and new ways of working
We have been preparing for the next stage of packaging innovation for many years by investing in research, academic partnerships and technical capabilities.
“Long-term preparation gives us the foundation we need to develop packaging that meets future expectations.”
This approach helps us anticipate challenges and build the ability to work across materials, equipment, processing and distribution at the same time. To explore how materials are evolving across the industry, you can read more here: What materials will shape tomorrow’s packaging? | Tetra Pak Global.
This long-term investment helps us explore new materials, develop next-generation barriers, test equipment compatibility and evaluate system performance in parallel.
Even so, there are still a number of challenges. Replacing fossil-based materials with responsibly sourced renewable or recycled alternatives requires rigorous testing. Designing for recycling requires close collaboration with recyclers and policymakers. Ensuring strong protective performance throughout the supply chain demands careful development. These complexities mean we need new ways of working and steady cooperation across our ecosystem.
Collaboration is key
Innovation can take us far but only collaboration can help us reach scale. The traditional linear supply chain model is no longer enough. We rely on a connected ecosystem that brings together suppliers, material innovators, recyclers, customers and policy partners.
I often remind our teams of something that remains true today.
“A breakthrough only matters if it can scale. Real impact comes from solutions that work for many markets, not only a few.”
Scale is essential to create an impact on the full value chain.
To support progress, we design packages compatible with existing recycling systems. We also contribute to the expansion of carton recycling capacity in regions where the right conditions exist. Ongoing dialogue with customers, brands and policymakers helps align ambitions and support long-term standards and infrastructure development.
Four areas of focus towards the world’s most sustainable food package
With our four focus areas we aim to enable the use of renewable materials, maximise the value of recycled material, minimise littering and make sure the package of the future is designed for recycling.
1. Increase the use of responsibly sourced, renewable materials
Carton packages already contain a high share of paperboard (70% on average). Using renewable materials can help reduce the carbon footprint of packaging, by minimising the need for fossil-based materials. All paperboard used in our cartons comes from FSC™-certified forests and other controlled sources.
We are also increasing the use of plant-based polymers. In 2024, plant-based polymers represented ~8 % of the total polymers we purchased, contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared with using an equivalent amount of fossil-based polymers5.
2. Use more recycled materials
Recycled content supports the development of the circular economy by reducing the consumption of fossil-based polymers and incentivising recycling by providing an end market for recycled materials. We have introduced certified recycled plastic content, for the caps, tops and/or coatings on selected carton packages. These materials are sourced according to the ISCC mass balance method.
In 2024 the share of certified recycled polymers we purchased in the EU increased by ~40% compared to 2023.6
3. Future-proof openings to prevent litter
In 2021, ahead of the legal obligation in Europe, we introduced tethered caps that remain attached throughout use. This helps to prevent littering and support recycling by keeping all the components connected, preventing any part from ending up on the street or in a waterway where it can harm fish or other aquatic life.
Tethered caps are available in plant-based versions or using certified recycled polymers.
At the same time, we have also expanded our paper straw offering to ensure further renewable and low-carbon materials across our range of packaging solutions.
4. Design for recycling
We continue researching solutions to simplify the packaging material structure of our beverage cartons. Replacing the aluminium foil layer in aseptic cartons with a paper-based barrier is an important step towards the world's most sustainable food package and a critical marker in our longstanding work to design beverage cartons for recycling, an approach we have adopted with industry partners to help increase the recycling value of food and beverage cartons.
Looking ahead
The progress we see today gives me confidence that we are moving in a positive direction.
“Progress happens step by step, and each step brings us closer to packaging that supports both food and the planet.”
1 & 3 By this we mean a carton package which is paper-based, with the lowest possible carbon footprint, made solely from responsibly sourced renewable or recycled materials, and fully recyclable. This means creating cartons that are fully made of renewable or recycled materials, that are responsibly sourced, thereby helping to protect and restore our planet's climate, resources and biodiversity; contributing towards low carbon production and distribution; are convenient and safe, therefore helping to enable a resilient food system; and are fully recyclable.
2 ifeu 2020, “Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Tetra Pak® carton packages and alternative packaging systems for beverages and liquid food on the European market.”
4 Tetra Pak® Sustainable Packaging Consumer Research 2025, comprising a total of 12,500+ consumer interviews based on an online questionnaire in 25 countries.
5 Based on climate accounting internal calculations (volume x emission factor) considering 56.9 kilo tonnes of plant-based plastic purchased in 2024. To calculate the avoided emissions number, we use a third-party emission factor for the plant-based polymers from public available lifecycle assessment by Braskem. Source: PE-Im-green-bio-based-LCA-Results-SUMMARY-ENG.pdf
6 Progress against this target is measured based on the share of ISCC+ certified recycled polymers used at European sites.
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