June 9, 2025
In the second of a three-part series, we look at what happens after aseptic cartons are used—how they’re collected, recycled, and transformed into valuable new products that keep materials in circulation and support a circular economy.
It’s easy to overlook the potential of an empty milk or juice carton when tossing it in the recycling bin. But what if that empty carton could come back as a tissue box, a shopping bag, or even a piece of furniture?
Beyond its primary purpose of protecting food, packaging also plays a valuable part in keeping materials in use for as long as possible. That means thinking beyond the shelf life of a product, and asking: what happens to it next?
What’s inside matters, even after use
Cartons are designed to protect food. But their value doesn’t end there. Their multi-layered structure means that each of the layers can be recovered and given a second life. On average, aseptic cartons are mostly made from paperboard (70%), with thin layers of plastic (25%), and aluminium (5 %). When cartons are properly collected, sorted and recycled, these layers can be separated and processed into new products.
Recycling can’t happen without collection
To make recycling a standard practice, proper collection and sorting is needed. This requires legislations and systems: bins on streets, trucks to pick up recyclables, facilities to sort and recycle them. In many places, that infrastructure isn’t fully in place yet.
“Some countries are ahead of the curve when it comes to recycling but we need to see a systemic change, with collective actions and a multi-pronged approach – from industry, the recycling value chain, governments, consumers as well as civil society,” says Kinga Sieradzon, Vice President, Sustainability Operations at Tetra Pak.
She goes on to say "That’s why we collaborate with a wide network of local and global organisations to strengthen every part of the recycling chain. And in some regions, we co-invest with recyclers in new equipment and facilities to increase recycling capacity.”
Today, used cartons are being recycled at more than 200 facilities around the world. Tetra Pak has committed up to €40 million per year to help make carton recycling more accessible and effective.
“We collaborate with a wide network of local and global organisations to strengthen every part of the recycling chain. And in some regions, we co-invest with recyclers in new equipment and facilities to increase recycling capacity.”
The power of informed and engaged consumers
A successful recycling infrastructure relies on consumers playing their part.
Remembering that recycling can be an option when about to trash a carton package seems like a small step, but it is the essential first step to begin the recycling journey. It needs to be easy for people to recycle their cartons, wherever they live. And that starts with knowing what’s possible.
We collaborate with our customers and retailers on joint awareness activities, from on-pack messages to educational programmes and awareness activities in schools and other community venues, for inspiring consumers to recycle.
Where cartons go and the value they bring
After a carton is collected and sorted, its journey is far from over. In fact, that’s when its second life begins.
Our carton packages consist mainly of paperboard, which is why in many regions they’re sent to paper mills for recycling. And this is where their transformation begins. The paperboard is placed into a hydra pulper, where it’s mixed with water to extract the paper fibres and make the pulp. The extracted fibres are then screened, cleaned and thickened before they go into the paper machine. The pulp is strong and high-quality, making it ideal for various paper products like e-commerce boxes, tissue paper and shopping bags.
In Italy, Lucart is one of the companies leading the charge in transforming these fibres into high-grade recycled products. In Mexico, Bio Pappel plays a similar role in keeping materials in use and supporting local recycling ecosystems.
“We’re collaborating with stakeholders to increase polyAl recycling capacities in different geographies and to develop new end-markets for recycled polyAl products to increase demand for the material.”
What happens to the rest of the carton?
The non-fiber parts of the carton can also be separated and recycled into a new source of raw material called PolyAl, which is more challenging to recycle but also full of potential. In the Netherlands, Recon Polymers uses advanced technology to separate the materials and turn them into things like building boards, pallets, and other durable goods. And in Italy, a collaboration created by CPR System and Lucart – called Newpal, is creating transport pallets for major retailers like COOP, made entirely from recycled polyAl.
It doesn’t stop there. “We’re collaborating with stakeholders to increase polyAl recycling capacities in different geographies and to develop new end-markets for recycled polyAl products to increase demand for the material.” says Kinga. “In a first for the automotive industry, Fiat – the Italian automobile manufacturer – has incorporated polyAl from used beverage cartons into the design of one of its latest models, Fiat Grande Panda. This is a promising starting point for future cases.”
Step by step, these innovations are building new pathways for used materials and helping to contribute to the circular economy.
Designing for a circular future
The more material that gets recycled, the less need there is for new, fossil-based resources - and the environmental impact of extracting and processing them is reduced in turn. But recycling isn’t just about turning used products into something new. It’s also about expanding the value and prolonging the life of that recycled material.
But progress doesn’t happen in isolation. Expanding recycling capacity takes shared effort, which is why we’re working with governments, municipalities, recyclers and consumers around the world to make it easier to collect and process cartons for recycling. Together, we’re aiming to keep valuable materials in circulation and contribute to a circular economy.
In part three of our recycling series, we explore how cross-industry collaboration, circular design and digital tools are already shaping the future of recycling offering compelling examples that it’s not a distant ambition, more the challenge is scale.
Discover how recycled cartons stay valuable beyond their first use.
