Two leaders. Two companies.
One shared belief: that packaging can do more than protect products
– it can protect the planet.
In this exclusive interview, Elli Siltala, Executive Vice President for Core Businesses and Home Markets at Valio, and Marija Pejovic Wallin, Vice President of Business Sector Chilled at Tetra Pak, reflect on a partnership that has defined a decade of innovation in sustainable packaging, and how Tetra Pak and Valio decided not to wait for change – but to make it happen.
Because together, these two Nordic pioneers didn’t just launch the world’s first fully plant-based beverage carton – Tetra Rex® Plant-based. They proved that when brands lead with values and act with courage, an entire industry can follow and commit to a shared quest for smarter, more sustainable packaging.
Read on to get a behind-the-scenes look into how Valio and Tetra Pak transformed bold ideas into scalable solutions, the challenges they’ve faced in making complex sustainability concepts simple for consumers, and their vision for packaging that’s not just renewable and recyclable – but smarter, more traceable, and even more purposeful. For anyone looking to understand how such innovations intersect to drive meaningful change, this is essential reading.
Ten years ago, Valio and Tetra Pak did something that had never been done before. While the rest of the world was still debating the feasibility of sustainable packaging, they took action and commercially launched the world’s first beverage carton made entirely from plant-based, renewable materials – Tetra Rex® Plant-based.
Powered by Tetra Pak’s constant innovation and Valio’s sustainability leadership, this breakthrough wasn’t just about materials; it was about mindset and marked a bold shift from simply “packaging products” to packaging with purpose. Fast forward ten years, and what began as a groundbreaking launch has become a symbol of what’s possible when brands lead with values – and when two pioneers refuse to wait for change and decide to create it instead.
A decade of purpose-driven packaging
As both companies mark this milestone, it’s clear that their collaboration is not only enduring – it’s thriving. And as Elli Siltala, Valio’s Executive Vice President – Core Businesses and Home Markets, tells it, it’s a collaboration rooted in values, backed by trust, and made possible by a shared vision and desire to innovate.
“We believed in the direction Tetra Pak was taking. We saw the potential and the opportunity, and we wanted to lead.”
“At that time [2015], it wasn’t mainstream to talk about fully renewable packaging,” she recalls. “But we believed in the direction Tetra Pak was taking. We saw the potential and the opportunity, and we wanted to lead.”
That leadership has had a lasting impact. While the packaging itself represents a small part of Valio’s overall carbon emissions, it plays an outsized role in the brand’s consumer experience. “Packaging is what consumers see and touch, so it’s where sustainability becomes tangible,” Siltala explains. “That makes it a powerful communicator of our values.”
A first that sparked a movement
The Tetra Rex® Plant-based package marked a first for the global food and beverage industry: a fully renewable package made of paperboard from Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) certified forests and other controlled sources, and from Bonsucro-certified polymers derived from sugarcane, including the cap and neck. For Valio, it was an ambitious step aligned with their broader goal of achieving carbon neutrality; for Tetra Pak, it was a moment of validation.
“Valio walked the talk, not just by launching the plant-based package, but also by committing to scale it across their operations.”
“We can innovate endlessly, but without partners like Valio who are willing to go first, it doesn’t mean much,” says Marija Pejovic Wallin, Vice President Business Sector Chilled at Tetra Pak. “Valio walked the talk, not just by launching the plant-based package, but also by committing to scale it across their operations.”
Indeed, by 2018, the innovation that began as a pilot had become Valio’s standard, and today, 73% of Valio’s packaging materials are renewable or recycled – a figure they aim to increase to 80% by 2030.
Partnership as a driver of innovation
At the heart of all this success is a deep, open collaboration between the two companies – a genuinely symbiotic relationship.
“Valio is a partner we value highly, and one we want to have on our own sustainability journey,” says Pejovic Wallin. “We’ve been impressed with how Valio have taken our innovations, committed to making them work, and convinced their consumers to see the value in plant-based.”
“It’s not just a business relationship; our teams are constantly sharing, benchmarking, and developing ideas”
It’s not just a business relationship; our teams are constantly sharing, benchmarking, and developing ideas,” adds Siltala. “We visit Tetra Pak’s innovation centres, we learn from how they engage with customers, and we bring that mindset into our own operations. It’s a culture of mutual growth.”
This spirit of partnership when it comes to introducing innovations has extended into other areas too, from launching plant-based caps with recycled content to exploring new barrier technologies that could make cartons fully fibre-based in line with forthcoming EU regulations.
“We’re not just thinking about today’s packaging challenges,” Siltala says. “We’re looking at how to stay ahead of evolving legislation, improve package recyclability, and further reduce our environmental impact. And Tetra Pak is a key partner in making that happen.”
The consumer challenge – and opportunity
One of the ongoing challenges the two companies face is communicating the complexity of sustainable materials to everyday consumers. As Siltala puts it: “It’s not easy to explain that something that looks and feels like plastic is actually made from plants.”
That nuance has led to frequent consumer questions: Can I recycle this? Can I compost it? Is this plastic or not? Valio and Tetra Pak have worked closely on end-user messaging to ensure clarity, while also maintaining space for other brand communications such as lactose-free claims, recipe ideas, and promotional content.
Cost is, naturally, another hurdle to overcome, particularly when it comes to dairy. “We recognise that producers and farmers operate under a lot of financial pressure,” notes Pejovic Wallin. “But there is still value in prioritising sustainability and communicating how important it is – Valio does that really well.”
Despite the challenges, this investment in the consumer experience and the messaging around it has paid off. “People care about the impact their purchasing habits have,” says Siltala. “So, the solution has to be both convenient and sustainable.”
Looking forward: Sustainability with substance
As Valio celebrates their 120th anniversary, the company remains as forward-looking as ever. Its roots as a farmer-owned cooperative mean its sustainability ambitions are grounded in both environmental and economic responsibility.
“We have to support our farmers today, while also investing for tomorrow,” says Siltala. “That balance between short-term viability and long-term leadership is at the core of everything we do.”
This perspective aligns seamlessly with Tetra Pak’s vision. Both companies are investing in future packaging formats that improve recyclability, enhance food safety, and meet the stringent requirements of the EU’s upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR).
“Food quality and safety will remain the top priority, but the origin of the actual product will be key in the future”
For both Siltala and Pejovic Wallin, the next frontier is packaging that’s not only sustainable, but also smarter. “Food quality and safety will remain the top priority, but the origin of the actual product will be key in the future,” explains the latter. “We’ll want to know exactly what we're putting into our bodies, where it comes from, and how it's processed.”
“I think we’ll see more traceability and more transparency,” agrees Siltala. “Like batch-level tracking printed directly on the carton. And of course, better barriers that don’t compromise recyclability.”
“Such goals align with Tetra Pak’s own stated ambition to develop world’s most sustainable package, made solely from responsibly sourced renewable or recycled materials, fully recyclable, and carbon neutral”, adds Pejovic Wallin.
A partnership that sets the pace
If there’s one lesson to be drawn from this decade-long collaboration, it’s that sustainability cannot succeed in isolation. Valio and Tetra Pak have shown what’s possible when innovation meets trust, and when bold decisions are backed by deep collaboration.
“Packaging may be just one small part of our total emissions,” Siltala says, “but it’s 100% of what the consumer sees. That makes it matter.”
Ten years ago, Valio and Tetra Pak introduced the world's first fully plant-based carton. Today, their partnership continues to shape the future – one package at a time.
