This page complements our Sustainability Report FY22 which was reported in accordance with the  GRI Standards to provide an overview of Tetra Pak’s sustainability performance for the period 1st  January 2022 – 31st December 2022. 

Find our Sustainability Report FY22 here

Raw materials and sourcing

Data presented in this section covers the raw materials used to produce our carton packages, including additional materials such as laminates, closures, straws, strips and film. 

GRI 301-1 Materials used by weight (kilo tonnes)

Packaging raw material use by weight

Renewable materials (paperboard and bio based plastics)
Non-renewable materials (aluminium and conventional plastics)

Relative proportion of raw materials used in our carton packages

Relative proportion of raw materials used in our carton packages
Paperboard
Bio based plastics
Conventional plastics
Aluminium foil

Proportion of FSC-labelled carton packages delivered to customers

Proportion of FSC-labelled carton packages delivered to customers

The number of FSC-labelled packages we deliver to our customers has been steadily growing since 2007, when we launched the first FSC-labelled carton package.
FSC-labelled packages
Percentage of total packages (%)

Circularity and recycling

Operational waste

Reported waste covers the handling of all solid waste produced in our production and equipment assembly sites, including production waste and any other types of waste from sites.

Management of operational waste

Management of operational waste

The chart shows the proportions of waste that is recycled, incinerated either with or without energy recovery, or sent to landfill.
Recycling
Incineration with energy recovery
Incineration without energy recovery
Landfill

Packaging material production waste in %


Material waste is measured as the difference between raw material consumed and the packaging material produced. The material waste rate shown here is the factory weighted average waste percentage.

 

Post consumer waste

We collect recycling data from all markets we operate in worldwide. The reported used carton package recycling rate is based on the share of cartons collected and sent for recycling versus cartons deployed. We use official publicly available data from renowned sources such as governmental agencies, registered recovery organizations, nationwide industry associations and NGOs. Information is reported on a regular basis using a consistent approach. In case of  missing information, we refer directly to data from recycling and/or collection partners with inputs from our local sustainability teams to make sure to have the broadest possible set of data.

Note: as a results of excluding Russia from the global recycling measure the global carton collection for recycling rate was 25% for 2022. Corresponding figure for 2021 would be 27%, compared to 26% when Russia was included.

a diagram of numbers and numbers

Carton Package Recycling volumes & rates

GRI 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials

Total carton packages collected and sent for recycling in kilo tonnes
Recycling Rate (%)

Climate and energy

Data presented in this section covers Tetra Pak’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as other emissions to air including Ozone depleting substances (ODS) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

GHG emissions are accounted according to the GHG Protocol principles developed by the World Resource Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Our Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions data have been limited assured by a third party since 2013.

Climate impact of Tetra Pak operations (emissions)

Our operational climate impact comprises of Scope 1 & 2 emissions and Scope 3, Category 6 - Business Travel. Scope 1 includes direct emissions from our own operations, including fuel consumption, the use of refrigerants and solvents. Scope 2 includes indirect emissions related to purchased electricity, heat, steam or cooling. Our Scope 2 was calculated using the “market-based” methodology. This means that we have used supplier-specific emission rates where available, in line with the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Quality Criteria. The main drivers to reduce emissions have been actions to further improve energy efficiency at our sites as well as increased use of renewable electricity. The main contributor to our Scope 1 & 2 emissions is purchased electricity to our sites.

Note: The baseline year for our climate data is 2019. The performance in 2019 is considered to be representative of Tetra Pak operations and the value chain and was the last full year for which an audited GHG inventory was available when our SBTi target was updated in 2020. The GHG emissions are calculated using published generic emission factors. The most recent GWP values provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), based on a 100-year time horizon, are used for the inventory. Consolidation approach for emissions: Operational control.

GRI 305-1 Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions

GRI 305-1 Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions

GRI 305-2 Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions

GRI 305-2 Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions

Value chain impact

305-3 Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions

305-3 Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions

GRI 305-4 GHG emissions intensity

GRI 305-4 GHG emissions intensity

 

Other emissions to air

Emissions of ODS result from CFCs/HCFCs* leakages. Tetra Pak's policy is to replace CFCs, halon and all other substances with high ozone depleting potential with alternative substances that have a lower environmental impact. Since implementing this policy our emissions from ozone depleting substances have dropped to marginal levels.
*CFCs: ChloroFluoroCarbons, HCFC: HydroChloroFluoroCarbons

VOC emissions arise mainly from solvents used in printing inks and, to some extent, from printing plate production at our packaging material converting factories. The data represents total VOC emissions to air, after abatement equipment. It includes both process emissions, stack emissions, as well as fugitive emissions. In order to reduce these emissions, we have been installing Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers (RTOs) at many of our sites. Furthermore, we are continuously innovating our processes to reduce the use of organic solvents in our production.

GRI 305-6 Emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS)

GRI 305-6 Emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS)
a. No production or export of ODS. Annual total ODS emissions from Tetra Pak operations are 0.01 tonnes CFC-11
b. Substances included after calculation. All refrigerants and halons used by Tetra Pak including substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol, and mixes thereof.
c. Source of emission factors used: https://www.unep.org/ozonaction/resources/gwp-odp-calculator-mobile-app/gwp-odp-calculator
d. Montreal Protocol and GWP-ODP Calculator provided by UNEP

Ozone-depleting substances in tonnes CFC-11e

Ozone-depleting substances in tonnes CFC-11e
GRI 305-6 Emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

VOC emissions in packaging material production in tonnes

VOC emissions in packaging material production in tonnes
GRI 305-7 Nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and other significant air emissions

 

Energy use at Tetra Pak operations

The energy use reported includes purchased and on-site generated electricity, the use of fossil fuels such as natural gas and district heating (hot water/steam). Electricity is the main source of power for our operations. Fuels are used both for heating and for process-specific purposes such as drying printing inks. The charts depict the total energy consumption across our operations around the world. Energy use has remained relatively stable, despite increases in production. Our packaging material converting factories are the most energy intensive operations and they consumed 74% of the total energy used across our operations in 2022.

GRI 302-1 Energy consumption within the organization

GRI 302-1 Energy consumption within the organization
*Natural gas, light fuel oil, diesel, heavy fuel oil, LPG, propane
** Biogas
f. Energy consumption data is collected and compiled from Tetra Pak sites via a web-based corporate sustainability management software.
g. Generic factors sourced from GaBi database

Total energy consumption in Tetra Pak operations

Total energy consumption in Tetra Pak operations
GRI 302-1(e)

Share of energy consumption by function

Share of energy consumption by function
Packaging material converting
Additional material production
Machines & equipment assembly
Offices & support functions

Share of energy consumption by source

Share of energy consumption by source
Electricity
Natural gas
LPG / Propane
District heat
Other energy (light fuel oil, biogas, solar thermal and heavy fuel oil)

GRI 302-3 Energy intensity for the organisation

GRI 302-3 Energy intensity for the organisation
a. Energy intensity ratio for the organization
b. organisation-specific metric (the denominator) chosen to calculate the ratio: Denominator, produced million Tetra Pak standard packages.
c. types of energy included in the intensity ratio: electricity, natural gas, LPG and Propane, district heating, other energy (light/heavy fuel oil, biogas, solar thermal heating)
d. whether the ratio uses energy consumption within the organisation, outside of it, or both: energy consumption within Tetra Pak

Energy intensity in packaging material production in MWh / million standard packages

Energy intensity in packaging material production

Renewable energy consumption in Tetra Pak operations

Renewable energy consumption in Tetra Pak operations
% renewable energy consumption in Tetra Pak operations
Onsite solar photovoltaics (PVs) capacity

Water Management

The data in this section depicts total water withdrawal, water discharge and water consumption across across Tetra Pak's sites. The amount of water we withdraw is modest; nevertheless, we seek to minimize usage withdrawal as far as possible. Our converting factories account for the largest percentage of water use, followed by those operations that assemble machines and equipment. In order to understand which of our sites are located in water stress areas we have used the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas tool do the assessment. It is assumed that all water withdrawn for our sites is fresh water.

GRI 303-3 Water withdrawal

Water withdrawal

Total water withdrawal from all areas in thousand m3

 Total water withdrawal from all areas in thousand m3
The increase in water withdrawal between 2022 and 2021 is attributed to our cooling system in our converting factory in Sunne, Sweden. The system uses surface water from a nearby lake for production cooling, after which the water is returned to the same lake. As a result, our net water consumption is not significantly affected, as it decreased to 1066ML compared to 1405ML in 2021.

Water withdrawal by function

Water withdrawal by function
Packaging material converting
Additional material production
Machines and equipment
Offices and support operations

Share of total water withdrawal by source

Share of total water withdrawal by source
Third-party water (ie municipal water)
Ground water
Surface water

GRI 303-4 Water discharge

Water discharge
In our corporate Water Management Procedure, we have stated standards for pollutants released to surface water in the absence of local standards or limits. We base such standards on table 1.3.1 of the International Finance Corporation’s Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Guidelines (found here)

GRI 303-4 Water discharge

Water consumption
Tetra Pak does not manage or impact any water storage of significant size within our operations.
Part of the decrease in water consumption between 2022 and 2021 can be attributed to our Kunshan site in China which achieved a 10% water reduction and over 2.8 million litres of water savings in 2022 by mapping the possibility of water recycling within municipal water consumption and finding a solution to reuse the waste-treated water in the cooling tower.

Employees

Data presented in this section covers the total number of employees at Tetra Pak for the year 2022 by gender, region, working time, and contract type. Here you will also find a breakdown of new employee hires and turnover by age, gender and region.

GRI 2-7 Employees

GRI 2-7 Employees

GRI 401-1 New employee hires & turnover by age group

GRI 401-1 New employee hires & turnover by gender and region

By gender and region

 

Diversity

Data presented in this section covers the diversity of Tetra Pak's Executive Leadership Team and Tetra Pak employees by region, age group and by employee category. 

GRI 405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees

GRI 405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees

% of employees by gender


23.1 % female
76.9 % male

% of employees by age group

% women by employee category

Restatements of information

In July 2022 Tetra Pak announced the divestment of its Russian business. This structural change in the organisation triggered a base year recalculation for our climate data. Russia is also excluded from our internal monitoring of collection and recycling and is not part of the global recycling rate or other environmental operational performance data, i.e., waste and water.

Read the article about: Tetra Pak to exit Russia