Finnish dairy producer- Valio has become the first company to use world’s first plant-based Tetra Pak cartons- Tetra Rex. The bio-based packaging is manufactured from a combination of plastics derived from plants (bio-plastic laminate films, necks and caps derived from sugarcane) and paperboard.
In Tetra Rex cartons, low-density polyethylene is used to create the laminate film for the packaging material. The neck of the opening and cap are made from high-density polyethylene derived from sugar cane and rest from paperboard. However, completely biodegradable material is not used because food materials inside the package needs to withstand light, oxygen and water for longer duration to prevent spoilage.
Although these cartons cannot degrade on their own after usage, but these can surely be recycled without any negative impact on environment. The bio-based Tetra Pak was launched on October 2014 with unusual eco-friendly concept. Now, Valio has started retailing the renewable packages with Valio Eila lactose free semi-skimmed milk for trail in all outlets across Finland until mid March. Then according to the feedback from consumers, the firm will further decide whether to use cartons more broadly across its chilled product range or not.
Via: EcoBusiness
