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Securing the future, one Tetra Pak carton at a time

From defending the country from enemy forces to struggling with the most extreme weather
conditions, their story is one of true valour.
Updated: Nov 16, 2017, 11.56 AM IST

The next time you are about to throw away your empty carton, think twice. To quote Neil
Armstrong, the rst man to set foot on the moon, “A small step for man, a giant leap for
mankind”. In environment conservation terms, every bit of e ort goes a long way in
securing the future of generations to come. And it is time that this message permeates
down to the hearts and minds of every man, woman and child. Not inspired enough?
Read on to start thinking twice about your reasons for not recycling that used carton.

Let’s take the example of those on the frontlines, the Indian Army, who face hundreds of
challenges in the line of duty every day. From defending the country from enemy forces
to struggling with the most extreme weather conditions, their story is one of true valour.
Did you know that the armed forces in the North East collect every single carton they
consume, for recycling? The Indian Army consumes about 20 mn milk cartons i.e. about
5,000 tons of Tetra Pak cartons a year. Since they have no access to fresh milk given how
hard reaching their locations are, Tetra Pak cartons are not just a luxury, but a necessity.
Ever thought about where the used packs are dumped? Well, surprise, they are not
dumped!

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With environment depletion being a cause of concern for nations, corporates, citizens
alike, organisations are getting more pro-active than ever. Tetra Pak, for instance, helps
recycle the cartons disposed by the armed forces by setting up a compacting plant on
the Army premises. This is just one of the initiatives by Tetra Pak to practice its oath to
sustainability. The Army contingent in the North-east, as mentioned earlier, collects every
single carton it consumes and, using the compacting plant, these cartons are converted
into bales and sent to the nearest recycling centre. Here these bales of used cartons are
converted into many useful products like paper bags, notebooks and more. What’s more,
the Sikkim contingent is now looking at setting up a recycling plant as well, aiming to
recycle their own carton waste as well as that of the neighbouring civilian areas.

Recycling of cartons is a conscious decision that is helping keep our planet alive,
especially with the government sharpening focus on environmental conservation and
waste management. It is estimated that Indian cities alone generate 100 million tons of
waste in a year. To counter waste and hygiene issues, the government is already working
on Swachh Bharat campaign, which has led to companies focusing on many initiatives like
building public toilets and waste management under their CSR initiatives.

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The Planet in our Palms

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With the introduction of Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR) legislation, the

responsibility of waste management and segregation has shifted from municipal bodies
to producers.

“Government is working on the basic principal of zero waste going to the land ll.
Whatever is reusable should be consumed and recycled rst here only. What is non-
biodegradable, non-renewable should go to the land ll. Under EPR rules, manufacturers
have to provide nancial assistance for waste management,” says Sanchita Jindal,
Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

“New manufacturers have to submit an action plan for waste management in six months
to one year of setting up a plant. Plastic manufacturers have to rst register themselves
with the Pollution Control Board. The plan has to be made in consultation with the local
bodies,” adds Sanchita Jindal.
While many organizations are now sitting up and strengthening their environment
agenda, Tetra Pak is one of the few organizations that have worked on their sustainability
footprint much ahead of the curve, and much before laws and legislation kicked in. For
over a decade the company has invested in setting up a complete ecosystem and
partnering with organisations working across the waste value chain to boost recycling of
used cartons. The organization believes that recycling is an investment in the future.
Tetra Pak cartons are fully recyclable and the di erent layers of the aseptic carton –
paper bres, polymers and aluminium – can all be recycled using relatively simple
techniques and turned into new products. Recycling means that less waste is sent to
land ll and reduces demand for resources.

Kandarp Singh, Managing Director, Tetra Pak South Asia Markets says, “Government and
regulators will be more mindful of the role they play in protecting consumers.
Consequently, we will see tighter controls not only on how the industry makes food
available but also the practices it adopts to make and deliver packaged foods in the most
sustainable way.”

Despite the strengthening recycling ecosystem, retrieving used Tetra Pak cartons from
municipal solid waste however is a challenging task in India. That’s because despite
legislations, waste is not segregated at source. There is consumer apathy to waste
segregation due to various factors – Eg. lack of awareness and access to relevant
information, no support system for collection of segregated waste, etc. Recovery of
recyclables relies on the informal waste collectors. However, organising waste collectors
is also a challenging task.
To achieve this, Tetra Pak works with partners and stakeholders across the entire
recycling value chain, supporting the development of the collection infrastructure,
building the market for recycled materials and above all educating and encouraging end
consumers to recycle.

“We had internalised the concept of EPR 15 years ago when we began our recycling
journey with virtually no carton collections. Since then, we have been collaborating with
stakeholders across the value chain – recyclers, waste pickers, NGOs, consumers and
government bodies – to improve the collection and recycling of our cartons”, adds Singh.

This combination of a short-term (interventions to establish collections and recycling)

and long-term approach (education) form the basis of an economic model where the
buyer (the recycler) pays an attractive price to the seller (the waste collector) and the
model feeds itself, save for some interventions from Tetra Pak in terms of
communication, promotion and equipment support.

“We believe our interventions go well beyond the recycling agenda to other aspects such
as – social and economic development. The recycling facilities generate additional
livelihoods. Carton collection gives an additional source of income for waste collectors.
Due to our persistent e orts over last 10 years, we estimate that close to 40% of used
cartons are already getting recycled in India,” says Kandarp Singh.
Sustainability at the Core, from Farm to table, and beyond

Globally, sustainability is an important priority for Tetra Pak. In addition to recycling, an

important area of focus has been FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) One of the most
credible green certi cations in the world, the FSC certi cation guarantees consumers
that the product they are buying has come from a forest and supply chain that is
managed responsibly. FSC has some of the most stringent regulations to sustain forests
and environment. Globally, FSC standards are looked upon as the most social and forest
friendly standards. Each individual operation under FSC is audited at least once a year,
and organizations have to comply with FSC standards consistently to maintain
certi cations. To maintain the standards, a tracking system is developed to ensure
tracking of FSC certi ed wood throughout the production chain before being labelled.

An independent research by Tetra Pak shows that 39% of consumers globally look for
sustainability logos, while 23% identify the FSC logo. It was also noted that more than 60%
of in uencer’s believe that the logo makes the brand more meaningful to the customers.
By August 2017, Tetra Pak has delivered a total of 280 billion FSC-labeled packages
globally. In India too, despite the FSC drive having started only a few years ago, 2 in every
5 Tetra Pak cartons sold in India today bears the FSC label, signaling that they comply
with FSC requirements relating to forest management and the traceability of the wood
bre in the paperboard.

Clearly, Tetra Pak’s brand promise of “Protects What’s Good” extends beyond just food
safety, lending itself to the environment as well. As Kandarp Singh puts it, “We believe
that our responsibility does not end with the sale of our packages. If the waste has a
value, it's part of the value chain”. Food for thought for other corporates indeed.

READ MORE: Value Chain | regulations | Product | markets | market | indian army | india |
environment | aluminium

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