Tetra Pak will invest € 60 million in a new pilot plant at its facility in Lund, Sweden, to accelerate the development of a paper-based barrier for its aseptic cartons for beverages and food, replacing the traditional aluminium layer.

“This innovation – the company emphasises in a statement – increases the paper content in packaging to around 80% and, when combined with plant-based polymers, increases the traceable renewable content to 92%, reducing the carbon footprint by up to 43%“. Furthermore, by simplifying the structure of the packaging from three to two main materials, namely paper and polymers, additional benefits are expected, such as ‘the possibility of maximising the recovery of the paper component during the recycling process and obtaining high-quality fibrous and non-fibrous fractions.’

The choice of the Lund facility is linked to its strong ties with existing materials research and development, close collaboration with the Swedish town’s university, and access to advanced testing capabilities at the local MAX IV laboratory.

“By expanding our facilities and strengthening strategic partnerships – comments Joakim Tuvesson, Vice President Materials & Package Tetra Pak – we aim to make our innovative paper-based barrier accessible to an increasing number of customers, accelerating their transition to sustainable packaging materials. We look forward to starting production and welcoming the first manufacturers to the new pilot plant in the first quarter of 2027“.

Tetra Pak’s investment is part of the company’s commitment to allocate approximately € 100 million per year until 2030 to the development of sustainable packaging solutions.

The company launched the first paper-based barrier aseptic carton for beverages and food in 2023, together with a Portuguese dairy producer, winning the Resource Efficiency award at the 2024 Sustainable Packaging News Awards.