Tetra Pak and Elvir have collaborated on carton packaging that uses a cap integrating certified recycled polymers, which are manufactured by Tetra Pak in France and used by the Elvir cream brand, Elle & Vire.
Elle & Vire chose the HeliCap 23 cap solution to complement its cream products, which are distributed in Tetra Brik Aseptic 1L Slim carton packages. According to the companies, the HeliCap 23 cap offers consumers ease of opening and features a clearly visible tamper evidence ring, providing peace of mind that the product hasn’t been opened before use.
The one-step resealable screwcap is manufactured at Tetra Pak’s Châteaubriant plant in Loire-Atlantique, France – a site which has been awarded the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification and boosted by a €100 million investment to accelerate the transition to the production of tethered caps in line with EU legislation.
Tetra Pak says that the new caps use certified recycled polymers, which are manufactured under the RSB chain of custody attribution method. This apparently means that the plastics are made of a mix of recycled and non-recycled materials, with the corresponding mass of recycled materials tracked through the Tetra Pak supply chain. This is also verified by a third-party auditor according to the RSB Chain of Custody Procedure.
Chakib Kara, managing director of France & Benelux at Tetra Pak, comments: “Comparative studies show that, already today, our paper-based carton packages have a lower carbon footprint than alternative options, such as glass, plastic or metal packages. D
“Deploying cartons integrating attributed recycled polymers represents a key step in our journey towards the ultimate sustainable food package, one that is fully made of responsibly sourced renewable or recycled materials, fully recyclable and carbon neutral.”
Annick Renou, global marketing director at Elvir, adds: “By adopting caps which integrate attributed recycled polymers, Elle & Vire is a pioneer in circularity.
“Based on recent research, approximately three in four French consumers are concerned with environmental issues, and the same number say that their purchase intention increases if a brand is addressing sustainability issues.”
Marco Marchetti, VP of packaging materials, sales & distribution solutions at Tetra Pak, concludes: “As a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, Tetra Pak has pledged to incorporate a minimum of 10% recycled plastic content on average across carton packages sold in Europe by 2025.
“Having listened to Elle & Vire’s demands and activated our ecosystem of innovative partners, such as INEOS and RSB, who are helping us to move away from virgin, fossil-based resources, we are now one step closer to reaching this goal.”
Last year, Tetra Pak announced that it would be expanding its portfolio of tethered cap solutions and exploring the use of plant-based options. The company has also committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its own operations by 2030.
