Coca-Cola Awarded in Brazil for Tetra Pak Cartons With Bio-based Plastic

28 Oct 2014 --- Coca-Cola’s Del Valle Reserva brand of juice won the Technology in Beverage Packaging prize at the 2014 ABRE Awards for being the first brand to use Tetra Pak cartons with bio-based low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films derived from sugar cane.

“Tetra Pak has been characterized by its expertise and leadership in renewable resources. The packaging with green technology is part of that. Our participation in this innovative process, with Del Valle, is also the result of the environmental vision already incorporated into the DNA of Coca-Cola. The partnership with Tetra Pak puts us, once again, in front of the most modern and sustainable in the packaging sector," said Rino Abbondi, Technics & Logistics Vice-President at Coca-Cola Brazil.

The award winning Del Valle juice in Tetra Prisma Aseptic 1000 reaches more than 200 million Brazilian consumers every year.

Following the successful pilot with Coca-Cola’s Del Valle brand at the beginning of the year, Tetra Pak has introduced cartons with bio-based LDPE to all 150 customers that source from Tetra Pak Brazil since April, a total of more than 13 billion packs every year. Combined with paperboard, the use of bio-based LDPE increases the content of renewable materials to 78% in the Tetra Prisma Aseptic package used by Coca-Cola.

“We are delighted that Coca-Cola has won this award, which stands as testimony to their vision and their commitment to drive the sustainability and performance of their packaging through the use of renewable materials,” said Charles Brand, Vice President Marketing & Product Management at Tetra Pak. “We will continue to work with both customers and suppliers to find innovative ways to increase the renewable content of our packaging - which currently averages 70% across our portfolio - because we strongly believe this is the best way to protect the sustainable future of the packaging industry.”

Produced by Braskem, one of the world’s leading biopolymers producers, bio-based LDPE used in Tetra Pak cartons has the same physical and chemical properties as the traditional fossil-fuel derived polyethylene.

The 2014 ABRE Awards is organised by the Brazilian Packaging Association (ABRE) and is designed to recognise quality, technology, design, functionality and innovation within the packaging industry.